Expert: Edward Gulliksen - 7/24/2007

Question
i recently got a small dwarf spruce tree (about the size of a toddler) and when i got it the needles on the bottom were brown before buying it i asked the lady at the counter about that and she said that i t was just a bit dry when it lost all of its brown needles i checked the internet and now i think its a spider mite infestation can you tell me how to get rid of them? note:i can't do anything like spray insecticide since im only 11 years old.

Answer
Peter,

There are only two ways to treat the mite infestation- with a miticide or with horticultural oil, but since you are only 11, I cannot recommend that you use these materials. I could recommend that you try to treat the plant with a mixture of vegetable oil and water in a spray bottle. Vegetable oil will act as a suffocant to the mites, but is non-chemical and is used widely in organic tree care.

Good luck,
Ed Gulliksen