Spider mite infestations can damage your plants to the extent that you have to pull them up and discard them. Also, when taking off damaged and infested leaves, discard carefully and do not add to your compost.
The interesting and informative article below was written by Judy Kilpatrick on the Home guides website, shares some alternative methods to treat and control spider mite infestations.
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Spider mites (Tetranychus spp.) can ruin a tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) garden when they colonize the undersides of leaves and suck plant juices. Tiny arachnids, spider mites are in the same family as spiders and ticks and are one of the major pest problems of tomato plants. Grown primarily as annuals, tomatoes are perennial in subtropical climates, such as U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11. To enjoy a good crop of tomatoes, gardeners benefit from understanding how to avoid spider mite infestations.
- Remove leaf litter and other debris from the planting area. Spider mites overwinter in cracks, crevices and protected areas. Do not compost infested leaf litter unless your compost pile becomes hot enough to kill insects, advises the Texas A&M; AgriLife Extension.
- Inspect undersides of tomato plant leaves with a 10x hand lens before you purchase commercially grown tomato plants. Spider mites look like tiny dots, so they are not easily detected by the naked eye until the plant is heavily infested and silken webs are present. Alternatively, place a white sheet of paper under the tomato plant leaves and shake the plant to dislodge mites onto the paper where they are easier to see. Do not purchase infested plants.
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You can read the entire article at HomeGuides website.