The gardeniais covet by gardeners for its lush , deep light-green foliage and sweet - odorous , waxy white blossoms . The plant grows outside in USDA hardiness zone 6 to 10 . It prefers ample sunshine and gamey humidity ( above 60 percentage ) . It will not brook a temperature that dip below 50 degrees F. Often grown indoors as a small , compact houseplant , the gardenia may require a humidifier to grow well . Inadequately cared - for gardenia often suffer pest problems from the wanderer mite .

Basics

Spider soupcon ( Tetranychus urticae ) belong to the arachnid louse family . Spiders , ticks and Scorpio belong to the same family . coarse colors are cherry , black , brown and green . The insect are very flyspeck and look like the head of a thole . It is estimated that they measure about 0.06 in in sizing . They have four tiny leg on each side of their body , which is standardized in visual aspect to a wanderer . A gardenia infected with the pests will exhibit yellowing leaves with a make out appearing , fine spider webbing , curling of the foliage and even foliage loss . Blossoming may become scrawny or non - existent in a grave infestation .

Humidity Requirements

wanderer mite infestation occurs year - round of golf indoors , as well as outdoors during the red-hot , dry summertime months . Gardenias planted in humid regions ache from the infestation far less often than I in dry region of the country . The lack of humidity in the air come out to be why spider mite infestations are often more severe on gardenias grown indoors . The dirt ball prefer a humidity of less than 60 percent , and they like the temperature to hover at 85 degrees F , so as to expand and breed .

Feeding

Under the foliage and along the gardenia ’s stems are the most common areas to find wanderer mite bunch . The dirt ball suck the sap from the plant using their potent mouths . Their voracious alimentation cause bruising on the plant . The bruise seem as diminutive lily-livered dot on the plant ’s leaves . In a clayey infestation , the leaf will take on a spotted expression before call on completely yellow and falling from the gardenia .

Life Cycle

The wanderer hint lays eggs under the leaves of the gardenia . A female lay 100 to 200 eggs . The fine webbing that the mites make assistance to camouflage and hide the tiny egg . testis pregnancy lasts only a few Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , and then the larvae hatch . After the larvae stage , the worm will recruit several nymph stages before reach adulthood . The integral cycle take property in less than 14 days . Once the wanderer soupcon contact adulthood in 14 daylight , the eggs are lay and the life cycle repeats . The adult will live only 25 to 26 days before it die . During all stages of the insect ’s life history , it feeds heavily on the gardenia .

Control

Control of wanderer mite on the gardenia entail washing the plant with a heavy watercourse of piddle to remove the egg , mite and webbing . Once the infestation is removed , watch tight for any further signs that the jot have returned . Promptly dampen the plant again if the mites re - infest it . kindle the humidity spirit level to over 60 per centum inside the house to keep mites at bay using a humidifier near the gardenias . Insecticidal control method acting are also useable from garden supplying computer memory .

False Spider Mites

Gardenias often put up from infestations with an insect that appear to be a wanderer jot ( Tenuipalpidae ) . The insects are visually similar , but the plant will have no signs of webbing on its foliage . The pinch prey on the plant in the same way as the spider mite , and often produce the exact same damage . They oft pose a problem in both humid and dry regions of the state . ascendance by wash the mites off the gardenia using water and an insecticidal soap , following directions on the label .

References

…