Question
Our spider plants in our greenhouse are one to two years old and we noticed that some of them started to turn light green and yellow. So we started to transplant them into bigger pots and we noticed that some of the roots had red spots on them.  So we looked under a microscope and we thought we saw a worm. Could this be nematode?  we went threw all our spider plants and threw away all plants that had that we have tried to look it up and have found nothing. Any ideas? please help

Answer
Jacob,

It could be nematodes, but it more likely was spider mite larva. Spider Mites, members of the Acari family, are small insects about 1mm in size. The most common indoor plant mite is the red spider mite (also called the two-spotted spider mite.). These pests lay their eggs on the under surface of leaves and produce fine webbing especially where the leaves are attached to the stem. Spider mites are hard to see with the naked eye, and may appear only as small red dots. They are more often recognized by the gritty feel of the leaf when you run your finger down it抯 length, or by the appearance of discolored leaves due to the sucking action of the mites. The best way to prevent spider mites is to keep your plants clean and dust free. Treat spider mites by spraying every ten days for a month with the
Green Solution . If the spider mites persist, purchase a commercial miticide from your local nursery.

If you don't want to use a commercial chemical product to treat plant pest problems try the 揋reen Solution.?This is a mixture of water, alcohol, biodegradable liquid soap, and mineral oil. Always test any spray on one or two leaves to be sure it won抰 damage the plant. Depending upon how severe the infestation is, you can use these ingredients in varying proportions. If there are only a few pests, dip a Q-tip in alcohol and gently swab them off. For a more widespread problem, start by using a spray of warm water mixed with a few tablespoons of biodegradable soap. If that doesn抰 cure the problem, make a solution using equal amounts of water & alcohol, add two tablespoons of biodegradable soap and two tablespoons of mineral oil. Spray all areas of the plant. Use this solution on leathery leafed plants (except palms), never on fuzzy leafed plants like African Violets or Begonias. For palms, omit the alcohol from the Green Solution. Never spray a plant that抯 sitting in the sun or one with very dry soil.

Whenever you are not sure of what your problem is you should take a sample to your local county extension office. Most county extension offices have Master Gardeners that can identify insects for you before you throw out otherwise healthy plants.  Good luck.

Darlene