spider mites on Fruit Trees
Quick answer
If your Fruit Trees has spider mites, the most likely cause is: Spider mites proliferate on indoor fruit trees (citrus and Ficus/fig species) when over-wintered in heated, dry rooms; the bonsai guide warns that citrus kept in too warm and too dry a place in winter is likely to be attacked, and lists Ficus religiosa and weeping fig as repeated mite hosts.
Start here:
- 1. Move infested citrus or fig bonsai to a cooler, brighter room for the winter and raise humidity by standing the pot on a shallow tray filled with water and hygroscopic pellets.
- 2. Introduce predatory mites into the room so they attack the plant-eating mites without damaging the bonsai, repeating the treatment several times because most commercially available sprays are active only against mature adults.
Why Fruit Trees gets spider mites
Fruit Trees
Spider mites proliferate on indoor fruit trees (citrus and Ficus/fig species) when over-wintered in heated, dry rooms; the bonsai guide warns that citrus kept in too warm and too dry a place in winter is likely to be attacked, and lists Ficus religiosa and weeping fig as repeated mite hosts.
How to reverse spider mites on Fruit Trees
- 1
Move infested citrus or fig bonsai to a cooler, brighter room for the winter and raise humidity by standing the pot on a shallow tray filled with water and hygroscopic pellets.
- 2
Introduce predatory mites into the room so they attack the plant-eating mites without damaging the bonsai, repeating the treatment several times because most commercially available sprays are active only against mature adults.
Keep spider mites off this Fruit Trees
Avoid keeping citrus, fig or other fruit-tree bonsai in a warm, dry room over winter; choose an unheated, bright spot and check leaf undersides regularly for the small white dots of cast skins.