The holidays bring plenty of guests with family, friends, neighbors, the UPS driver who now knows your dog by name… But the last guests you want showing up this December? 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬. These tiny winter party crashers LOVE to move indoors when your plants do. And because spider mites thrive in dry, heated homes (a.k.a. every home in winter), December is prime time for surprise infestations on overwintering plants. The good news? If you know what to look for, you can catch spider mites early, before they turn your favorite plants into their personal holiday buffet. Let’s make sure the only guests staying with you this season are the ones you invited. 🧭 𝟏. 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬 Spider mites settle in wherever it’s warm, cozy, and leafy. Common overwintering victims: * Rosemary * Indoor herbs * Citrus trees * Spider plants * Houseplants moved in from summer * Ivy * Ferns * Ficus * Anything with tender new growth If you brought it indoors before frost, give it a quick winter pest check. 🔍 𝟐. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 (𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬) Spider mites are tiny like dust specks. Most gardeners spot the damage before the bugs. Watch for: ✔ 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐬 (“𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠”) 𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 This is the very first symptom where mites have sucked out plant juices. ✔ 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 If the plant looks “tired,” check underneath the leaves. ✔ 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 Often misdiagnosed as underwatering or nutrient deficiency. ✔ 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 Spider mites often attack from the bottom up. Early detection saves the plant and saves you the trouble of treating your whole indoor collection. 🕸️ 𝟑. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧: 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 If you see tiny silky threads, especially: * between leaf joints * along stems * under leaves * at the tip of branches …that’s the spider mite calling card. The webbing is delicate, like the world’s smallest Halloween decoration making it easy to miss unless you look closely.

Well, the racoons climbed the fence and had a heck of a good party in our garden last night. I am hoping someone has some ideas on how I can stop this nonsense. I am setting a trap tonight to relocate the intruders elsewhere. What I really need is a way to keep them out. The set up is two 10' x 10' dog kennels hooked together, making the outside frame 20' x 20'. It's about 6 foot tall with a grid for the fencing. The top is wide open. I am open to any and all ideas!

Two days in a row now I have awakened to find one or more of my potted plants disturbed by some creature in the middle of the night. At first I thought a squirrel as I have over the years found them digging to bury nuts or look for what they thought they buried in a pot. Yesterday, I found one of my new fig trees had almost been dug out of it's pot. This doesn't appear to be a squirrel. I also have a lavender potted on a stair landing to the deck that two nights in a row has been dug out of it's pot and the dirt all over the place. So now I'm thinking a racoon. These masked varmints have been a pain in my side for years when it comes to my container gardens. Anyone have some solutions or ideas on how to deal with these night raiding bandits? Well after the 3rd night of raiðing my pots, I finally caught the culprit on the backyard security camera. Turns out my assumption was right, it's a racoon. So tonight the racoon trap goes out. Hopefully in the morning we will be ready to relocate this trouble maker to a new home.

This was my 1st year gardening and I was figuring out how put the garden beds - to bed lol. Also new homeowner so was looking for best cost effective way to mulch the veggie garden beds. My mom asked her landscaper to not throw out the leaves this year so i could use them but when I opened the bag there's a lot of straw/hay? So it's not from her yard I ended up just using it anyway but now I'm nervous did this other persons yard have poison ivy? Pesticide treatments ? Or maybe it might be fake hay for fall decor? Could use some advice Should I just leave it alone or?

Bringing your plants indoors for winter keeps them safe from frost. But it can also invite in a few uninvited guests. One of the most common (and sneakiest) indoor pests is the spider mite. These tiny sap-suckers thrive in dry, warm homes and can quickly turn lush leaves into speckled, webbed messes if left unchecked. Luckily, with a little care and prevention, you can keep your indoor garden healthy and mite-free all season long. 🌿 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 Spider mites are so small they’re almost invisible, but the damage they cause gives them away. Watch for: * 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞s on leaves * 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 between stems or under leaves * 𝐃𝐫𝐲, 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 that looks “dusty” * 𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 when you touch affected leaves If you suspect mites, hold a sheet of white paper under a leaf and gently tap it — if tiny dots fall and start crawling, you’ve found your culprits. 🪴 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐈𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 & 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 Before bringing any plants indoors, 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 under good light: * Check leaf undersides, stems, and near the soil surface. * If you spot signs of mites, 𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 to avoid spreading the problem. * Give it a gentle rinse with a hose or shower to wash off dust and insects. 💡 𝑃𝑟𝑜 𝑇𝑖𝑝: A few days in a shaded, sheltered area (like a porch or garage) before moving inside gives you time to monitor for hidden pests. 💧 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐢𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝 Spider mites thrive in dry, warm air — exactly what most homes become in winter. Combat this by: * 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 to raise local humidity. * 𝐔𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫 nearby if your air is very dry. * 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 every few days (except for varieties that dislike wet leaves, like succulents). 🧴 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 If you notice mites despite your best efforts, act fast: * 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 thoroughly under lukewarm water to knock off adults and eggs. * 𝐖𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 of mild soap and water (1 tsp per quart). * 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲 or insecticidal soap once a week for several weeks to interrupt their life cycle.