On 3/3/2010 1:42 PM, zxcvbob wrote:
As usual, red spiders have attacked and killed most of my indoor plants
this winter. I can overwinter just about anything until about late
January or February, then the spider mites appear out of nowhere and
destroy everything. It's just about time to start planting seeds, and I
don't have them under control yet -- including the one remaining pepino
cutting that's still alive barely.

How to get them under control? I know most insecticides are not
effective because they are not insects. Will soapy water kill them? How
about nicotine sulfate? (I still have an ancient half-bottle of that
stuff.) Or just jack the humidifier way up so the air is almost dripping
in the grow room?

I think I'll try dunking in *very* mild soapy water first, along with
that humidifier thing.

Bob

I have them on my gardenias. I periodically spray with water with a
drop of dish soap in it. I think it kills them but not all and sets
them back so they are not a problem if I spray maybe once a week.
Few years back, I thought they had killed a gardenia but turns out it
was a scale insect that responded to a systemic insecticide.