Keep Spider Mites Off Your House Plants With A Handy Product You Already Own
Often going unnoticed due to their small size, spider mites are arachnids that can cause detrimental damage to your plants. They feed on plant contents, bruising plant cells. As a result, these plants suffer stress and oftentimes fatal damage. Fortunately, with a little help from rubbing alcohol, you can take back your mite-infested house plants before the pests deal irreversible damage. First, examine your plant and the pests on it, and verify that the mites you are dealing with are spider mites. They are easily identifiable because, unlike other small pests, spider mites have eight legs. While you can keep spider mites from harming your plants with a few sprays of soapy water, some more stubborn spider mites require a more powerful removal technique.
To start, you'll need a cloth and rubbing alcohol, with no more than 50% concentration. Put the rubbing alcohol in a bowl and dip the cloth in it to make it damp. Next, rub the damp cloth on the leaves and other infested parts of your plant to instantly remove the spider mites. Once you have wiped them all off, spray the plant with water to remove any alcohol left behind, which could inadvertently damage it.
Preventative measures
While removing spider mites once they arrive is critical, it's equally as important to get ahead of these pests by taking preventative measures before they arrive. The best way to do this is by actively taking care of your plant as well as understanding what attracts spider mites and avoiding them. For instance, spider mites are drawn to dusty and dry conditions, which could occur if your plant is not watered or tended to frequently enough. While it is not a suitable way to remove mites already on a plant, spraying water on leaves and other vulnerable areas can prevent them from attracting spider mites.
Much like these arachnids are drawn to dry areas, they are also more likely to appear on an unhealthy and disease-ridden plant than on a healthy and thriving one. Lastly, it is important to not only keep up with watering and other basic maintenance but to also keep a close eye on your plant to ensure that, if spider mites do appear, you can evict them before they take over.