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African Violets
noplantwiz

cyclamen mites???

14 years ago

I am in a panic but have a couple questions and not sure which forum to ask on. First let me say I have alot of african violets I am concerned about. I recently bought home a cycalmen plant. It looked healthy and had alot of flowers and alot of buds on it. I had it sitting close to a window and then I noticed all the leaves and flowers had dropped over all of a sudden! I realized(??) it must have gotten to much sun so I watered it and moved it and they pepped back up. A week or so later I noticed it ahd done it again and it was still getting some direct sun so I still thought I had let it get to hot. But ths time some of of the leaves came back up but then they started wilting and softening off a litte above ground level and it kpet happening til they had all done it. Now I just read about these mites and that African violets get these mite and I have alot of violets. There are like 5 that were sitting on the same table/area with this cyclamen so I am in a panic to think it could be mites and be in all them as well. I don't know if the cyclamen was killed by me giving it to much sun to many times or something else but the whole plant wilted down at one time and it was in the sun so I was thinking that was it. But then when they beginning to wilt and get soft near the bottom I don't if it was from teh sun damage or what? So now what?? Any suggestions. I guess I need to know is this what happens when I cyclamen gets over sunned or not?? Also do these mites only come from a cyclamen so if you don't have one of those plants then you don't have to worry about them or are they just called that? Thanks for any help ?

Comments (4)

  • 14 years ago

    My guess would be too hot and too sunny for cyclamen.And then you probably overwatered it. You need to read more about the culture of cyclamens if you insist on growing them.

    I would never ever bring a cyclamen home for the reasons of mites. Cyclamen mites feed on cyclamens for million years - and plants developed resistance - so they tolerate these mites and do not collapse. AVs get poisoned by the mite saliva when the pests feed - and they get distorted and look awful and eventuallsy collapse and die.

    You do not know if you get the infection or not. You can wait and watch your violets - they either develop symptoms - then you need to spray them - or not. I would get rid of cyclamen plant right now - and next time if you acquire it - keep it at work, do not bring it home.

    Do not stress yourself -it is doable to get rid of the pests. Just extra work you do not need.

    I,

  • 14 years ago

    I believe these mites were named after the Cyclamen plant because they were first found on it or are exceedingly fond of this plant. I would not panic just yet about your violets but I would isolate the ones near the cyclamen from your other plants. I must say that I have raised many cyclamen over the years and have never seen a mite on any of them. I have seen many on African violets however, and these couldn't have come from cyclamens because I didn't have any at the time. So a cyclamen plant doesn't equal mites everywhere. Just keep an eye on the center of your violets because if mites attack they will feed there causing twisted leaves and stunted growth.

    Your cyclamen probably had problems because they are cool growing plants and can't take hot sun. Letting it get too dry and then watering heavily could cause rot to set in.

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  • 14 years ago

    Thanks for the replies. I wil keep an eye on my African Violets and have moved the pot of dirt left from the cycamen out. The cyclamen has a sentimental value to me and that was why I was so excited to bring one home to try it. My Mom had sent me one a couple of years ago for my 5Oth birthday as she had received one at the hospital when I was born. I lost my Mom a couple of years ago so when I saw this one it made me think of her. It was pretty while it lasted, ( the first one lasted about a year but was kind of leggy looking!)I just hope I didn't bring bugs in to my poor African violets. For the first time ever I have finally gotten some leaves to root, grow and even bloom!

  • 14 years ago

    Sorry for your loss.

    My understanding is that cyclamens require cooler temperature and outside they are grown in a shade. And the plants we can buy - are actually forced from corms in a greenhouse with the conditions significantly different from our house - so they go through the shock in our houses.

    As Terrilou said - you can have a cyclamen without mites. I would probably spray the one with a miticide if I bring one home or start with a corm - easier to dunk in Clorax to kill the pests.

    My suggestion - find a beautiful print of a cyclamen - and frame it! No danger this way.

    Happy growing and blooming

    Irina

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