An indoor grower’s worst enemy that can destroy an entire grow is an infestation of spider mites. These tiny pests are found on the underside of the plant leaves and can reproduce at a disastrous rate that can be impossible to keep up with. Spider mites are one of the most common life havoc pests found in indoor gardens, but you can keep your indoor garden safe with LED grow lights.
If you have created an indoor space for growing plants and want the yield to be fruitful then use high quality LED grow lights. These Light Emitting Diodes result in excellent yield, minimal heat production, no electricity wastage, and produce the most natural colored plants. There are other grow lights as well, but various tests and studies have proven the efficiency of the LED grow light.
Among the best LED grow lights is G8LED, which has an optimal light band that is efficient and effective for indoor grows. These lights come in various sizes with different coverage areas. G8LED is the top brand behind this promising technology. For now let us give you the in depth awareness of Spider Mites.
What Are Spider Mites?
Spider mites are insects that are famous in North America and destroy both indoor and outdoor plants. They have been classified as arachnids belonging to the family of scorpions and spiders. This insect’s color stays pale or reddish brown from infancy to adult stage, is oval in shape, and measures the size of a period on this page. They originate in areas that are humid, hot, and have ample vegetation to feed on.
Their population increases in a web formation. The fine webbing of Spider Mites is common on plants; beans, melons, strawberries, ornamental flowers, cannabis, arugula, eggplants, tomatoes, houseplants, and trees to name just a few.
The Life Cycle of Spider Mites
Spider Mites lie dormant as eggs on bark and leaf of the host plant. When spring arrives, the six-legged larvae hatch and start their journey for food. They feed for a few days and then seek shelter; this is where they mold into nymphs. The tiny nymphs have eight legs and require passing through two more stages before reaching the adult phase.
The adults find females to mate with. The female produces 300 eggs in two weeks. The egg production is continuous and is further increased by hot weather. It takes a total of 5 days to develop from an egg to an adult. The reason why they can disperse to all the areas is their perfect webbing that enables them to become wind surfers.
How Do Spider Mites Cause Damage?
Regardless of the number of spider mites that infect an indoor garden, they can remain unseen but at the same time suck the life out of the plant while they reproduce very speedily. When the infestation becomes large enough, damage to the plant becomes visible. The leaves show the effects most prominently with tiny spots and patterns on the surface. The leaves can change their color and become yellowish, curl up, and even dry and fall off.
The loss of leaves in most vegetable crops results in yielding less fruit. Spider mites can cause direct damage on crops such as beans and sugar peas. Other plants can simply die off if the population of Spider Mites increases.
How Can You Control The Damage with LED Grow Lights?
First, you should understand that controlling these insects in your indoor gardens is not difficult. You have to keep the room clean and sanitized to prevent entry by spider mites. You can spray the plants to keep the mites away. However, once the spider mites appear in your garden, they will never disappear completely. They will always have places to grow in. But be very careful in using sprays as too much chemicals can kill the plants along with the spider mites.
The best way to thwart the growth of a spider mite population in your indoor garden is to use LED grow Lights. Since spider mites need humid and hot environments to thrive, LED grow lights can be an effective tool to keep the pests at bay due to their natural low heat output. It is much easier to control room temperature and keep your grow area cool when growing with LED grow lights.
An adequate amount of light with a balanced spectrum from a LED grow light will never favor the appearance of mites. The LED grow light will not burn your plants either. Due to the lower heat output there is less water evaporation so there will be less of a need to water when growing with LED grow lights. Allow the soil to dry occasionally during vegetation before watering. Keep an eye on the temperature in your grow room and inspect your plants to avoid an spider mite infestation.
Happy indoor growing of your favorite plants!