I checked on my maranta that I have growing in water and found this!! I’m not sure what pest it is but it’s freaking me out. I washed the plant and vase, sprayed all over with a neem oil solution, and I’m now quarantining it. Any thoughts on what it is and any other steps I can take? TIA
Highly recommend you bathing them with some dawn dish soap and 2 drops of neem oil. You have what i think are thripes.. or spider mites.
2개 좋아요 Thanks.
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My fern looked like this too due to spider mites but I noticed too late - do you see any webbing around the base of the plant or in between the leaves?
0개 좋아요 There was some webbing so I’m thinking spider mites
좋아요 1개
Spider mites. Looks like webbing from the picture. It’s hard to see well.
Ah yes, thank you.
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Cut off any really bad leaves, wipe all the others off with either neem, horticultural oil, or dish soap mixed with water. Then apply a preventative like neem or insecticidal super soap. Do this again in about a week. Also spray the soil and keep the plant watered. Spider mites like dry, hot environments so keep it moist and cool while you’re treating it. If you’re diligent about repeating you’ll save the plant. They may come back but they won’t kill your plant if you can keep them at bay. If you want to get a bit more aggressive you can apply an insecticide to the soil or spray it on the leaves. Bonide and Arber make good ones. Make sure you check anything that’s been near or touching that plant too.
좋아요 1개 Thank you. My only confusion is that this plant was not in soil. It was growing in just a vase of water. That’s why the pests were such a surprise.
0개 좋아요 It doesn’t matter for spider mites. They just suck the sugars out of plant tissue. Root mealies, fungus gnats, etc are soil dwelling pests. Spider mite eggs will end up in soil too if it’s there but they’re after your leaves.
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