Marigolds are flowers that have over 1000 varieties, which people can choose from. These flowers have different colors, shapes, and sizes that make them look beautiful. Marigolds fall under the sunflower family which means that the plant also has some similarities with it. This includes putting the flowers in a spot where they can get enough sunlight. Additionally, you have to keep the soil around your plants moist so that the flowers can bloom easily.
Keep in mind that each flower has its unique requirements that people should know about. Taking care of these ensures that your plants can grow healthy and the flowers on them can stay blossoming. With that being said, you should note that there are also some issues that people report with marigolds. One common question that you will notice people asking is if there are spider mites on marigolds. Hence, we will be using this article to answer your query and provide you with detailed information regarding it.
Spider Mites on Marigolds
Spider mites are a member of the Tetranychidae family that has about 1200 species. These are usually found hiding beneath the leaves of plants. This helps the pests in staying protected under silk webs while also having access to food. Spider mites attach to the cells of plants directly and then feed off of them. This allows them to stay healthy while the plant that they are attached to dies out. Hence, people often question if spider mites can be found on marigolds.
When answering the question, there are some important things that you need to keep in mind. Spider mites are not repelled by marigolds. Instead of this, the plant attracts insects. People might think that this means that spider mites will be attracted to your garden if you start planting marigolds. The answer to this is “no”, as spider mites are quite common, and they can attack most gardens easily.
Instead of the pests trying to attack all of your other beautiful varieties, these will target the marigolds. As a result, you can see that the plant acts as a trap for spider mites by luring them to themselves. The flowers will act as a decoy until they finally dry out. Keeping this in mind, people can use fertilizers and fungicides on their marigolds to try and kill these insects.
Alternatively, if you just want to keep all of the other plants in your garden healthy then keeping enough marigolds to keep spider mites distracted is a great option. Though, it is always better that you treat your marigolds as spider mites can spread quickly. If you leave them like this, then these will eventually spread all around your garden. Having them stuck in a single spot for some time can be quite beneficial as you can easily treat them.
Why Are Spider Mites Attracted To Marigolds?
Some people might wonder why spider mites are attracted to marigolds. When it comes to this, you should note that these flowers have a unique odor that attracts some insects. Although, the main reason why spider mites love marigolds is because of their leaves. The plants have thin leaves that these insects enjoy staying beneath.
They can then easily attack the cells of the plant and keep themselves healthy at all times. The location is also an optimal spot for these insects to spread and infect the entire plant with. With time, the infestation spreads, and the spider mites will start killing every plant in your garden. When the spider mites first arrive, people can notice a stippling effect on the leaves.
This is an indication of the insects, and you should deal with the issue as soon as possible. The stippling effect will continue spreading all over the leaves until the entire plant is covered. Before this happens, you should use insecticides and special chemicals to kill these spider mites. This will allow you to keep your marigolds healthy throughout the season.
Some people might wonder if the damaged plant and flowers will grow back or not. The answer for this is “yes”, these can easily grow back as long as you take proper care of the plant. If done properly, then new leaves, flowers, and stems should grow back within a week at most.