Spiders mites on leopoldii?

Use this section to discuss matters relating to any and all issues involving horticultural pest and disease management. This is where one posts unknown pest/damage photos for ID help.
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Brooksphilly
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Spiders mites on leopoldii?

#1

Post by Brooksphilly »

If you can please help, I would very much appreciate it. I was told recently by a grower that this "might" be spider mite damage. Basically, yellowing dots and patches on leaves, more upper sides but lightening underneath some leaves too. This is a plant I have only been growing for 2 months. I separated the pups when I received the plant and they seem to have the most yellowing. Could this just be sun damage (what I originally thought on the pups)? But if that is the case, not sure why the mother plant grown in full sun would now start to show some of the yellow spots. Thanks for your help (anxiety = moderate). Brooks
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Re: Spiders mites on leopoldii?

#2

Post by mcvansoest »

I have had red spider mites on some plants and the one thing that made it obvious is that I could see them and the little webs they make on the plant. I do not see anything of the sort on your plant. However, hopefully others with more expansive experience with spider mite will also chime in. The plants with the spider mites did not have that kind of discoloration on the leaves as far as I remember. I did have something like that discoloring happen to an Agave multifilifera and I also thought it might be some kind of sun burn, but since it also was shortly after I had a plant with obvious Agave mite sign, the multifilifera got treated with avid a couple of times in a two month period, and after that it did not get any worse.
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Melt in the Sun
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Re: Spiders mites on leopoldii?

#3

Post by Melt in the Sun »

The damage kind of looks like it...maybe. I've had them on yucca and agave and the general bleaching of the leaves looks like that. It certainly doesn't look like sun damage. In my experience the mites like to hang out in the concave parts of the leaves, where they can web up the cavity and make a little shelter.
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Re: Spiders mites on leopoldii?

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Post by Gee.S »

It could be spider mite damage, but my thought is, no webbing, no spider mites. Perhaps the plant had spider mites, but was subsequently cleared.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
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Re: Spiders mites on leopoldii?

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Post by Melt in the Sun »

Gee.S wrote:Perhaps the plant had spider mites, but was subsequently cleared.
I think that's what Brooksphilly suspects....right?
Brooksphilly
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Re: Spiders mites on leopoldii?

#6

Post by Brooksphilly »

Thanks to those who responded. Sounds like a definite...maybe 😁. I know it is hard to say definitively from pics. Gee, I hope you are correct that it is cleared. It's a very cool cultivar.

Bought some Triazicide at HD to be safe. I'll let you know what happens.
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Re: Spiders mites on leopoldii?

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Post by Gee.S »

Actually, it's easy to say definitively that plant does not have spider mites. If it did -- a BIG if -- it doesn't now. Spider mites make fine mesh spider webs. We would see this webbing all over the base of the core. Trust me, it ain't that subtle.

Even if it did, not a big deal. Everyone with houseplants gets spider mites sooner or later.
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".

"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"
Brooksphilly
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Re: Spiders mites on leopoldii?

#8

Post by Brooksphilly »

The leopoldii seems to be doing very well. I do one more preventative round of Forbid on everything in 2 weeks, but I do believe it is looking good. The offsets (grouped together in a small pot) seem to be doing much better after the round of Forbid.

Hard to isolate a specific factor, as the weather has also been sunny and superb here for the last month (highs in mid 80s), so I have been able water frequently and everything is growing like it was a June!
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