Webbing on Houseplant, You May Have Spider Mite

Have you noticed your beloved houseplant is suddenly displaying an eerie amount of mysterious webbing? Have you wondered how that webbing got there? Is it a spider perhaps, or could it be something more malevolent?

The answer is; it is possible that the webbing is from a Spider, but most likely if you have seen a lot of webbing on your plant, and the plant has exhibited some signs that it is not healthy in conjunction with the noticeable webbing like; yellowing leaves, many brown and crunchy leaves, and leaves that are stippled with discoloration, your plant most likely has been infested with a common houseplant pest called "Spider Mite".

Spider Mite is a very tiny mite that has eight legs like a spider and has many of the same characteristics as a Spider, it is very very tiny, incredibly prolific, and lives in a community with other little industrious Spider Mite. Once Spider Mite infest a plant they can form an entire bustling colony on that plant in a week, sometimes less depending on the environmental conditions available. Spider mite will spin the webbing all over the plant that they infest, once the mites have created enough webbing to be noticeable, they have established a fairly large and prosperous community. Since the mites are so small they are difficult to notice by most until they really have done some significant damage.

Spider Mites both Live and feed on the houseplant that they choose to infest. They have tiny piercing mouth parts with which they bite into the plant cells of leaves to suck out the chlorophyll. As Spider mites feed on the precious chlorophyll (The stuff that makes a plant green, and allows photosynthesis to occur) plant cells become damaged, the plant leaves will display a rough yellowing as they loose chlorophyll and cell walls are being punctured. All of this causing incredible unsightly damage to your houseplant.

Now you know that you have a colony of Spider Mite on your houseplant, is there anything that can be done to stop the spread and save your houseplant from being eaten alive? Absolutely! Get those mites off the plant, try these;

• Regularly rinse or spray the foliage or leaves off with cold water (mites hate both cold and wet) this will often wash many away.
• Hand wipe all of the plant leaves with a wet sponge or baby wipe.
• Spray or Wipe the plant down again with a light solution of dish soap and water. A soap called Dr. Bronners is also very effective and non-toxic for use in such situations. Approximately 1/2 tsp soap to 12oz water.
• Avoid placement in a hot dry place, near an open window or door, or by an air vent you should probably move it to a cooler place with less airflow. (Mites love hot dry conditions).
• Use Neem Oil to wipe down the foliage of your plant. Neem oil will place an additional barrier on the foliage that is offensive to the mites, and as an added bonus will make your plants very shiny.
• Leaf Shine can also provide an aditional preventative barrier against Mites. Leaf shine should be used with discretion as too much can clog up foliage and damage it. The best leaf shine are those that are in liquid concentrate to be combined with water. Aerosol Leaf Shines can heavy and difficult to control even application.
• A product calle Pro tekt has had beneficial results in defending against Mites. It is watered in and absorbed and then serves to strenghthen a plants cell walls, making it much more difficult for a Spider Mite to bite through the cell to get to the Chlorophyll.

After these steps have been taken you should repeat some or all of them regularly, as mites have an uncanny knack for regaining their stronghold. Periodic hand wiping is really the most effective as it will crush and remove any Spider Mite squatters, and using the soap provides a new refreshed protective layer for the foliage.

Spider Mites are preventable, detectable, and controllable. There are some things you need to know one of which is that certain types of plants are irresistible to Spider mite, and very prone to infestation. Here is a list of a few that I have found to be popular candidates.

• Ivy
• Croton
• Cast Iron or Aspidistra
• Dracena Marginata
• Fishtail Palm
• Bamboo Palm, Parlor Palm

Mites love a particular environment, "Hot and Dry". You are almost guaranteed to have a mite infestation if you place one of the plants listed above in a direct sun, South or West exposed window. Also avoid;

• Placing plants near or over a heat vent or fireplace.
• Placing plants near windows or doors that open to the outside, especially if you live in a low humidity area.
• Leaving houseplants outside.

To check plants for Spider Mite; take a paper towel, baby wipe, or something of the like and wipe the underside of the leaves on your plant. (I recommend doing this if you have any of the above listed plants for sure) If you see green residue on your cloth after you have wiped, you have Spider Mites. You can also rub your fingers across the back of a leaf (this works well for Cast Iron) if it feels grainy, you probably have Spider Mite. Remember if you have webs then you have a lot of Spider Mite try to detect them before they get to the noticeable webbing stage for the health of your plant.

Avoiding the conditions that Mites like, cleaning your houseplants regularly by hand wipingwith dish soaps, insecticidal soaps, and or Neem Oil (especially for the plants listed above), are the best preventative steps to take in the war on Spider Mites.