Have you ever heard of spider mites? one evening recently Briony came in from walking Lucy and said that one of the shrubs out the front was covered in web, the plant under the web was covered in black (mould maybe?) and there were little orange clusters of something we assumed to be eggs. The plant was on the way out and it had happened without anybody noticing.
Some googling revealed that we had a case of spider mites and they could definitely kill the plant. The orange "egg clusters" were actually the mites. I guess they were clustering together to plan which plant to attack next.
The best remedy I could lay my hands on immediately was alcohol. Caitlin went out in the pitch dark with a spray bottle of methylated spirit and doused the plant, especially the mites, in metho.
The effected plant is right in the centre of the photo but it's not really possible to discern the damage. The mites seem to be dead and there doesn't seem to be any new web appearing so I have my toes and fingers crossed that the poor thing can recover.
And only weeks ago this grevillea was attracting birds, which I would watch from the loungeroom window.They usually live about ten years and I think it was close to it's use by but it was showing no signs of fading, then it just turned up it's toes and died within a couple of weeks. This very wet la nina summer probably gave it a fungal infection.
I'll try to replace it with something bird and insect friendly.
Spider mites are new to me.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about it being a summer for fungus. Some things have thrived in the wet, and others have turned up their toes.
The weeds have, of course, thrived.
I have a lot of weeds and Wandering Willie is replacing the grass.....
DeleteI'm not a gardener but I do want a nice yard
I have heard of spider mites. Get a better plant next time. I mean upgrade. I wonder if you need to further fumigate so spider mates are not ready to do in the next one.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of spider mites before but apparently they are common on tomatoes and guess what is growing nearby? I won't allow tomatoes to pop up there again.
DeleteUgh - spider mites sound horrible. I have heard of caterpillars killing plants in a similar manner.
ReplyDeleteSome shrubs and trees are adverse to too much rain - I lost several in my garden a few years back - decided to plant Willow in those places instead.
Sx
Willow is pretty!
DeleteGrevilleas don't like wet feet and the clay here holds water. It hasn't been a problem in the many years of drought 😔
I also have never heard of spidermite. Green fly and woolly aphids are what I have to deal with.
ReplyDeleteAnd the weeds in my garden are also thriving…much too well.
I don't know either of those pests but I'm no gardener!
DeleteSpider mites seem to come and go. I haven't seen one in years.
ReplyDeleteIve never seen them before, not like this anyway
DeleteI had those on spider plants (lol) in one of my homes. Horrible to get rid of. I found soapy water worked best so as not to damage the roots.
ReplyDeleteSad about your wee bird. One gets quite attached. I had a cardinal pair I adored in Toronto for years.
XO
WWW
It's just nice to see something living, isn't it?
DeleteNice that you are thinking about replanting something that is bird and animal friendly!
ReplyDeleteI'm keen to look after the planet :)
DeleteOh dear, the big beardie guy above the clouds is not happy with you Kylie! I wonder how you sinned.
ReplyDeleteProbably too much carousing with Yorkshire bloggers
DeleteGardening has its ups and downs and needs watchfulness all the time. I have had other pests but was able to eradicate them before they could cause much damage.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think this one came up very quickly and with a lot of wet weather we are spending less time outdoors too
DeleteI've never heard of spider mites. They sound nasty. Our garden bushes mysteriously die sometimes for no obvious reason. Perhaps they just took a dislike to our garden?
ReplyDeleteSpider mites are so tiny, you can't see them unless they are deviously clustered together. Plants die for all sorts of reasons, the key is to figure it out sooner than later :)
DeleteWe had a lovely little hybrid tree by the front walk that just up and died over two years. I never did figure out why. I think a change in weather from the usual conditions can cause some plants quite a lot of stress, or allow some pests to flourish and take down the host plant, as happened with yours.
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