What is best for spider mites

Begin with an attack with the kitchen sink sprayer, or a spray nozzle on the outside hose. If they come back, put 2-3 drops of dish soap in a quart of water and soak the plant completely with it. Always use poison as your last resort. Always.

Just hose the plant off every day from the undersides of the leaves. It will wash the mites off and no pesticide is necessary. Proper watering and fertilization for having a healthy plant is also a way to prevent insect damage. For some reason, the plants attract insects, mites, etc. when the plant is not healthy.

Will try the soap. Just hosing plants don't get rid of them, they come rigt back. Plants are in small greenhouse and mites are problem all winter long.

They were healthy when put in greenhouse but soon spider mites were on them all. I spray with water and systemic but the mites are still in there. Now are spreding to the impatience seedlings. I would like to get rid of them completely.

JohnS wrote

Spider mites hate water spray. If you spray/mist the plant daily for a week they will leave. Cover the pot soil with aluminum foil while spraying so you don't saturate the plant's roots. Then you can mist the plant 2x a week. A plant in a south or west window is most vulnerable to spider mite attack.

What systemic did you use?

Ortho Systemic Insect Killer, says controls insects and mites. It worked good for small green worms on geraniums but the mites are still there. There was one call Kelthane that killed them all. They don't sell it anyplace anymore.

Especially on spider mites. There have natural predators that poison sprays kill. Most spider mite problems are caused by spraying.

If the mites are indoors you have some different options. Read this:

Thank you both. I took them out this evening and sprayed real thorough with water from hose three times. Will spray them every day it's warm enough. I sprayed seedlings with hand sprayer and clean water. The greenhouse air is dry.Humidity will not stay in there.

Sometimes humidity is very low here where I live and what I do is line the entire greenhouse (10 x20 foot) with open milk jugs filled with water. I put them on the south side so the sun heats the water and during very mild seasons they actually heat the greenhouse at night.

If your greenhouse is not holding humidity, you may not be watering properly.

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I to have the black spray paint milk jugs of water but tops are on them on south side for heat. I got idea from a site on net. I think I should have wet down gravel floor very well in the fall. Water properly? I check and water every day so how do you mean?

Theres no running water to greenhouse. With all rocky ground thats to expensive. I use handpump mister but that dont help much.

What about electricity?

Yes, of course electricity for the heater and fan but its not underground.

Great! Get a humidifier with a tank you can refill. Problem solved. Check a site like

I find the old one from the childrens room in the shed. It still works after so many years so will squeze it in there somehow. Thanks for the idea.