Webs on fig tree

17 years ago

Hello All,

I have an indoor fig tree that never seems to do very well. It will go through incredible periods of growth, but shortly following this period the leaves will become shriveled and brown. The other day under close inspection I noticed that the leaves all appear to have a very fine web around them... is this some kind of pest that is causing my tree to act like this?

Thank you so much if you can help me...

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Comments (6)

Kimmsr
17 years ago
Could be Spider Mites which like an arid environment. The simplest means of control is to mist that tree several times a day if possible.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spider Mites
petzold6596
17 years ago
Take it outside, when you can, and blast it with the hose making sure to go from the underside of the leaves upward. You'll have to do this ever couple of weeks for the summer. Keep a good look out for these little mites every week.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
Misting will do very little to control a spider mite infestation once the population is high. The hose blast will help, as will insecticidal soap applications, horticultural oil, or other 'soft' pesticides.

First, you should obtain an inexpensive magnifying glass and inspect the underside of the foliage and along the stems. Spider mites are extreeeeeemly small, but can be seen with sharp eyes, especially with the magnifier to help.
vmzral
Original Author
17 years ago
I'm pretty sure that spider mites are the culprit... I can see small white specs (without the magnifying glass) and the web around the leaves.

I sprayed it down with some insecticidal spray that said it was for spider mites...

Any advice for post-mite care?
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
'Post-mite care' is something that many growers never get to enjoy. Once these pests have built a high population level, they are extremely difficult to completely get rid of. You'll need to be vigilant, maybe for the life of that ficus.

Once you get the population down a bit, misting can do some good and would be a good thing to add to your care regime. I've also used alcohol and water mists on ficus with very good success for the control of mites. Mix one part alcohol (isopropyl) to three parts water (or stronger).

By the way, you didn't use anything deadly for those mites, did you? :-) We don't want to be worried about you growing a second head or something.
vmzral
Original Author
17 years ago
Hahaha, sprouting a second head might not be a bad thing! More room for knowledge... and maybe I'd be less forgetful?

The stuff I used came from home depot - and it had a picture of spider mites on the front, LOL. It was, conveniently, the same stuff I had used on my other plant for a mealybug problem *shakes fist at bugs*.

I'll have to try using alcohol and water. The plant seems to be looking better. Admittedly, I did just trim off the leaves/branches that seemed badly affected (i.e. over 20% brown and crumpled).