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Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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Posted by Luke_Skywalker Perth W.A. (My Page) on Wed, Apr 9, 03 at 5:32
| Hi there, I'm just wondering if anyone out there knows of an organic, and most of all, safe insecticide to use for red and two-spotted spider-mite. I've been using Wettable Sulphur, and this is supposed to be fairly safe, but still it is not ideal, and didn't make a sizable dent in the population, even after 3 applications 5 days apart or so. Then I went to a mixture advised to me in the Australian Orchid Review. This was a mix of 40mL/L of White-oil concentrate, and 10mL/L of Pyrethrum concentrate, mixed together in a spray-pack. This has been used on my garden, and initially I had great results, but only about 6 days later I had the eggs come up and re-infest, but I've been told not to re-spray for at least 15 days!! (This is on the white-oil bottle.) Not only this, but I worry that the white-oil is possibly going to not only kill a few plants, (some reacted badly, particularly some ferns and younger plant growth.) but maybe harm my cats too, who enjoy my small courtyard vege, herb and orchid garden, and quite often feed on the plants there.... (Catgrass, catnip and so on....) I am having great trouble with these two distinct populations of spider-mite, and I really don't want any damaging or potentially harmfull pesticides in the garden either. Any suggestions? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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- Posted by ashmeri Cent. Qld.Aust. (My Page) on
Wed, Apr 9, 03 at 17:55
I was given this recipe by a very old and keen gardener when I have those "white lice" things on my ferns, he says it is good for red spider mites too.
Cleaned up my ferns well.
1 teaspoon Maldison 50 ( dog flea wash )
1 tablespoon White oil
1 Imperial gallon water.(you can work out the litres)I have an old gallon bucket.
Just spray this on.
shouldn't hurt the cats but hopefully will get the mites.
Marion |
RE: Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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| Maldison is not organic as far as I know. Pest Oil is the least toxic spray I can think of but I don't know if it's effective against mites. |
RE: Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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| Garlic spray is very effective, and I've seen it used for the purpose by professional nurserymen. So is Basil spray, or Coriander spray, Chive spray, Feverfew spray or Dill spray (just make a strong tea with the leaves, and use within a few days). Pyrethrum dust is also good. BUTTERMILK SPRAY
2.5kg white flour
600ml buttermilk
100 litres water Mix well. Syphon into a spray container and apply weekly. Use this for heavy infestation of spider mites. CANOLA OIL SPRAY:
Mix 1 part canola oil into 50 parts water (approximately 1 tablespoon oil to 1 litre water). Add a few drops of diswashing detergent and shake well. Spray tops and bottoms of leaves and stems generously to get rid of aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites, soft scale or earwigs. |
RE: Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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- Posted by hazza perth wa aust (My Page) on
Sun, Apr 20, 03 at 22:06
hi all , i had a severe problem of sp. mites and used a farming miticide called ivomec i think ,3 sprays 7 days apart and all gone(why start a war with pistols when you have cannons) was the advice given to me by a comm. rose growei think it cost $12 fr 500ml used at 4ml per litre
cheers craig |
RE: Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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Here are some tips for organic control for spider mite
* If you don't want to spray at all, you can limit the population by watering the leaves of the plants - especially the undersides where they like to live. They thrive in dry conditions and this really gives them a hard time.
* It is possible to buy predators to control your spider mite population. They can be sent to you by mail order. Ring your local dept of ag, or DPI, they should be able to give you some local sources.
* One of the new generation of sprays that I think is terrific is Confidor. It uses nicotine as its active ingredient but not in concentrations likely ot harm your cats. You only need to spray part of the plant - it moves through the plant and poisons pests that fed on the plant. But the good thing is that it doesn't harm the predators that feed on the mites. You can buy it as a ready-to-spray, or as a concentrate. It is useful on all rasping and sucking pests. |
RE: Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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| Tried the canola oil + dishwasher soap combination on severely afflicted italian cypresses.. A day or two later i dusted the it and the red spider mites that fell didn't move.. The moved before. Will see if it stays that way 2 weeks later when the rains stop.. |
RE: Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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| The mixure of canola oil and dish detergent can be use for Vegetables plant? It is safe? |
RE: Spider mites - An organic, safe treatment?
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| We have been using a product that is 100% organic and safe called "No Spider Mites". It has worked wonderfully on our tomato plants. They have pretty fast shipping too which makes it easier to get the stuff before it eats everything up. I think the site is, http://www.nospidermites.com. Hope that helps someone. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Spider Mite Control
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