Spider mite infestation
Visible insects / animals & Stains / spots & Color change

Spider mite infestation

📍
Lower Leaf Surface, Upper Leaf Surface, Whole Plant
📈
Gradually worsened, Very slow growth, Normal growth
Shiny / silvery spots Small light speckles / pinpoint feeding damage Webs / fine threads Dry / papery spots
⚠️ Verwechslungsgefahr

Characteristic are thousands of tiny, bright dots on the upper side of the leaf, which look like fine needle pricks. On the underside are the pests (often reddish or yellowish) and their eggs. In the case of advanced infestation, they spin fine, sticky webs between the shoot tips. In contrast to thrips, the spots caused by spider mites are more pinpoint and not spread out and silvery.

Go to solution

Ursachenforschung: Was ist passiert?

Spider mites thrive in dry and warm climates (humidity below 40%, temperatures above 25°C). They are usually introduced into the grow room via clothing, pets, or infected cuttings. Due to their rapid life cycle, a population can multiply tenfold within a week.

Systemische Einordnung

What is often really behind it

Pests are often not just an isolated problem, but a sign that plants are under stress or that the environmental balance is disturbed. In addition to direct control, it should therefore always be investigated why the plant became susceptible. Soft tissue, nitrogen surpluses, drought stress, or persistently moist conditions significantly increase the risk of infestation. A stable grow is not only achieved by reacting to pests, but by creating an environment that makes the plant more resilient overall.

You should also check these causes

Thrips infestation
Visible insects / animals · Stains / spots · Color change

Thrips infestation

Check problem →
Aphids
Visible Insects / Animals · Deformation / Deformed Growth · Color Change · Conspicuous Growth

Aphids

Check problem →
Heat stress
Deformation / Deformed growth · Drooping / wilting plant parts · Discoloration · Unusual growth

Heat stress

Check problem →
✓ Grow Lab expert solution

The right treatment

A spider mite infestation requires an aggressive, multi-stage approach to target all life stages (egg, larva, adult).

Step 1: Mechanical cleaning. If possible, thoroughly shower the plants with a strong jet of water to physically remove adult mites and webbing.

Step 2: Biological warfare. Immediately release predatory mites of the species Phytoseiulus persimilis. These require a humidity of at least 60% to actively hunt – therefore, regularly spray the plants with a fine water mist.

Step 3: During the vegetative phase, the use of neem oil preparations is highly effective; spray the undersides of the leaves every 3 days to interrupt the hatching cycle. Important: Treat the entire room, not just the affected plant. During the flowering period, you should avoid oil sprays and rely solely on beneficial insects and a reduction in temperature (below 22°C) as well as an increase in humidity to massively slow down the pests' reproduction rate.

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After diagnosis, the right decision counts

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