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Help! This is a fairly new string of hearts and it has lots of mites!… | Anything about plants | Planta community

Nonna

Help! This is a fairly new string of hearts and it has lots of mites! Any help in getting rid of them and saving this little guy would be greatly appreciated! TIA

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9 comments

  1. Mk

    I swear by the dead bug brew spray by captain jack. It’s saved so many of my favorite plants. To prevent future infestations or mites spreading to other plants you can do a little treatment before bringing a new plant into your home. First I check for any bugs, spider webs, or disease looking stuff. Then I spray water (like a removable shower head or hose attachment)on the tops and underside of each leaf you can reach. Then I do the same thing with the captain jacks, spraying it all over every leaf. I’ll let it sit for however long I feel necessary to kill all the bugs (usually like 20 minutes minimum just to be safe) and then set it in a bright spot away from my other plants and then check it in a few days for any signs of new bugs or infection. If you do see more bugs, spray more captain jacks and repeat quarantine process until no bugs are left. Also spray captain jacks on the soil because bugs can sit and grow eggs in the soil

    4 likes
    • Nonna

      Thank you! Great tips. I’ve had this plant for over a month and these just came on in the last couple of days. I’ll try Captain Jack’s. 😄

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    • Mk

      The bugs were most likely from the plant nursery! Sometimes the bugs will not be visible for a while until the infestation gets bad

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    • KJM

      I was just at my garden center and learned that Captain Jack's has come out with a new product. I don't know how new but it was new to me and this product includes a miticide. The captain Jack's that I was familiar with did not include anything specific to mites. So I've learned something new today!

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  2. TheyYoungPlantNerd

    You can clean them off. What type of mite???

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    • Nonna

      Mealy bugs. ☺️ see my additional note below…I did learn I could clean them off! Thank for checking in on this!

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  3. KJM

    Those are not mites they are mealy bugs. Captain Jack's is a good organic option for mealy bugs and may have some effect on the spider mites but for the mites you need a miticide. However I don't see mites in the pictures. If you can't find a captain Jack's there will be lots of other alternatives at your local greenhouse.

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  4. Nonna

    Thank you KJM for such great info! And after doing some research myself, I agree they are mealy bugs. I did get out my isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs and did a very meticulous, tender cleaning of all the infested areas. So far, things look good! I’ll keep a close eye on things and most likely transplant with all new soil this weekend.

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    • KJM

      In case you didn't notice I posted above (or maybe it's below) an amendment to what I said. I was at my local greenhouse looking at products and Captain Jack's has a new product that includes a miticide. I think I'm going to get a bottle of it the next time I need something. It looks like a good product.

      1 like