Rahab222
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 354
- Planting Zone
- 9B
This week, I noticed "something" wasn't right with one of my 4th of July tomato plants. The bottom leaves had brown spots and were curling. Thought, "Well, I have some extra seedlings, so I'll just pull it up and replace it - eventually."
Went to get the seedlings remaining on the west side patio today to plant in my newest raised bed. ALL the seedlings looked just like the one I'd seen in the main garden. Sat down in the swing and chopped, chopped the worst leaves off two tomato plants, which I then planted. Suddenly, I realized ALL the seedlings I'd brought around looked worse that the two I'd just planted. Long story short, called my favorite nursery and described what the leaves looked like. The guy very calmly said, "It's probably spider mites." AACCCCK!!! Ran to the computer to look for comparative photos and tomato leaves/plants that look just like mine appeared on the screen.
So, I researched the Internet for a solution. For seedlings still in their pots, it said you could dip them in the sink with (1) tbs. of dishwashing soap for every gallon of water; swish leaves around in soapy water for 60 seconds and then rinse with a forceful stream of water - paying particular attention to the back of the leaves.
I chopped, chopped the worst leaves off of three tomato seedlings, swished in the soapy water and then rinsed each remaining leaf with a forceful stream of water (in the kitchen sink - yeah, I know so don't say it.) I decided to just do the three plants that were the least infected first to see if I killed them or not. So now I have three of the cleanest, shiniest tomato plants you've ever seen sitting on the kitchen counter. Another site suggested spraying them with a mixture of half rubbing alcohol and half water (after the soapy rinse) to kill any remaining mites and that the alcohol would simply evaporate on its own.
I went back out to the garden and saw tomato plants I'd planted previously are also affected, so I'm going to have to chop, chop, chop and rinse those leaves, too. This is a total nightmare as the heat and humidity aren't even here yet, as far as pest problems go for me on the Texas Gulf Coast.
The unplanted seedlings I haven't cleaned are in much worse shape and I've moved them back to their original site on the west side of the house. However, the articles I read on the Internet say spider mite contamination is spread through the air. We've had lots of days with 25-30 mph winds, I live on the bayou and also have a compost pile with drying leaves nearby. So am I going to be bathing my tomato plants all season? This did not happen last year - 2013 was the year of the stink bug plague. I did release 1,000 lady bugs in my garden area today, but they do nothing for spider mites.
Do you think I should throw away my remaining plants that have the greatest amount of infestation or try to wash the spider mites off those, too?
This is my first gardening meltdown for 2014. Last year the meltdown didn't come until the stink bugs showed up in June - and stayed - munching away on my tomatoes.
Your vote/suggestions count. What should I do? If I cut all the infested leaves off the seedlings still outside, I'm just going to end up with a single stem.
Went to get the seedlings remaining on the west side patio today to plant in my newest raised bed. ALL the seedlings looked just like the one I'd seen in the main garden. Sat down in the swing and chopped, chopped the worst leaves off two tomato plants, which I then planted. Suddenly, I realized ALL the seedlings I'd brought around looked worse that the two I'd just planted. Long story short, called my favorite nursery and described what the leaves looked like. The guy very calmly said, "It's probably spider mites." AACCCCK!!! Ran to the computer to look for comparative photos and tomato leaves/plants that look just like mine appeared on the screen.
So, I researched the Internet for a solution. For seedlings still in their pots, it said you could dip them in the sink with (1) tbs. of dishwashing soap for every gallon of water; swish leaves around in soapy water for 60 seconds and then rinse with a forceful stream of water - paying particular attention to the back of the leaves.
I chopped, chopped the worst leaves off of three tomato seedlings, swished in the soapy water and then rinsed each remaining leaf with a forceful stream of water (in the kitchen sink - yeah, I know so don't say it.) I decided to just do the three plants that were the least infected first to see if I killed them or not. So now I have three of the cleanest, shiniest tomato plants you've ever seen sitting on the kitchen counter. Another site suggested spraying them with a mixture of half rubbing alcohol and half water (after the soapy rinse) to kill any remaining mites and that the alcohol would simply evaporate on its own.
I went back out to the garden and saw tomato plants I'd planted previously are also affected, so I'm going to have to chop, chop, chop and rinse those leaves, too. This is a total nightmare as the heat and humidity aren't even here yet, as far as pest problems go for me on the Texas Gulf Coast.
The unplanted seedlings I haven't cleaned are in much worse shape and I've moved them back to their original site on the west side of the house. However, the articles I read on the Internet say spider mite contamination is spread through the air. We've had lots of days with 25-30 mph winds, I live on the bayou and also have a compost pile with drying leaves nearby. So am I going to be bathing my tomato plants all season? This did not happen last year - 2013 was the year of the stink bug plague. I did release 1,000 lady bugs in my garden area today, but they do nothing for spider mites.
Do you think I should throw away my remaining plants that have the greatest amount of infestation or try to wash the spider mites off those, too?
This is my first gardening meltdown for 2014. Last year the meltdown didn't come until the stink bugs showed up in June - and stayed - munching away on my tomatoes.
Your vote/suggestions count. What should I do? If I cut all the infested leaves off the seedlings still outside, I'm just going to end up with a single stem.