Red spider mite damage
Hello people,
I just want to share my recent horror to discover I have red spider mites again!!!
I hate these things and I thought I knew what to look for but it seems they went unnoticed this winter and have spread to 3 of my phals.
I am really annoyed they broke out in my bellina corner, this plant I am going to show is a very special one, the flower is quite unique so I am really sad to see this one attacked this bad, it was also very expensive, I'm also annoyed I did not react sooner thinking it was winter stress but it has turned out to be spider mites.
The reason I never suspected spider mites is because none of the plants are new and I still have no idea where they actually came from. I am suspecting possibly from a violacea I added 9 months ago.
So they can stay dormant for a very long time before you notice you have a problem!
I want to show the sign to look out for in this post, ie a grey ring around the base of the plant - I will show a picture - all 3 infected plants have developed this grey ring where the mites have predominantly been feeding.
The thing is the spider mites are impossible to spot, ony if you wipe a wet white tissue over the leaves can you spot them (the tissue turned orange)
So here is my poor bellina which I am hoping will be able to make a recovery now that I have treated the plant
Please be aware these are disturbing pictures, nobody wants to see an orchid suffering but fingers crossed it can still recover.
The first picture shows a few dead mites on my finger, you might think they are spottable but it is really tricky on a dark leaf.
The next picture shows the effect of the damage caused
And the last picture shows the grey ring you need to be looking for - this for me was the only real sign they were being fed on, they have nibbled all around the leaf base and I am suspecting I am down to the last leaf on this phal. It will be a long recovery so don't leave it till the last minute like me, if you spot the grey ring which I had already in december then you have red mites and the plant will only go downhill from there.
|
Threaded Mode
