Spider Mites on Meyer Lemon

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by firebirdbandit, Apr 3, 2009.

  1. firebirdbandit

    firebirdbandit Member

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    I'm having a problem with spider mites on my meyer lemon tree. I have not seen any damage from them yet but there are lots of them on the tree. Can you please tell me how bad they are? Could they ultimatly kill the tree? The tree is kept indoors and I have it on a large tray of water to increase the humidity. During the weekdays I mist the tree several times a day. Recently I've been basically streaming the water onto the leaves to wash off the spider mites. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you,
     
  2. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    you're already doing all that you can. keep the moisture up with the daily spritzing - they hate moisture.

    you could also put a drop of liquid dish soap in the water bottle - the light coating of the soap will help to get rid of them a little quicker.

    placing the plant in the tub and giving it a good shower is another thing you can try - time it to when you need to water it...
     
  3. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Research from Purdue University has shown that hand misting indoor containerized trees, provides no value at all. The mist applied by hand has such a short period of existence, that the tree receives no value. Joclyn, advice of putting the tree in the shower will provide a lot of protection. You can also take the tree outdoors and forcefully spray it down with a the hose. The usual control, and by far the most common method used by the citrus industry for the eradication of spider mites, is spraying Horticultural Oil such a UltraFine. All horticultural Oils (including UltraFine) are total non toxic, and completely safe. Horticultural Oils also control aphids, scale, mealy bug and white fly. - Millet (1,387-)
     
  4. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    millet, you got it! i meant to say a drop of cooking oil, not dish soap...although, the dish soap would have some effect.

    some people even do a drop of each in their spritzer...
     
  5. firebirdbandit

    firebirdbandit Member

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    Thanks for the advice. How harmful to the plant are these spider mites?
     
  6. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    they'll kill it eventually.
     
  7. Beeker

    Beeker Active Member

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    I had spider mites on my roses. They killed two plants.
    The ones I forcefully sprayed with water, survived.
     
  8. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Spider mites feed by sucking the juices from your citrus tree's leaves. If you do not control them, the tree has no other "choice" but to start discarding the leaves in self defense. Further, if not controlled, mites often spread to other indoor plants that you might have growing in your home. - Millet (1,385-)
     
  9. debby156

    debby156 Member

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    can someone post a pic of a spider mite on a citrus leave? thanks. i think i had them on my brug plant but my grapefruit tree had something different. black spots that wiped off easily no web-like thingys
     
  10. firebirdbandit

    firebirdbandit Member

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    I'd try to take a picture of them but they are really small I don't think I will be able to get a good shot.


    I could not find any horiculture oil anywhere. Any idea where to get some? I ended up purchaseing some Insect Killing Soap with seaweed extract by Safer Brand. It was listed as killing spider mites and their eggs. So far it has worked. All the mites that were moving around and having a carnival when I arrived in the office this morning are now dead. I soaked the tree really good. I also sprayed all the indoor plants in this office. Hopefully this will work. I would still like to know where to get that horicultre oil that is talked about a lot. Thanks,
     
  11. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    My guess is that Florida and California would be the two easiest states sin the Union to purchase Horticultural Oil, due the the large citrus industry in both of these states. Horticultural oil is the #1 control for aphids, spider mites, mealy bug, and scale in the citrus industry. I find UltraFine brand horticultural oil at Home Depot, most garden centers, and Lowes. Any citrus supplier in Florida would also sell horticultural oil. - Millet (1,384-)
     

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