For further confirmation that it is indeed mites, I can also see some very thin web-like fibers on some of the leaves near where I saw the moving dots.

You can see a lot of damage to leaves in the lower photograph.

You're right Lemon Lime, there are several small holes in the lower leaves and a couple throughout the tree just look broken. Maybe the broken ones were damaged in shipping? There are only 2 or 3 of those though, the leaves with more circular holes seem more likely to be from the mites, which I can spot fairly reliably now. There are web structures at the joints where leaves meet branches all throughout the tree.

Silica, how exactly would you wash it? I'm worried about being too harsh, it already seems pretty stressed.

I just took a small brush to gently scrape away any webs, which I found in almost every joint (I'm sure there's a better term for that) and all over just a handful of the leaves. Hopefully that at least slows them down for the moment.

Alex if you have a sprinkler on your kitchen sink, it works very well to wash the mites from your tree. As to round holes in the leaves, they are not caused by mites. Mites don't eat leaves, they use their proboscis and suck juices from the leaves. You should see microscopic dots where the mites punctured the leaf.

how long ago did you get it ... did they sell you bug infested stock??

if so.. report them to the Ag department ...

was it grown outside.. and you brought it indoors ... if so.. it may be stressed by low light levels.. and all other variables in moving it from grower to seller to you ...

ken

I got it on Monday (from Nature Hills Nursery), can't say for sure if there were bugs on it or not then but it did look much more healthy. I don't know if it was grown outdoors, came from CA so I would guess it was. Oddly the tag that came on it said Frantz Wholesale Nursery rather than the company I bought it from. Gave it a thorough shower, so now I suppose I'm just hoping that got rid of the mites and it can recover.

Hi Alex, Frantz is a large wholesale nursery in California. I see their tags frequently in Canada and we live 2649 miles away. Usually a three prong approach, of washing with water, treating with chemical, soap, or organic, and than misting frequently.

You can buy this on Amazon for $23. USB Plant Mister. Much finer spray than a manual spray bottle. The mist is very good for keeping spider mites in check. I have one for water, one for foliar spray, and one for soap.

Thanks for the tips! I have a Florasol spray bottle that makes a beautiful mist but I'm sure a powered one would be even better. Added to the wishlist! I'll keep it misted, and I ordered a bottle of Flying Skull Nuke Em which I'll use if they're still around by the time it gets here.

Before using something more severe, something I've learned about some varieties of spider mite is that they will hide in soil or can get knocked into the soil when you wash them off. The best way to make sure that you've killed them is to cover the pot when you wash it off, or submerge the pot in water and then clean it. The water will drown any that may have already gotten knocked into the soil, and any that get knocked into the pot will drown. If you, instead, cover the pot. Just make sure that you clean the cover before removing it and then repeat washing the tree as necessary.

I had that thought while I was doing it yesterday, I did flush the soil with a couple gallons of water afterwards hoping that would wash them out. It did make me hesitant to do it again at least until the tree needs water though, don't want to drown it. I'll probably cover it if I wash it again.

I'm curious, how harsh are these organic pesticides? The sites selling them don't mention any concerns and the ingredients are supposedly safe, but I can't say I'm convinced and would still be hesitant to use it unless nothing else is working.

I just stick with horticultural oil. It's just mineral oil and water so no worries about pesticides. Works the best too in my experience.

I am with Horticultural oi. It does not even harm the frogs in the little ponds in my greenhouse.

I too would soak the tree under soapy water for at least 15 minutes. Kills anything in the soil and then wash the top off.

Mike and Ken, can you post a picture of the brand of oil you use. Thanks

I use bonide all seasons.

Thanks Ken.

Lemon, this is a great deal considering only one cost me 17.99 locally. This is the one I use. Same as Ken)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/171742904228?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

Actually it would cost less to buy it locally.

Thanks for the advice all! I'll keep an eye out for that oil next time I'm at the store. Cautiously optimistic for now, at least it isn't getting worse. Definitely seems to appreciate being misted hourly so I'll probably keep doing it a few times a day even after the mites are gone.
I moved it upstairs where it should get just a bit more light, set up a humidifier, and I'll give it another shower tomorrow if I'm still seeing mites. Fingers crossed!

Update: these bugs are persistent! Left it for just two days without misting and they are back in force. The good news is it seems like my attention is at least keeping the numbers low enough that the tree hasn't gotten any worse. I just sprayed it with some diluted Dawn dish soap which did much better at washing away mites and webs than plain water so that might help.

Noticed a couple sucker branches (I assume) poking out right at the graft and snipped those off. There's also some new growth at the very top that looks odd to me, are these normal branches coming in?

Despite it still looking a bit curled up and unhappy I do see 3 baby lemons forming, I hope they can grow!

Those are definitely new branches, I might pick off the small lemons to let it direct the energy to recovery, especially with the mites. Be careful with the dawn dish soap as it can damage the leaves. If they're that bad, I would probably be inclined to do a full plant soak if the tree is small enough the next time it needs to be watered. Just enclose the pot in a mesh to keep in the soil and submerge the whole thing, pot, leaves, and all for at least 45 minutes to an hour. Then pull it up and let it drain. I don't do that often, or recommend it as a first pass, but as a last resort it does work well. I had a brush cherry that got infested with the red spidermite that lives outside in my area and it was the only thing that killed them all. I have not had any come back since doing so. Adding a single drop of dawn to a bathtub full of water can help kill any that might make it to the edge of the tub, but I wouldn't recommend more than that.

Can't say I envisioned caring for this plant to involve giving it baths 😂 but it sounds like a good idea, I think it's just short enough so I'll give it a shot. Probably a good call on the lemons, I mentioned them because I kind of expected someone to say that. Thanks!

Bath time! If this doesn't work at least it was funny.

Anymore mites?

Breathing a (tentative) sigh of relief, haven't seen a mite in days! Sprayed pesticide one more time but it caused a (very small) burn on a couple of the new leaves so I backed off that. Hosed it down with water twice since then, going to do it one more time today and then fingers crossed...

They did do a good deal of damage to the new leaves, lots of stippling but they look healthy otherwise. I'm not sure if they'll remain "scarred" but so long as they stay flat and attached to the tree I'll be happy.

It's got the will to live, for sure. Even through all this it's grown half a foot taller! Now I'm eager to repot because I can see a root poking out the bottom hole but I'll wait a while until it's recovered some and isn't actively growing.