Edible Mushroom Cultivation Techniques and Methods for Controlling Spider Mites on Flowers

There are many species of spider mites. They are small in size, often red, and mostly occur in hot, dry environments. Almost all flowers are harmed by them. They like to spin webs on flower plants and suck sap beneath the webs. The affected leaves turn yellow and wither, then fall off.

Spider mites reproduce very quickly, with about 10 generations per year. Spider mites are extremely small. They use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to insert into the leaf mesophyll and stem bark of flowers, sucking the sap. Therefore, only by choosing suitable pesticides and using clever control methods can a good control effect be achieved.

The basic control methods are as follows:

(1) Household insecticides or boil one liang of chili peppers in five jin of water and spray to kill them.

(2) Increase air humidity.

This pest is very small, less than 1 mm, round or oval, orange-yellow or reddish-brown. Because it is small and hard to find, by the time its damage is discovered, the flowers are often already quite severely affected. This pest causes damage by inserting its mouthparts into flower leaves to suck sap, destroying the chlorophyll in the flowers. The leaves show grayish-yellow spots or patches, become withered and yellow, and may even fall off.

Spider mites have a very strong reproductive capacity, and can complete one generation in as little as about 5 days. This pest likes hot and dry environments. Therefore, under hot and dry climatic conditions, it reproduces rapidly and causes severe damage. The pests mostly gather on the undersides of flower leaves, spinning silk webs and causing damage. The spread of spider mites depends not only on their own crawling, but wind, rain, and carrying during operations are also important transmission routes.

To prevent spider mite damage, you should usually observe flowers carefully. When abnormal leaf color is found, carefully check the undersides of the leaves. When only individual leaves are affected, the infested leaves can be removed; when more leaves are affected, pesticides should be sprayed early for control. Commonly used pesticides include propargite, dicofol, dimethoate, huachongjing, and fenvalerate. For home flower growing, you can prepare a flower sprayer. Add 4 drops of propargite, fenvalerate, or huachongjing to 400 mL of water (equivalent to a 2000-fold solution), or add 8 drops of dicofol or dimethoate (equivalent to a 1000-fold solution). After adding the pesticide, shake well and spray immediately. Spraying should be uniform and thorough, with special attention to spraying the undersides of the leaves well. When spraying, it is best to move potted flowers outdoors. If spraying indoors, do not go near food or utensils. After each use, pour out the excess liquid and rinse the sprayer clean with water.

You can use cool water to rinse the plants for control, and botanical pesticides can also be used.

Soak 8 g of pyrethrum in 50 g of alcohol for 15 days to form a stock solution. Before use, add 6 parts of the stock solution and 1 part of diluted soap solution to 20 parts of water, mix well, and use. Alternatively, soak 600 g of fresh or 300 g of dried potato stems and leaves in water for 4 hours, filter, and spray on the affected plants. However, some plants cannot be treated with this solution, such as cacti and fuzzy plants. You can also use turpentine and garlic juice vapor to kill spider mites and aphids. That is, arrange the diseased plants around a small dish containing turpentine or garlic juice, cover tightly with plastic film, and after 3 hours, rinse the plants with clean water. Repeat this several times.

In addition, you can also try:

1. Tomato leaf liquid: Mash fresh tomato leaves, add 2-3 times the amount of clean water, soak for about 6-7 hours, filter through fine gauze, and spray on the plants. It can control spider mites, aphids, and so on.

2. Citrus peel liquid: Break citrus peel into small pieces, soak in about 10 times the amount of clean water for 24 hours, filter, and spray on the plants. It can control leafminers, spider mites, aphids, and so on.

3. Chive liquid: Mash 100 g of chives, add 1000 g of water, filter thoroughly, and spray on the plants. It can control aphids, rust disease, and so on.

4. Onion bulb liquid: Mash 3-4 onion bulbs, add 15 times the amount of clean water, soak for about 24 hours, filter, and spray on the plants once a day for three consecutive times. It can control leafminers, spider mites, aphids, and so on.

5. Ginger liquid: Mash 10 g of ginger, add 20 times the amount of clean water, soak for about 12 hours, filter, and spray on the plants. It can control leaf spot disease, rot disease, sooty mold, as well as leafminers, spider mites, and so on.

6. Chili pepper liquid: Mash 50 g of fresh chili peppers (or dried chili peppers), add 20 times the amount of clean water, soak for 5-6 hours, filter, and spray on the plants. It can effectively control aphids, spider mites, cutworms, and so on.

7. Sichuan pepper liquid: Add 100 g of Sichuan pepper to 1000 g of clean water and boil it down to 500 g of stock solution for later use. When applying, add 5-7 times the amount of water and spray on the plants. It can control aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, and so on.

Method of using chili pepper water to treat spider mites on flowers

This method is also quite commonly used. When spider mite disease appears on flowers, the water used to boil chili peppers can be sprayed to eliminate them. The effect is also very good, and the raw material is easy to obtain, as most households have it.

But note that with all these methods, the dosage should be small. Do not use too much. Proceed gradually. Spraying several more times will naturally clear the spider mites completely. Being too impatient is instead harmful to the flowers!

Soaking tobacco leaves in water also works. Control the amount well and apply it by spraying.

In addition, there are also:

1. Flower shops sell pesticides specifically for killing spider mites.

2. Give your flowers more ventilation.

3. Soak cigarette butts and orange peel in water, spray every day, and it can be completely eliminated after a week.