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Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Wed May 25, 2022 7:02 pm
by JCcares
Help please

I have no experience with spider mites on my nine month INDOOR baby seedling Cacti.

What is the best way to deal with spider mites on my small cacti seedlings?

Thank you very much for your help and your time.

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Wed May 25, 2022 8:54 pm
by ohugal
Depends on what you got access to...
A quick way to temporarily knock them off would be isopropyl alcochol (2-propanol). A 70% concentration is often recommended, but I've used a 100% IPA on adult plants with no side effects. You have to move quickly though.

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Thu May 26, 2022 12:16 am
by greenknight
70% isopropyl is what's generally sold as a disinfectant, and it will do the job.

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Thu May 26, 2022 1:28 am
by JCcares
THANK YOU for your help!!!👍

What is your opinion with Neem Oil???

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Thu May 26, 2022 5:55 am
by ohugal
I don't know if Neem Oil helps against spider mites. I used it in the past for scale, but it can have adverse effects on the wax layer on some succulents.

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Thu May 26, 2022 11:55 am
by greenknight
Neem oil is effective against mites. It has to be applied repeatedly, every 4-7 days - more often than that risks damaging the plants, less often will not be effective. Don't expose freshly-sprayed plants to sun, evening would be a good time to apply it.

Alcohol can damage the waxy bloom on some plants, too. More of a cosmetic problem with mature cacti, not anything you need to worry about with your seedlings.

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Thu May 26, 2022 8:17 pm
by JCcares
Thank you all. I feel safe in all your wisdom’s experience 🙏🏽

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Fri May 27, 2022 6:50 am
by ohugal
I’ve read 70% IPA takes longer to evaporate due to the lower alcochol content, which makes it more effective for disinfectant purposes. I don’t know how this translates to bug control though.

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 8:39 am
by Andrzej1972
Hi. I using this. These little predators run really fast, does that work well? I hope.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125174515151 ... dia=FB_MSG

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 7:58 pm
by Vingames1
I would go with the Bayer spray in the blue bottle.. seems to work the best and doesn’t harm seedlings much

Re: Spider mites on a few of my 9 month seedlings

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 11:26 pm
by greenknight
Andrzej1972 wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 8:39 am Hi. I using this. These little predators run really fast, does that work well? I hope.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125174515151 ... dia=FB_MSG
Predatory mites work, but they'll starve out quickly unless you've got a lot of stuff for them to feed on, like a greenhouse full. However, from the description it appears they've worked out a way to make them timed-release over four weeks, which would keep them around long enough to take care of new mites that hatch. Kind of expensive, but should be effective.