spider mites
 

Las yr it was HOT and dry in KC. The spider mites took over myy plant once it got hot. Is there anything i can do proactively to stay ahead of those insectvermin.. I HATE THEM. My plants were 5 ft tall and looking great before thay trashed them.:cry: I'm only planting 4 in ground where those were last yr, I'm putting the rest of my tomatoes in pots up on my deck about 6 ft off the ground hoping they won't find my tomatoes up there.

Sorry, but spider mites will find anything, anywhere- I have fought them for 40 years ever since I started gardening. My best defense is proactive spraying & misting with water from the garden hose-especially being sure to get the undersides of the foliage. Years ago there was an effective miticide but it is no longer available. Just be diligent and inspect the undersides of leaves constantly- a generation is born about every 2-3

I use this and for me, it works well.

[IMG]http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af179/rnews/IMG_0247.jpg[/IMG]

About $16.00 at most full service garden centers.

Raybo:yes:

Walmart has a product called "Garden Safe". It is an insecticide, miticide, and fungicide all in one. I buy the concentrate and do preventative spraying on everything. Works good if the rain will let me get to the garden to use it. Last year was "VERY WET".

Thanks to eveyone for your suggestion. I'll be ready for those insect vermin next yr. i think I'll start with the prevenativeand hopefully I won't have to go farther.But If it does the war is on now that i've been give options..

I need some of this. My tomatoes are getting hammered from spider mites right now. Walmart, here I come!

Oh, misunderstood. I want the stuff Ray has.
Ray, where do you get yours from?

Tracy,

I get it at Yamagami's Nursery in Cupertino, CA. A Nursery chain called Summer Winds also carries it. Try a full service Nursery in your area.

If you can't find it locally, a merchant on Amazon sells it for about $15.00 - but shipping is $8.00.:x

[URL]http://www.amazon.com/Monterey-Take-Down-Natural-Insectiside/dp/B0018C55Q8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325982007&sr=8-2[/URL]

Raybo;)

Hi Raybo,
I'm new to this garden forum but live near you in No. Calif. Two years ago, spider mites wiped out my tomatoes and I didn't know what hit them. I bought a 32X magnifier glass and lots of reading on the internet and concluded it was spider mites. Each year I have had 2-spotted spider mites on dahlias big time and have had to use chemicals on those. But it was suggested wettable sulfur as a fix but it is messy. Unfortunately, by the time I discovered and identified them, it was too late. These tomatoes in pots were located near my rose garden, which also attracts spider mites. I will try this "Take Down" as I know it is organic and I only grow veggies organically.
Thanks,
The Germinator

I didnt think "take Down" was organic, is it Ray? I never really looked into it because I cant use Pyrethrins around my kitty. I dusted powdered sulpher last year and got rid of a mite attack, which I identified from Raybos pix from last season. LInda

Isn't pyrethrin just calendula flowers? Correct me if I am wrong? I had heard that "Take Down" is organic and Monterey (I think) only makes organics?

Germinator,

In 2010, this is what the Tomato Russet Mites did to me here in Northern California:

[IMG]http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af179/rnews/IMG_0241.jpg[/IMG]

Last year, other than some fungal issues with Alternaria, this is what the garden looked like much of the Summer:

[IMG]http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa322/raybo2/IMG_3748.jpg[/IMG]

Take Down Garden Spray made the difference, in my opinion (and no, I don't work for the company:twisted:).

Linda,

Take Down is comprised of 89.5% Canola Oil, 10% inert ingredients, and 0.5% naturally occurring Pyrethrin, which is harvested from the Chrysanthemum flower in New Zealand. While it doesn't have an OMRI logo on the bottle, the fact that you can do next day harvest (I always wait a week) and the ingredients listed above, does not give me any pause for concern in carefully using it.

Raybo:)

Thank Ray, yes, thats the picture I saw last year. this year I have high powered lens also. I had the same thought as you when I looked at the ingredients on Take Down but learned, on this site I think that Pyrethrins can be toxic to cats and I have a big old tom cat that I am rather fond of:love:. Issue is mainly with synthetic pyrethrins as I recall which are more and more popular and not always disclosed as such. I think the danger really has more to do with flea and tick repellants applied directly but not sure. Had to make a quick decision last year after seeing your pix, as those mites were well on their way here so it was sulpher for me. This year I plan to apply neem oil as a preventative. Maybe I should try canola oil???:?!?: LInda

In a state of total frustration I used an IGR last year and it seemed to do the trick. When they reappear this year as they seem to do most years I will try it again just to be sure. I applied it twice about 10 days apart and despite dry hot weather had no more problems with spider mites last season. I had been spraying every week with various soaps, neem oil, pyrethrins and even malathion with very little success. They would seem better for a day or two then be right back only worse within a week. The only thing besides the IGR that was effective was sulphur; but it is recommended only when temps are below 90 degrees which took it off the table by mid May.

. I'm new, i'll ask what is IGR