Content
- Successfully combat spider mites on the palm
- Recognize spider mites
- prevention
- What to do in case of infestation?
- Tips
A palm with spider mite infestation should be thoroughly showered several times
Successfully combat spider mites on the palm
Spider mites are among those pests that unfortunately infect palms quite often. If they are not consistently fought, they cause massive damage to the foliage and can even weaken the plant so much that it enters. Since the animals prefer a dry, airy climate, our winter heated indoor spaces provide an ideal breeding and living space.
Recognize spider mites
There are about 70 different spider mite species, of which only two are of importance in Germany: the common spider mite and the fruit tree spider mite. The arachnids are only about 0.5 millimeters in size and depending on the season yellowish-green, brown or red colored.
They prefer to live on the underside of the leaves, where they drill their veins with their mouthparts converted into stinging bristles in order to drink the sugary sap. The affected areas fill with air and are therefore recognizable as bright spots on the top. In case of heavy infestation, these flow together and the entire leaf turns yellow.
If you fog the affected plant, a fine web becomes visible, which protects the mites. Since the small animals are barely visible to the naked eye, an infestation is usually discovered by these webs.
prevention
So that spider mites do not even settle on your palm, you should ensure a good microclimate. High humidity does not give the animals ideal living conditions, so spray the palm with lime-free water every day.
If the humidity is permanently low, you can increase it with an indoor fountain or evaporation trays. This is especially easy if you give the palm a very large planter into which you put a brick. Put the plant on the stone. Now fill in so much water that the stone is in the water, but the liquid does not reach all the way to the flower pot. This allows the water to evaporate, but the palm does not get wet feet.
What to do in case of infestation?
As soon as you discover spider mites on a palm, you should immediately isolate them from the other plants. Then proceed as follows:
Tips
Phytosanitary rods, which help very well in lice, are hardly effective against spider mites. We also advise against treatments with home remedies, as they usually do not work effectively enough in cases of heavy infestation.