When pesticides are applied to the soil, care must be taken to assure that the pots have good drainage and that no saucers are attached, or phytotoxicity may result. Symptoms - Mites are very small and go unnoticed until plants become severely damaged. Broad mites cause foliar necrosis of the vegetative shoot apex. Initial symptoms of injury show new leaves cupped downward, puckered, stunted and have serrated margins. Broad mite eggs are covered with many tubercles which give them the appearance of being jeweled.
Eggs are bright red and oval-shaped and are laid on both surfaces of leaves.
Initial infestations are indicated by faint brown, scruffy flecks, later becoming bronze or reddish in color. Basal leaf areas are affected, vegetative shoot apexes may be killed, and severe leaf drop may occur. The best control program is to minimize the possibility of introducing mites into the growing area on infested plant material. Scales can be found feeding on leaves, petioles, or stems. They are usually distinct from the plant material on which they are feeding.