Natural Spider Mite Insecticide Spray

To keep your plants healthy and thriving, it's important to protect them from pests like spider mites.

Dealing with spider mite infestations can be a tough task as these pests can cause major crop damage and lower yields. That’s why it's necessary to use insecticides that effectively manage mite populations without harming your plants.

Environmental Plant Management’s Protection Plus™ natural spider mite insecticide is a non-systemic solution that offers powerful protection without toxic chemicals and residues, ensuring that pests cannot develop resistance. This spider mite spray helps keep pests under control while supporting plant health and promoting a healthier environment.
 

Efficacy testing proves
Protection Plus insecticide spray kills:
89% spider mites on first application.

Exploring the Threats of Spider Mites

Cultivating plants comes with its share of obstacles, and a major one is battling spider mites.

These tiny mites are notorious plant pests that can cause extensive damage, including leaf discoloration, stippling, and even premature leaf drop. Their feeding behavior sucks nutrients from the plant, disrupting its ability to photosynthesize properly, leading to weakened growth and reduced yields.

Quickly identifying and eliminating these pests is crucial to prevent serious mite damage and potential plant death. By managing spider mites early, you can protect your plants and ensure vigorous growth.

 

Stages of the Spider Mite Life Cycle

• Egg Stage: Spider mite eggs are typically laid near the leaf veins, providing a sheltered environment. A female can produce up to 20 eggs per day, with optimal hatching conditions occurring when temperatures exceed 75°F (24°C). Eggs can hatch in as little as three days, allowing for rapid population growth under favorable conditions.
• Growth Period: After hatching, spider mites mature into adults within five days. This quick development accelerates the spread of infestations, as new generations emerge swiftly. During this period, young mites feed on plant tissues, weakening the plant and increasing the risk of damage.
• Mature Mites: Adult spider mites have a short lifespan but are highly reproductive. Capable of laying hundreds of eggs throughout their life, mature mites play a critical role in expanding infestations. Without timely intervention, their numbers can grow exponentially, causing severe damage to crops or plants.
   

Identifying Spider Mite Infestations

Given their tiny size, using a microscope is essential to observe spider mite eggs and adults with precision.

Eggs are typically small and round and can be found near leaf veins, appearing translucent or white. Adult spider mites, ranging in color from red to green, are minute and often overlooked without magnification.

Keep an eye on symptoms like stippling, bronzing on leaves, and fine webbing, as they indicate an infestation. Using a magnifying glass for routine plant checks can detect these pests early so that you can implement effective pest management strategies.

Best Practices for Applying our Natural Spider Mite Insecticide

Protection Plus™ provides flexible application methods designed to suit diverse growing conditions and pest control needs. Our natural insecticide simplifies the process by eliminating the need for harsh chemicals, focusing on plant health and effectiveness.

• Soil Applications: You can apply Protection Plus™ after the plant has been hydrated properly. Flush the soil with water until runoff occurs, then wait for an hour before applying the insecticide (at a reduced dose) to the soil. This method serves as an effective pest eliminator within the growing medium and helps reduce biofilm formation on roots.
• Leaf Applications: Before applying Protection Plus™ to leaves, ensure the plants are well hydrated. Use handheld or pump-up sprayers for the application, scheduling treatments for early morning, late in the day, or on cloudy days.
• Hydroponic System Application: After flushing the root zone with water, agitate the Protection Plus™ insecticide, dilute, and then apply during the dark period at around 82°F. Fully coat the leaves, stems, and soil until slight runoff occurs. Application frequency depends on the severity of infestations, ranging from aggressive to moderate applications.
• Fertilizer Tea Brewing Process: Enhance the tea mixture by incorporating Protection Plus™ into the water before adding other ingredients, whether liquids or solids. This fortification strengthens the tea's ability to eliminate insects and fight powdery mildew. Including Protection Plus™ increases the tea's bioactivity, reduces odor during decomposition, and mitigates the accumulation of unwanted biofilm around plant roots.
• Application to Buds or Blooms: It's important to minimize direct spraying unless absolutely necessary when applying Protection Plus™ to buds or blooms. We advise the minimal effective amount for effective pest protection and mitigate any potential imperfections that may arise on bud hairs.

Aside from these application methods, understanding pre-application preparations and proper application techniques will help you get the best results when using natural spider mite spray on your plants.
 

Pre-application Preparations

Before you start using insecticides, it's important to think about potential intolerance or allergies. Protection Plus™ includes citric acid, water, yeast, soap, sodium benzoate, and potassium sorbate as inert ingredients.

It's also essential to make sure your plants are well-hydrated before treatment to support plant health and resilience during insecticide application. It helps prevent absorption of the insecticide, which can affect its efficacy. Additionally, flushing your plants prior to application removes excess salts and nutrients, creating an environment less conducive to pest infestations.

Finally, proper preparation of the insecticide solution is a step you shouldn't skip. Remember to shake the concentrate well and agitate the prepared solution every 30 minutes to keep natural ingredients suspended. Consider using an airless sprayer to distribute the insecticide evenly.
 

Application Technique

Ensuring thorough coverage with the spider mite insecticide requires careful application techniques on plants and soil surfaces. When applying, ensure the water and air temperatures are optimal—around 82°F indoors or between 50°F and 90°F outdoors.

