Where Do Spider Mites Come From On Indoor Plants?

Where Do Spider Mites Come From On Indoor Plants?

Spider Mites On Indoor Plants – Treatment And Prevention

Plants face many dangers during their life. If you are not taking proper care of the plants, there is a high chance that they will get exposed to pests and mites, which slowly ruin the plant from the outside and attack its roots. Spider Mites are also one of the dangers to your plants. They don’t let anyone know about their presence until they ruin the plant completely. You must be wondering where do spider mites come from indoor plants. In this article, we will tell you about it along with its treatment and prevention.

Where Do Spider Mites Come From On Indoor Plants?, spider mites, indoor plants, plants

What Are Spider Mites?

Spider mites are small spiders that infest plants, mostly their leaves. Some people mistake them for insects but they are categorized as a spider because they have eight legs and don’t have an antenna. They are so tiny that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, and you have to use a magnifying glass to know about their presence. Spider Mites are slow killers and you will see the damage they have done to your plants when it’s too late.

Where do Spider Mites Come From On Indoor Plants?

Spider Mites can come from outside via various things. Most of the time, when you buy a new plant, it’s already infested with them. That’s where the spider mites come from on other indoor plants. They travel to other plants and make them infested, too(and you don’t even get to know until the damage is done). Spider Mites also enter your place, and then eventually to your indoor plants by your shoes, animal fur, and food. They are too hard to detect but if you look closely, you can probably do something about them.

Signs That Your Indoor Plant Has Spider Mites

Where Do Spider Mites Come From On Indoor Plants?, spider mites, indoor plants, plants

Spider Mites are small so you cannot easily see if your indoor plants have them or not. It’s the signs that you have to look for. You can find spider mites on the underside of leaves and at the corners of stems.

  • At first glance, they appear as dust particles but if you look closely and those particles are subtly moving, then they are probably spider mites.
  • Another sign which will tell you that your plant is infested is the drying and yellowing of leaves. Leaves can be yellow because of several reasons but Spider Mites can be one of them too.
  • If the leaves on your indoor plant are getting black, gray, or brown spots for no apparent reason, that’s probably the doing of spider mites too.

Also Read: Signs of Mealybugs on Plants: Treatment And Prevention

How to Treat Spider Mites on Indoor Plants?

If your plant is already the victim of spider mites, all you can do is treat it before letting it spread further. You can apply the following treatments on the damaged plants:

1. Isolate The Plant And Remove The Already Damaged Parts

First of all, you have to isolate the plant and keep it away from other plants because spider mites can spread to other plants too. Then, look for all the damaged parts in the damaged plant and prune the ones that are easy for you. It includes leaves and stems. Spider Mites also make webs, so remove them too.

2. Use Miticides

Miticides are used to remove mites from plants. There are different types of miticides available in the market. We suggest that you choose the one which uses natural materials so it doesn’t harm the plant. You have to spray the product directly on the plant to kill spider mites. It is better not to use only one type of miticide on the plant because the spider mites can build immunity to it.

3. Neem And Rosemary Oil

Neem Oil and Rosemary Oil are effective in killing pests and mites on plants and that’s why you should try them to kill Spider Mites. You need both of them in diluted form to spray on plants. But do not expect them to work fast, because it’s going to take some time until you start seeing some progress. The reason for using them in diluted form is that if we spray them directly, it can damage the plant.

4. Use Rubbing Alcohol

Alcohol is good for killing pests and mites. You can spray the rubbing alcohol on the plants where the spider mites have attacked or use cotton to spread it on the leaves. If the spider mites aren’t in large numbers, you can kill them in no time.

5. Dishwashing Soap And Water Solution

Most people recommend this method because it is easy to apply. All you need is dishwashing soap and water in equal amounts. Mix them well and then spray them on spider mites.

6. Herbal Miticide Tea

This is a homemade herbal tea that is used for treating spider mites. You will need some ingredients for it. These ingredients include one tablespoon of cinnamon, one tablespoon of cloves, and two tablespoons of Italian seasoning. Add all of these in water and wait until the water. Switch off the heat and add two cloves of garlic. Wait until the water has cooled. After this, add a bit of dish wash and pour this mixture into a spray bottle. Apply this tea on leaves that are under spider mite attack.

How to Prevent Spider Mites on Indoor Plants?

There are some ways that you can prevent spider mites from getting on your indoor plants. Below, we have mentioned some preventive measures:

1. Regularly Clean The Leaves

If you clean the leaves of your plant frequently, all the dust will remove and Spider Mites will not make their appearance. Spider Mites like getting on the leaves, which are dusty and a bit dry. The best way to avoid them is by cleaning and watering the plants regularly.

2. Keep The Humidity Level Up

Spider Mites like dry weather, so keeping the humidity up near your plant will prevent them from coming onto it. But this preventive measure is only applicable to plants that like to live in humidity. If you have plants that do not like humidity, you do not need to try this method because it will damage the plant before mites can.

Where Do Spider Mites Come From On Indoor Plants?, spider mites, indoor plants, plants

Also Read: How to Use a Humidifier for Plants?

Final Words

If you are not taking proper care of plants, there is always a high chance that they are going to get pests and mites. By doing some proper treatments and preventive measures, you can easily stop the spider mites from getting on them. If you ever wonder where do spider mites come on indoor plants, this article will help you.

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