August 12, 2020
Nowadays, many people start to grow their own medicinal plants and some of them grow indoors using the best equipment, like indoor grow lights and ventilation kit. Today,we want to refer one thing that a medicinal plants grower is terrified of, it’s the myriad of pests that attack the plants. And talking of pests, most of them are easy to slay. As humans, we have control over almost all the pests troubling our plants, but there’s one pest that makes growers wet their pants with just a mention of its name.
Yep, you guessed it…spider mites. The most horrifying of all. The deadliest, stubborn pests that never leave once they find their way in. Once they invade the plants, there’s no way to get rid of them unless you’re super determined and match their vigor to counter-attack them. If you’re a victim of spider mites and have lost your precious buds, read on to know how to fight them.
Spider mites are a common garden pest that generally lives on the undersides of plant leaves, where they may spin protective silk webs to protect themselves against the elements and other predators.
They are less than 1 millimetre (0.04 inches) in size and can be red or black in colour. Spider mites prefer hot, dry conditions and lay transparent eggs which can hatch in as little as 3 days.Hatchlings are sexually mature in 5 days, and female mites can live for up to 2-4 weeks, laying up to 20 eggs per day.
It is best to be aware of a spider mite problem before your medicinal plants are extensively affected, so we recommend using a smartphone camera lens to observe the underside of the leaves when you’re inspecting your plants.
If you see tiny insects (approximately 0.04 of an inch), as well as extremely tiny and translucent eggs, you might be having an infestation brewing up.
Your suspicions can be further confirmed if you see tiny webs running from one leaf to another. Those webs are why these mites are called spider mites. The webs help protect the colony from dropping to the ground or being blown away by the wind. Yes, a colony.
Additionally, you may see tiny white spots on the leaves. Those spots mark the places where the mites have been feeding on the chlorophyll inside the leaves.
Spider mites reproduce extremely quickly (one fertilized female can lay up to 140 eggs per day). Hence, you’ll want to act quickly at the first sign of an infestation.
Here’s how to get rid of spider mites on your medicinal plants:
Note: Never use systemic pesticides on medicinal plants. These pesticides enter the vascular system of plants and can be poisonous to both humans and animals. Only ever use pesticides that are safe to use on edibles like fruit and veg.
Spider mites thrive in hot environments with high humidity. Therefore, keep temperatures pretty low and make their life difficult. It’s also a good idea to remove any plant debris from the indoor grow tent because mites are amazing at hiding and waiting. Natural predators like ladybugs work amazingly well when plants are outdoors.
Most spider mites come from gardens, so change clothes if you’re entering your grow room. It may seem like much, but it’s better to prevent them rather than tearing your hair later. Try not to touch clones or plants infested with spider mites since they may hitch a ride to your grow room.