For foliar spray applications, it's best to spray when transpiration levels are lowest—early morning, two hours after lights off, or late afternoon to avoid direct sunlight. Make sure to evenly mist the leaves and stems for complete saturation. Check the undersides of leaves where the mites often dwell.

For soil drenching, water the plants to runoff and wait one hour to make sure the plants are fully hydrated. Then, apply the formula (at a reduced rate) around the plant's root zone using either a watering can or a pump-up sprayer. Ensure the solution penetrates the soil surface to a depth of approximately ½ inch.  Wait 25 minutes and flush with clear water, adding your feeding schedule as required.

Spider mites treated with Protection Plus™ can die within 3 seconds to 24 hours, based on the thickness of their exoskeletons. Since Protection Plus™ is a contact eliminator with no residual effect, pests and their larvae or eggs must come into direct contact with the spray in order to die.

If an adult mite comes into contact with the spray but doesn’t die immediately, it can still lay eggs before it finally dies. Those eggs, which were not directly exposed to the solution, will remain unaffected. To ensure complete eradication, regular applications are crucial to target newly laid eggs, as the solution must make direct contact with the pest at any stage of its life cycle to take effect.

To achieve effective pest management, follow the detailed guidelines in the Protection Plus™ SOP guide, which outlines strategies for aggressive treatment, moderate treatment, or maintenance.
 

• Aggressive Application: Severe infestations of spider mites require an aggressive approach with Protection Plus™. Apply it three times on the first day, ensuring each application dries before the next. Follow this with single daily applications on days two, three, and four. Skip treatments on days five and six, resuming with another application on day seven. Repeat this regimen every three days until the infestation is effectively controlled.
• Moderate Application: Moderate infestations should be addressed by applying Protection Plus™ once on the first day, followed by additional applications on days four and seven. Continue this treatment schedule, applying every three days as necessary to maintain control over the spider mite population.
• Maintenance Treatment: For preventative measures, apply the treatment once a week and monitor closely for any signs of infestation.

 

Professional Tips for Spider Mite Control

Effective spider mite control involves understanding and applying professional tips tailored to combat these pests. These insights are derived from extensive research and experience, ensuring your plants remain healthy and pest-free.

Discover why monitoring and adjusting growing conditions, as well as having proper integrated pest management strategies can prevent widespread infestations and protect your growing investments.
 

Monitoring and Adjusting Growing Conditions

Environmental stressors such as excess fertilizer can worsen spider mite infestations by disrupting plant health. Thus, monitoring EC/PPM levels in runoff water can detect and correct nutrient imbalances that attract these pests.

Maintaining balanced nutrient levels promotes healthier plant growth, which naturally reduces the susceptibility to infestations. Using an EC/PPM meter to test runoff water after flushing ensures these levels are in check. You can stabilize the readings by regularly flushing plants with water to eliminate excess nutrients and promote a more resilient growing environment.

 

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategies

Implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies is really important for keeping crops healthy. It recognizes that pests are a natural part of growing plants and requires a proactive approach to handle them effectively. With IPM, growers can spot and manage pests efficiently, which means they don't have to use many different pesticides.

Incorporating natural products like Protection Plus™ makes IPM even better as it offers long-term pest control without the risk of pests developing resistance, reducing the need for rotational insecticides and potential plant stress.
 

Why Choose Our Natural Insecticide?

Natural insecticides usually combat pests such as spider mites by using natural oils to suffocate the insects or pyrethrins to induce immediate paralysis in pests. However, oils and pyrethrins can leave a residue on plants and require synergists to prevent pest recovery, which can lead to resistance.

Unlike these natural insecticides, Protection Plus™ combines food-grade ingredients with a unique mode of action to control pests quickly and effectively. It doesn't just suffocate or paralyze spider mites; instead, it causes their bodies to collapse and suffocate as it dissolves their exoskeletons upon contact. Remember that the solution must make contact with the mites to ensure effective elimination.

Protection Plus^TM: The Best Natural Spider Mite Insecticide

Protection Plus™ has consistently shown its effectiveness in controlling different types of pests. With high efficacy, safety, and ease of use, it excels as a natural spider mite insecticide that thoroughly eliminates these pests at all stages of their lifecycle.

Made from natural ingredients, Protection Plus™ is safe for all plants, humans, pets, and the environment. It also stands out for its versatility and ease of use—whether applied as a foliar spray, soil drench, or dip, Protection Plus™ integrates seamlessly into any plant care routine. This simplifies pest control for growers and gardeners of all levels.

With our best insecticide for spider mites, you're opting for an effective, safe, and straightforward solution that eliminates your spider mite problems and supports plant health and sustainable practices.

 

Contact Us

For expert advice on managing spider mites with Protection Plus™ or to learn more about this effective solution, contact us today!

Our experienced team is ready to provide detailed information, help you find a distributor, and guide you through our Commercial Grower Purchasing Program.  If you are interested in distributing our products, please fill out our reseller application.


Choose Environmental Plant Management for superior insect control solutions that keep your plants safe and thriving in a pest-free environment. We're dedicated to supporting you in your journey toward effective pest management and optimal plant health.