Cedric, do you have spider mites on your roses now? If so, that would be somewhat unusual. It is more common to find them after a spate of warm/hot and dry weather. Intris is right, however: they can be dislodged with a concerted spray from the hose. As you pointed out, spider mites hang out on the underside of the leaves. For the hose spray to be effective, you therefore must be prepared to spray up from the bottom of your roses. This usually means that the hose wielder gets wetter than he or she might have intended. And since you never get all of them on the first attempt, repeat hosings will be necessary. I would spray every day or two--you don't want to give the next generation a chance to reproduce. Kay

Spidermites: I had two bushes infested earlier - short floribundas in a prime (hot, dry) location. All the dwarf alberta spruce had spider mites also. I sprayed once with TetraSan 5 from Rosemania. I sprayed the whole garden in part because I had lost one rose to Rose Rosette. One spraying did it - all species of plant life made a quick recovery. I know the roses had red spider mites, the spruce another type. The TetraSan handled both. I have since added some of those water crystals to the soil under the two floribundas that were infested to help maintain some humidity. Short roses in hot locations seem particularly prone to spider mite infestations. I taught DH to spray down the spruce thoroughly every time he waters or has the hose out for something. I don't know what it is with those dwarf spruce though - they all have nice locations, nice soil, heavy mulch. I think they are just annoying me cause DH likes them and I don't.

you did not say.. you knew.. and used the paper trick .. i made a presumption .. forgive me ... God help me.. lol ... and you are 100% sure they are juniper... all to often peeps who drop in from the sky ... use all kinds of common names ... and we provide all kinds of answers.. and when a pic is finally posted.. it isnt a pine tree... and we have wasted a lot of time and effort ... and finally ... are you in Arkansas.. or OH ..??? not that i think it matters .... but it might ... what i believe you are asking.. is whether Js have dormant buds or not ... so that is you cut back ... will they rebud like trees might ... the general answer for conifers is no they dont ... Js however are a bit more aggressive with resprouting.. but i wouldnt bet the farm on then doing such ... cut back to any side branch that is unaffected ... a pic will get you a full latin ID ... as there are many types of Js ... as well as better suggestions as to how to prune them ... ken ps: i would also suggest you look into juniper tip blight ... which has caused me to destroy many of the Js in my collection just north of the MI/OH border .. as i always wonder.. what came first.. the bug or the disease stressed plant ...

Mites damage orchids quickly and quietlyoften their presence is not noticed until significant damage has occurred. Mites are visible, but their presence is easily determined by rubbing a white cloth over the area that is damaged. If mites or their eggs are present, a brownish residue will be left on the leaf. This will come off and be visible on the towel. Some spin light webs which are visible on the plant or at the base of the plant. A very good natural remedy is an oil/soap treatment. Dr. Martin Motes recommends using a light oil--such as vegetable oil. Olive oil is very heavy and could potentially damage plants. Using 2 TBS oil/gallon is sufficient, you can add a teaspoon of baking soda for a bit of antifungal. Remember to keep shaking the solution in the container to keep the oil mixed with the water. Spray thoroughly on all sides of the leaves. FOLLOW UP with a soap solution about 7 days later. Using 2 tsp/gallon of Joy or Dawn (dog shampoo is great too) not only does a number on the pests, it helps clean off the oil treatment. I actually follow up with a third treatment in another week with the same soap solution. The soap/oil mixture remedy has been shared in the past, but the University of Florida recently discounted it as the two agents act in direct opposition of each other and essentially decrease the effectiveness of the effort. Just like the TV ads say, the dishsoap is designed to cut grease (oil) in its tracks! :) AOS recommends Malathion, or Volk Oil/Sunspray for scale. Also Knox Out 2 FM or Orthene Turf, Tree and Ornamental Spray. Mites are nasty buggers to get control over. If the infestation is confined to one plant, isolate it to prevent spreading--watch for that carefully. Be careful to follow the label on preparations TO THE LETTER to avoid damage to plants. One tip for success is to make sure you do TWO treatments of your selected poison about 7-10 days apart in order to catch newly hatched pests. Submitted by Rhonda Heide