PlantPal

Speckled leaves: check for spider mites

Tiny moving dots under the leaf are more telling than a web on its own.

Spider mites and eggs on the underside of a pepino leaf, enlarged.
Spider mites and eggs on the underside of a pepino leaf, enlarged. Photo: Toby Young · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized and converted for display.

What to check first

Look for many pale pinpricks, especially on leaves with fine webbing underneath. Tap a leaf gently over white paper and use a magnifier to look for moving dots.

What to do now

Separate the plant and check its neighbors. If its foliage can be washed, gently rinse both sides, especially underneath. Clean up the rinse water instead of letting it run into other pots.

What to watch next

Check the leaf undersides again in a few days. If moving mites or new speckling keep appearing, seek advice on a treatment suited to mites and that plant.

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