Did you spray your plants when it was 100 out?

What bugs did you get rid of?

The swirly marks are from leaf miners. They usually aren't a problem.

Some of your pics are hard to make out but they look like spider mite damage. Specifically pics 1,2,3. Spider mites explode in activity during hot and dry weather which it sounds like you had.

Spider mite symptoms include stippling (little chlorophyll free dots) all over the leaves. If you turn the leaf over and use a magnifying glass you can usually see them moving around. They are really tiny. When infestation gets really bad you get webbing around leaves and at stem/leaf conjunction. They basically suck the life from your plant causing stunting, dry yellowing appearance, and lack of production leading to death of plant. Use a oil/soap/water spray when you are sure the sun won't hit the plants and spray on underside of leaves. Probably have to repeat weekly or every 2 weeks.

Some of the wilting and yellowing could definitely be from the pots getting hot and therefore heating the roots up too much, shading should help.

k

Thank you for the replies.

I sprayed them late evening. Temp was under 70 .

And I think you're right ardnek710p. I've seen tiny spiderweb like things. Just didn't know spiders could be bad to the plant.

Should I spray only one day per week or a couple of days in a row weekly?

And I've use Dr. Bronner's soap.

If it is spider mites, I would move that plant far away from the other plants. Spider mites are hard to kill and can easily infect your other plants. Soap may not work on them. You may have to go stronger, the nuclear option.

I regularly deal with spider mites.I don't have a problem with spider mites spreading to other plants. I have had spider mite infested plants growing into other plants with no spreading.

Soap alone is not enough. Soap doesn't do anything to them.

You need an oil spray and you will have to apply on a regular basis.I usually spray once or twice within a few days of each other. Then I do a regular spray once every 7-10 days throughout the growing season. You can slow down spraying once you observe that the spider mites have slowed. This usually happens with cooler weather. Make sure you are spraying the underside of each leaf. I usually go over the plant until it is dripping. I spray at dusk so there is no chance of sun hitting the plants and burning the leaves.

I use a homemade oil spray that is all natural and doesn't kill or harm anything but the spider mites (and other soft bodied pests like aphids). I make a base mix of 1 cup of cheap cooking oil with 1 tablespoon of Dr. Bronners (you can use any natural soap, nothing with a detergent). I like Dr. Bronners because it is already liquid and easy to get.

Then Mix 2-4 tablespoons per gallon of water and use that to spray your plants. I usually use the 4 tablespoons early on and then use the 2 tablespoons as maintenance once things are under control.

The oil is what kills/smothers the spider mite. The soap is an emulsifying agent that allows the oil and water to mix better. You still have to keep shaking the solution but the soap helps keep it together on the plant.

True pesticides like rotenone and pyrethrin have been shown to actually rapidly increase the spider mites reproduction rates. This defeats the purpose of spraying and will kill all your other natural predators and other pests, causing worse problems down the line.

Keep in mind that the damaged leaves will not recover. But if you are doing it correctly you should see the plant put on new growth that stays healthy. Once you have a good amount of new leaves, go ahead and pick off the old damaged ones.

Important Point: No matter how you choose to deal with spider mites, you have to keep at it all season long. They will come back when you stop spraying. Once is not enough.

k