Spider mites are among those pests that unfortunately infest palm trees quite often. If they are not fought consistently, they cause massive damage to the foliage and can even weaken the plant so much that it dies. Since the animals prefer a dry, airy climate, our indoor rooms, which are heated in winter, offer an ideal breeding and living space.
A palm tree with spider mite infestation should be thoroughly showered several times
Identify spider mites
There are around a thousand different spider mite species, of which only two are important in Germany: the common spider mite and the fruit tree spider mite. The arachnids are only about 0.5 millimeters in size and colored yellow-green, brown or red depending on the season.
They prefer to live on the underside of the leaf, where they pierce the leaf veins with their mouthparts, which have been converted into bristles, in order to drink the sugary plant sap. The affected areas fill with air and are also visible as light spots on the upper side. In the case of a heavy infestation, these flow together and the entire leaf turns yellow.
If you mist the affected plant, a fine web will become visible, which serves as protection for the mites. Since the small animals can hardly be seen with the naked eye, an infestation is usually discovered through these webs.
prevention
To prevent spider mites from settling on your palm in the first place, you should ensure a good microclimate. High humidity does not offer the animals ideal living conditions, so spray the palm tree with lime-free water every day.
If the air humidity is permanently low, you can increase it with an indoor fountain or evaporation trays. This is particularly easy if you give the palm tree a very large planter in which you put a brick. Place the plant on the stone. Now fill in enough water so that the stone is in the water but the liquid does not reach the flower pot. This allows the water to evaporate, but the palm tree does not get wet feet.
What to do in the event of an infestation?
As soon as you discover spider mites on a palm tree, you should immediately isolate them from the other plants. Then do the following:
- Rinse the plant thoroughly in the shower.
- After drying, treat with a suitable insecticide. Be sure to spray the undersides of the leaves as well.
- Apply the agent several times so that all pests are reliably killed.
- The use of predatory mites works very well in the conservatory. The tiny little beneficial insects that you can get in garden shops are hardly bigger than the mites. They are applied directly to the infested palm trees, where they kill off the arachnids.
tips
Plant protection sticks, which help very well with lice, unfortunately have little effect against spider mites. We also advise against treatments with home remedies, as these are usually not sufficiently effective in severe infestations.