On Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:54:57 -0600, zxcvbob
wrote:

D. Arlington wrote:

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
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 use a systemic. It works every time. None of the organics worked for
me.


I sprayed the plant yesterday morning with Windex, then rinsed it off
with water. The little webs were not back today, and the leaves were
not burned... (fingers crossed)

Bob


I like to use warm water with a very small amount of dishwashing
detergent added. Use as little soap as possible, just enough to break
surface tension. Don't get the soapy water into the pots, plants do
not like soap on roots. Spray every 2-3 days to get it under
control. A one-time spray won't work on spider mites. Look for
predators of this mite, spider mites can be difficult to erradicate
but fairly easy to control. Spider mites hate water misting, but
(most) plants enjoy it.