Is soil mites harmful?
Here’s a fact that might blow your mind: soil mites often benefit your plants. These little guys play a crucial role in breaking down organic matter, which helps improve soil structure and nutrient availability. A healthy soil ecosystem typically contains about 500 million mites per acre. It is generally found that soil mites are present in soil that is damp, rich in organic matter, warm, un-compressed, and lacking natural predators. This is why seed starting mixes are so prime for soil mites.Soil mites are extremely common, tiny, eight-legged arthropods that live in the soil, leaf litter and decaying organic material around the world. They are diverse and unusual. Most are different shades of brown and are protected by armour, like the slow-moving moss mites.
Should I leave soil mites alone?
Basically, soil mites are a welcome, healthy and useful addition in any garden soil and should always be encouraged. Here is one of the inoffensive offending earth mite beasties. These tiny creatures are part of a healthy soil ecosystem. Unless you’re seeing plant damage or the mite population is out of control, it’s often best to leave them be.They can become a nuisance if they enter your homes and begin settling into your potted containers, or if they begin to crawl all over your patio. Soil mites can also pose a health hazard as they can carry parasites such as tapeworms that can be transmitted to humans.
How do I get rid of soil mites?
Applying a diluted neem oil or soap solution to the soil surface may help with your soil mite population. Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of neem oil with a quart of water and a few drops of mild dish soap. Spray the soil surface every few days for a week. Vegetable oil spray is a homemade insecticide made from vegetable oil mixed with mild soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap. To make this, thoroughly mix one cup of vegetable oil with one tablespoon of soap, then add two teaspoons of this mixture to one quart of water when ready to apply.This homemade insecticide can be used as a catch-all as it deters many different types of insect pests. Recipe: Mix together in water some chopped mint, ash, garlic, tobacco, and no more than 1 tablespoon of soap. Steep the concoction for 24 hours, strain, and apply the solution with a watering can or a homemade broom.Neem oil, dish soap, and water solution Neem oil is a versatile natural pest repellent and is particularly effective against spider mites. To use, I mix a neem oil with water and dish soap which acts as an emulsifier. Here’s the proper way to mix and apply neem oil: Mix 1 tablespoon of neem oil in 10 oz of water.Homemade bug spray recipe for plants For a DIY recipe that won’t harm your plants, try diluting a few drops of thyme essential oil, garlic oil, or oil of lemon eucalyptus with distilled water. Mix in a glass spray bottle and spritz on your plants.Oil Spray Mix 1 cup of vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of mild liquid soap. Add 2-8 teaspoons of this mixture to 1 quart of water and spray your plants as above. The oil in this spray smothers the insects, so it is effective on aphids, thrips, mites, and scale.