power270lb said: So the SB sucked, so disappointing and we went snowboarding for 5 days then came back early. Yay blooms tho. My god I can't wait until everything is outside. Been the mildest winter I think maybe ever for NYC. Mid 50s all January and the next ten days seven of them are in the 60s. 60s in February in NYC....we destroyed this planet. Can't get rid of spidermites. Been the worst winter for them so far since I started this. No pest problems outside at all. Very frustrating.
sorry about the SB... even the pre-game TV anchors were predicating the Eagles on top
weather is all over the place here too ...a late freeze is very possible .....moving plants - am thinking late March, early to mid April at the soonest ...
the thing about spider mites is that they explode in population under hot and dry conditions ...
> hot dry < change one or both to the opposite (cold wet) and it will reduce the population ...but that mixture of cold and wet can spell disaster for adeniums
what makes control difficult is that spider mites have 5 stages in their life cycle ....there is no pesticide / insecticide that can kill off all 5 stages at one time ....
- and - making things 5x more complicated is that there can be many generations living at one time .....
spider mites complete their 5 stage development in five to twenty days - and just 1 adult female can lay up to 20 eggs per day and can live for 2 to 4 weeks, laying hundreds of eggs ....
if conditions are not optimum - adults overwinter in debris ....so its important to clean-up / "rake-up" leaves from pots
insecticidal soap is effective against spider mites .... it works because insecticidal soap contains fatty acids that dissolve soft bodied insects
can buy this and use it once ...
Miracle-Gro 0747210 Nature's Care Insecticidal Soap 24oz
Typically $8.99–$20.35
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mi...
or mix your own for a fraction of the cost
get this stuff > Dr Bronner's unscented pure Castile liquid soap
https://www.drbronner.com/prod...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008MOK95W/
and 1 of these
56oz Handheld Multi-Purpose Pump Sprayer (56 Ounces = 1.75 Quarts)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008MOK95W/
