Spider mites are one of the pests that unfortunately quite often attack palm trees. If they are not de alt with consistently, they cause massive damage to the foliage and can even weaken the plant so much that it dies. Since the animals prefer a dry, airy climate, our heated interiors in winter provide an ideal breeding and living space.
What to do if there are spider mites on palm trees?
To combat spider mites on palm trees, isolate the affected plant, shower it thoroughly and treat it with an insecticide. Repeat the application several times and increase the humidity in the room to prevent further infestation.
Identifying spider mites
There are around a thousand different species of spider mites, of which only two are important in Germany: the common spider mite and the fruit tree spider mite. The arachnids are only about 0.5 millimeters in size and are colored yellow-green, brown or red depending on the season.
They prefer to live on the underside of leaves, where they pierce the leaf veins with their mouthparts converted into piercing bristles in order to drink the sugary plant sap. The affected areas fill with air and become visible as light spots on the top. In severe infestations, these coalesce and the entire leaf turns yellow.
If you mist the affected plant, a fine web will become visible, which serves as protection for the mites. Since the small animals can hardly be seen with the naked eye, an infestation is usually discovered through these webs.
Prevention
To prevent spider mites from settling on your palm tree, you should ensure a good microclimate. High humidity does not provide the animals with ideal living conditions, so spray the palm tree daily with lime-free water.
If the humidity is constantly low, you can increase it with an indoor fountain or evaporation trays. This is particularly easy if you give the palm tree a very large planter into which you place a brick. Place the plant on the stone. Now fill in enough water so that the stone is in the water, but the liquid does not reach the flower pot. This allows the water to evaporate, but the palm tree doesn't get its feet wet.
What to do if there is an infestation?
As soon as you discover spider mites on a palm tree, you should immediately isolate them from the other plants. Then do the following:
- Rush the plant thoroughly in the shower.
- After drying, treat with a suitable insecticide. Be sure to also spray the undersides of the leaves.
- Apply the product several times to ensure that all pests are reliably killed.
- The use of predatory mites works very well in the winter garden. The tiny beneficial insects that you get from gardening stores are hardly bigger than the mites. They are applied directly to the infested palm trees, where they kill the arachnids.
Tip
Plant protection sticks, which are very effective against lice, unfortunately have little effect against spider mites. We also advise against treatments with home remedies, as these usually do not work sufficiently effectively when the infestation is severe.