HippyInEngland
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Hi Guys : - )
I got the info below from a hydroponic site I use, I thought it may be helpful to some of you.
Spider Mites
Data Sheet Page 1/4
Types
Tetranychus Urticae, often called the Red Spider Mite. This eight legged spider mite is usually a
transluscent shade of green, cream or brown in colour, only the older females reaching a red shade. Eggs
are about 0.15mm long and laid on the underside of the leaves. Adults are about 0.4mm long and are also
found on the underside of the leaves.
This little fellow is by far the most common form of spider mite, other forms are out there like Tetranychus
Cinnabarinus (plum red, same size) but are less common and treated the same way.
Lifestyle
The spider mite likes to eat your plant leaves, and live and breed on the underside of the leaves. They will
generally look for a place away from oscillating fans or draughts and often start on the mid and upper
sections of the plant where it's still quite hot and dry.
Once they start to take a hold (which can take as little as 5 to 10 days from first introduction) they will begin
producing large amounts of webbing and will spread at a devastating rate as they look for new breeding
and feeding grounds using the webbing as a transportation system. Because of the spider mites
predominantly female population and their rapid breeding rate they can destroy whole crops in a matter of
weeks.
Breeding rates
An adult female can lay up to 100 eggs, the eggs take about 4 or more days to hatch dependent on
conditions (they like it hot and dry). Once hatched they take about 4 days to reach adulthood although
again this can be dependent on conditions.
To slow down their breeding rate, cool your growroom down and raise the humidity until you have
eliminated the problem or at least have it under control. (Keep temperatures below 30 oC and humidity
above 50% relative humidity)
Identification/damage
Checking for tell tale signs of damage is easier than looking for the mite itself. The mites will **** the juice
from the leaves leaving pin size white/colourless dots on the top surface of the leaf. These spots usually
occur in clusters. If you see these spots then turn the leaf over and look for the tiny mites or eggs which
may be hard to see. To help confirm you have mites mist the underside of suspected leaves with water and
this should show up any webbing. After a few days leaves will start to fade in colour and and large amounts
of webbing will follow.
Spider Mites - Data Sheet page2/4
The Key: prevention and identification
The key to being mite free is a combination of preventative measures and early identification of any
possible problem. The following guidelines should help with containing potential spider mite problems.
Clean garden
Cleanliness is the key to prevention. Growing environments should be enclosed and controlled. Floors
should be clean and free from bits of soil, dirt, rubbish and bacteria.
You should clean your growroom on a regular basis and also keep pets away as well as other gardeners
who may introduce bacteria or a mite infection.
If you have been in an infected area or even out in the country, change clothes before entering the
growroom.
Healthy Plants
Ideal conditions for healthy plants are not ideal for spider mites. The hotter and drier it is in your growroom,
the more your plants will struggle with health. If you have a mite infection under these conditions, the mites
will reproduce up to 3 times faster than at cooler more humid conditions, thus compounding your problem.
Therefore in summer keep your light high, maybe use a heat shield, keep the air moving and try and keep
'Lights On' temperatures down. This will not only to keep your plants as healthy as possible during difficult
hot weather, but will also keep the spread of any infection to a minimum until it is identified and eliminated.
If your room is clear and clean and your plants healthy then any kind of infection will hopefully be identified
early and dealt with effectively.
5 day Bug check
To aid with early identification and prevention we at Growell have given you below a 5 day check to do in
the indoor garden that will give you control over this aspect of your gardening. Incorporated into the list are
checks for other bugs too!
When entering the growroom scan from left to right across the area. Primarily you are looking for
flying bugs but should also check that everything looks normal and healthy.
Now you should check individual plants. Check all of them or select a few plants in different parts
of the garden.
Look over the whole plant briefly to see if any damage is immediately apparent. Then look over
individual leaves on the top, middle and bottom of the plant. Remember, often the damage is
easier to see than the bug itself.
Now check around the root zone for pests. Often root zone pests can be tiny larvae waiting to
develop in to scarid flies or fungus nates.
If you see spider mite damage on one of these 5 day checks, it will not have spread to more than
a few leaves. These leaves can be manually removed over and into a bag. The plant in question
should be then be separated from the main crop and sprayed.
