spider mites on String Of Hearts
Quick answer
If your String Of Hearts has spider mites, the most likely cause is: The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents describes red spider mites as tiny red arachnids that often feed on leaves and new growth of succulents and can go unnoticed until a leaf or growing point becomes silvered or mottled, with fine webbing appearing when numbers are high; although the species profile for Ceropegia woodii names mealybug as its primary pest, the same Kew chapter notes that red spider mites cause significant long-lasting damage especially to slow-growing succulents and houseplant collections generally, so any indoor string-of-hearts vine kept in a warm dry room through winter is in the risk group for an undetected population.
Start here:
- 1. Inspect the slender stems, the leaf axils, and the heart-shaped leaves of Ceropegia woodii with a magnifier during routine watering, looking for the silvered or mottled patches and fine webbing that the Kew Gardener's Guide lists as the early signs of red spider mite feeding.
- 2. Spray the trailing foliage thoroughly with horticultural soap or horticultural oil as soon as mites are confirmed, treating the undersides of the paired leaves where the colony hides, and only escalate to a labelled miticide if the soap-and-oil route fails to bring numbers down.
Why String Of Hearts gets spider mites
Ceropegia woodii / Ceropegia linearis subsp. woodii
The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents describes red spider mites as tiny red arachnids that often feed on leaves and new growth of succulents and can go unnoticed until a leaf or growing point becomes silvered or mottled, with fine webbing appearing when numbers are high; although the species profile for Ceropegia woodii names mealybug as its primary pest, the same Kew chapter notes that red spider mites cause significant long-lasting damage especially to slow-growing succulents and houseplant collections generally, so any indoor string-of-hearts vine kept in a warm dry room through winter is in the risk group for an undetected population.
How to reverse spider mites on String Of Hearts
- 1
Inspect the slender stems, the leaf axils, and the heart-shaped leaves of Ceropegia woodii with a magnifier during routine watering, looking for the silvered or mottled patches and fine webbing that the Kew Gardener's Guide lists as the early signs of red spider mite feeding.
- 2
Spray the trailing foliage thoroughly with horticultural soap or horticultural oil as soon as mites are confirmed, treating the undersides of the paired leaves where the colony hides, and only escalate to a labelled miticide if the soap-and-oil route fails to bring numbers down.
- 3
Release predatory mites such as Amblyseius andersoni or A. californicus onto the plant as a biological control, since the Kew chapter notes these beneficial predators are increasingly available for indoor succulent collections.
Keep spider mites off this String Of Hearts
Keep the surrounding air from becoming hot and bone-dry for long stretches, mist the Ceropegia woodii leaves occasionally in heated rooms during winter, and add any new houseplant to a brief quarantine so a red spider mite introduction cannot spread silently to the established vines.