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cedric76

Spider mites on my roses

cedric76
11 years ago

Many species of spider mites attack my roses, Found them in colony, mostly on the undersides of leaves, they feed by piercing leaf tissue and sucking out the juices. How could i prevent them... what kind of chemical i have to use without destroying my lovely roses... please help

Comments (7)

  • intris
    11 years ago

    As I recall, the chemicals that kill spider mites are very expensive. On the plus side, I've heard spraying them with a hose can wash them away.

  • cedric76
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    thank you intris

  • onederw
    11 years ago

    Cedric, do you have spider mites on your roses now? If so, that would be somewhat unusual. It is more common to find them after a spate of warm/hot and dry weather. Intris is right, however: they can be dislodged with a concerted spray from the hose.
    As you pointed out, spider mites hang out on the underside of the leaves. For the hose spray to be effective, you therefore must be prepared to spray up from the bottom of your roses. This usually means that the hose wielder gets wetter than he or she might have intended. And since you never get all of them on the first attempt, repeat hosings will be necessary. I would spray every day or two--you don't want to give the next generation a chance to reproduce.

    Kay

  • michaelg
    11 years ago

    You don't say where you are or what the growing conditions are. If the roses are inside, or in a greenhouse, or under an eave, mite problems are routine in these conditions. Use of certain insecticides (Merit, Sevin) can also cause outbreaks.

    Follow Kay's advice above. You will need a spray wand with a bent neck and the ability to produce a high-pressure, cone-shaped spray.

    The two-spotted mite is the usual culprit. If other species are present, these are beneficials that will help to control the TSM.

    This post was edited by michaelg on Thu, Mar 14, 13 at 16:30

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    11 years ago

    Do the water spray thing every day for a while, then periodically in the future to prevent re-occurrence.

    Using insecticides encourages a population explosion of spider mites since the insecticides kill off predators of the mites, so avoid insecticides as much as you can.

  • cedric76
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    thank you all on your suggestions, it really a lot of help !

  • idixierose
    11 years ago

    A long water wand with a 2" spray head works OK for spider mite blasting. Those fancier wands with a 5-in-1 spray head works well too. Blast 'em every other day for a week, then follow up once a a week.

    Spider mite season may be changing, especially in areas that did not have a cold winter. The last two winters here in lower SC have been very mild, with only a couple of light frosts. I found spider mites on our outdoor roses all through both winter. No rest for a rose gardener!

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