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| Year before last some of my AVs got spider/clycamen (right words ?) mites and I had to throw them away.
I don't want the same thing happens again. So please, AV experts, help me to avoid this dreadful AV disease. Thank you. Xuan (from Vietnam) |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Xuan, Mites are not a disease, they are bugs. They are related to spiders and therefore most insecticides won’t kill them. It takes a miticide to kill them and most of the miticides don’t destroy the eggs. Mites are microscopic and nearly impossible to see with the naked eye. The beginning of a mite infestation is subtle and can mimic culture problems such as too much light, pH problem, or too much fertilizer. I received some plants last fall that looked okay when I got them. I inspected each plant and carefully washed them with flea soap and water then rinsed. I watched the plants for a couple of months and they seemed fine. Then, one plant began to look sickly. Then gradually all the plants stopped growing and leaves began to yellow and turn under. Then the center leaves started to look pale and sickly. Eventually some center leaves died and others showed distorted growth. During this time I used a loupe and magnifying glass to try and see if there were any bugs on the leaves. I could not see anything. I bought a microscope and was able to immediately see them. By this time the plants looked awful. I purchased a miticide called AVID and am in the process of doing multiple dips. The plants started to look better immediately but I am still concerned that the mites will hatch out again later from eggs. In hindsight I wish I had purchased the more expensive miticide that will kill the eggs too. We’re talking $325 for 8 ounces of the stuff! Now for the answer to your question. The only way to prevent getting mites in your collection of violets is by practicing isolation of all new plants and leaves for several months to insure that they are free of pests. If they show signs of pests, the easiest thing you can do is get rid of them. You can do some research on mites by searching for broad mite and cyclamen mite on google. |
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| Thank you, itsdeb. Your explanation is very helpful to me. It seemed I had similar symtoms last time. But I didn't purchase any new AVs during the period (AVs are not on sale in VN)... perhaps I got the mites from my original acquisition. By the way, do you think keeping AVs well-ventilated would help prevent this pest? Again, I appreciate your took time explaining things to me. Xuan |
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| Xuan - hi - you could bring mites from outside on your clothes. Good Luck Irina |
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| Thank you Irina. I'll be extra careful every time from now on. Xuan |
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- Posted by fred_hill 6 (fredchill@comcast.net) on Fri, Feb 1, 08 at 14:26
| Hi Xuan. Here's a 3 word explaination on how to avoid mites. ISOLATE ISOLATE ISOLATE Fred in NJ |
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