Basil is not exactly known as an easy plant to care for - and what's more, pests also really like the popular culinary herb. We'll show you how you can recognize a spider mite infestation and what can help.
What damage do spider mites leave on basil?
Spider mites, which are only half a millimeter in size, leave behind extremely finespider threadsbetween leaves and shoots. The infestation can also be recognized bylight speckles on the leaves, which occur because the pests pierce and suck out the leaves.
What is the cause of spider mite infestation?
Spider mites always appear when theair in the room is particularly dry - in this climate the pests feel particularly comfortable and nest on various house plants and also in basil in the kitchen. When the air is rather humid, spider mites, of which the common spider mite is the most common representative, cannot be found.
What works best against spider mites?
If you have a spider mite infestation, you should first rinse the basil thoroughlyto rinse the pests away. You can immediately tell from the remaining water drops whether you have caught all the animals - they are clearly visible there. You can then spray the basil twice a week with a mixture of water and rapeseed oil in a 3:1 ratio. Please do not use chemical pesticides - after all, you want to harvest the herb pot and eat the leaves fresh or dried.
Can basil infected with spider mites always be saved?
In most cases, basil infested with spider mitescan be saved Only in the case of a particularly severe infestation or if the spider mites are only registered when they have already severely damaged the leaves, it may be that our tips for removing spider mites are not enough. Sometimes it is worth trying to use beneficial insects such as predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis), which is also possible with basil indoors. If all else fails, the basil must be thrown away.
How can you prevent spider mites?
Since spider mites occur on a houseplant especially when the air in the room is very dry (heating air!), it can help as a preventive measure to reduce theair humidityaround the plants to be protected to increase something. Regular spraying with water can be just as damaging to the basil as permanently placing the pot in a bowl of water - too much moisture is not good for basil. We recommend placing a bowl of water on the heater to increase the humidity.
Tip
Malnutrition with similar symptoms
If basil does not receive enough nutrients, this deficiency manifests itself in a similar way to a spider mite infestation - light speckles as well as dried leaves can also be a sign of malnutrition. If you discover such leaves, you should look out for spider mite webs in order to know what your basil is suffering from.