I got the info below from a hydroponic site I use, I thought it may be helpful to some of you.
Spider Mites
Data Sheet Page 1/4
Types
Tetranychus Urticae, often called the Red Spider Mite. This eight legged spider mite is usually a
transluscent shade of green, cream or brown in colour, only the older females reaching a red shade. Eggs
are about 0.15mm long and laid on the underside of the leaves. Adults are about 0.4mm long and are also
found on the underside of the leaves.
This little fellow is by far the most common form of spider mite, other forms are out there like Tetranychus
Cinnabarinus (plum red, same size) but are less common and treated the same way.
Lifestyle
The spider mite likes to eat your plant leaves, and live and breed on the underside of the leaves. They will
generally look for a place away from oscillating fans or draughts and often start on the mid and upper
sections of the plant where it's still quite hot and dry.
Once they start to take a hold (which can take as little as 5 to 10 days from first introduction) they will begin
producing large amounts of webbing and will spread at a devastating rate as they look for new breeding
and feeding grounds using the webbing as a transportation system. Because of the spider mites
predominantly female population and their rapid breeding rate they can destroy whole crops in a matter of
weeks.
Breeding rates
An adult female can lay up to 100 eggs, the eggs take about 4 or more days to hatch dependent on
conditions (they like it hot and dry). Once hatched they take about 4 days to reach adulthood although
again this can be dependent on conditions.
To slow down their breeding rate, cool your growroom down and raise the humidity until you have
eliminated the problem or at least have it under control. (Keep temperatures below 30 oC and humidity
above 50% relative humidity)
Identification/damage
Checking for tell tale signs of damage is easier than looking for the mite itself. The mites will **** the juice
from the leaves leaving pin size white/colourless dots on the top surface of the leaf. These spots usually
occur in clusters. If you see these spots then turn the leaf over and look for the tiny mites or eggs which
may be hard to see. To help confirm you have mites mist the underside of suspected leaves with water and
this should show up any webbing. After a few days leaves will start to fade in colour and and large amounts
of webbing will follow.
Spider Mites - Data Sheet page2/4
The Key: prevention and identification
The key to being mite free is a combination of preventative measures and early identification of any
possible problem. The following guidelines should help with containing potential spider mite problems.
Clean garden
Cleanliness is the key to prevention. Growing environments should be enclosed and controlled. Floors
should be clean and free from bits of soil, dirt, rubbish and bacteria.
You should clean your growroom on a regular basis and also keep pets away as well as other gardeners
who may introduce bacteria or a mite infection.
If you have been in an infected area or even out in the country, change clothes before entering the
growroom.
Healthy Plants
Ideal conditions for healthy plants are not ideal for spider mites. The hotter and drier it is in your growroom,
the more your plants will struggle with health. If you have a mite infection under these conditions, the mites
will reproduce up to 3 times faster than at cooler more humid conditions, thus compounding your problem.
Therefore in summer keep your light high, maybe use a heat shield, keep the air moving and try and keep
'Lights On' temperatures down. This will not only to keep your plants as healthy as possible during difficult
hot weather, but will also keep the spread of any infection to a minimum until it is identified and eliminated.
If your room is clear and clean and your plants healthy then any kind of infection will hopefully be identified
early and dealt with effectively.
5 day Bug check
To aid with early identification and prevention we at Growell have given you below a 5 day check to do in
the indoor garden that will give you control over this aspect of your gardening. Incorporated into the list are
checks for other bugs too!
When entering the growroom scan from left to right across the area. Primarily you are looking for
flying bugs but should also check that everything looks normal and healthy.
Now you should check individual plants. Check all of them or select a few plants in different parts
of the garden.
Look over the whole plant briefly to see if any damage is immediately apparent. Then look over
individual leaves on the top, middle and bottom of the plant. Remember, often the damage is
easier to see than the bug itself.
Now check around the root zone for pests. Often root zone pests can be tiny larvae waiting to
develop in to scarid flies or fungus nates.
If you see spider mite damage on one of these 5 day checks, it will not have spread to more than
a few leaves. These leaves can be manually removed over and into a bag. The plant in question
should be then be separated from the main crop and sprayed.