Whats the best way to get rid of rsm

Having some major problems with red spider mite anyone got any tips??

 

I use neem oil blended with washing up liquid and water in a spray bottle. Nothing else seems to work short of a blow torch.

 

As far as I know nothing that is cleared for use on edible plants, in the UK, will kill RSM.
The mite is relatively easy to kill, but the eggs are another problem.

Unless you know a mate that grows commercially

 

Like others above I use neem oil.

 

I work in a very big commercial nursery, in planning, logistics etc. But they use a biological control cant remember the name of it now but comes in sachets whhich you hang on the plant and you can buy them on the web privately but only til the end of july theres a reactive bio control i found today on my aweful 13hr shift which i ordered as well ass some neem oil thanks for the advice all

 

The biological control is probably phytoseiulus James. I've used it and it does work, but it needs an air temperature that doesn't fall below 10C and I found that RSM often appeared when night time temperatures were still frequently lower than 10C and by the time things had warmed up enough to make the use of the predator viable RSM had really taken off.

 

Thats the reaactive one i ordered i believe. Cheerss for the heads up i shall press on with a home made rsm mixture thatll make sure they dont return lol

 

I do exactly that too, although I specifically use "horticulural soap" which I understand is less harmful to [some] plants. Can't remember the chemistry, but I think it has to do with Phosphates or something like that [present in regular washing up liquid, absent from "horticultural soap"]

Downside of Neem + Detergent is that you have to spray very frequently to get control as there is NOTHING systemic about it, its purely a contact agent. But it definitely works IME. I think they say that it disrupts the insects' feeding pattern, and in effect they forget to feed themselves. But because of the gestation period of the eggs you need to clobber each successive generation the moment it hatches, before it starts breeding again.