spider mites on Syngonium
Quick answer
If your Syngonium has spider mites, the most likely cause is: Spider mites are listed in plant encyclopedias as a pest to which Syngonium podophyllum is susceptible; they colonize the undersides of leaves in hot, dry indoor air, spin fine white webs, and suck leaf cells dry, causing the leaf surface to speckle, wrinkle, turn yellow, and drop.
Start here:
- 1. Shake foliage over a white sheet of paper and look for moving red or yellow spiderlike specks to confirm an infestation, then rinse the plant repeatedly with a stream of lukewarm water focused on the leaf-stem junctions where the webs concentrate.
- 2. Follow the rinse with insecticidal soap sprayed across the top and underside of every leaf, repeating until no moving red or yellow specks shake loose onto a white paper held beneath the foliage.
Why Syngonium gets spider mites
Syngonium podophyllum / arrowhead
Spider mites are listed in plant encyclopedias as a pest to which Syngonium podophyllum is susceptible; they colonize the undersides of leaves in hot, dry indoor air, spin fine white webs, and suck leaf cells dry, causing the leaf surface to speckle, wrinkle, turn yellow, and drop.
How to reverse spider mites on Syngonium
- 1
Shake foliage over a white sheet of paper and look for moving red or yellow spiderlike specks to confirm an infestation, then rinse the plant repeatedly with a stream of lukewarm water focused on the leaf-stem junctions where the webs concentrate.
- 2
Follow the rinse with insecticidal soap sprayed across the top and underside of every leaf, repeating until no moving red or yellow specks shake loose onto a white paper held beneath the foliage.
Keep spider mites off this Syngonium
Maintain humidity at 40-70% around Syngonium podophyllum because spider mites prefer a hot, dry environment, mist the foliage, group plants, or run a humidifier during winter when indoor air is driest, and inspect the underside of leaves on a routine basis for the first signs of stippling.