I had an rohodie impeditum for years. One year when
it ws blooming and I needed money, I sold it. It was
beautiful. I was told it had spider mites and
succumed as well as other plants in her gardern. Is
it possible the plant prexisted with mites, but
maintained its health in my garden, but was stressed
in hers? Can you use oil on conifers/evergreens?
Kits
--- Nina wrote:
I've been studying up on mites, and I now think the
mite might be the
southern red leaf mite, although it isn't recorded
on buttonwood. It
is an "exceptionally destructive" pest of holly and
azalea, introduced
into the US in 1917 and now found on the East coast
and California. It
has been found on clethra, cleyera, elaeagnus,
eucalyptus, eugenia,
grevillea, hibiscus, juniper, kalmia, oxalis,
photinia, pyracantha,
rose, and viburnum. It causes bronze spots on
leaves and eventually
death of the leaf and in severe cases, death of the
whole plant.
Web sites recommend use of "appropriate miticides"
(yeah, thanks!) and
use of dormant oil in winter. Dormant oil would be
good, but of course
any plant should be tested for phytotoxicity before
treatment, and the
oil shouldn't be used in warm weather.
So if your plant has distorted leaves and raised
scabby patches or
flecking, get out a hand lens and look on the
underside of the leaf for
mites. You'll probably have better luck seeing the
cast-off white
exoskeletons than the mites themselves. Spider
mites produce webs, but
lots of mites don't.
Nina.
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