lets see a pic ... there is a reason.. these are not favored plants.. in many areas ... you learned one of the first ... we just cant guess if brown tissue might bud out.. we need to see it ... but the answer might still be its a lost cause... ken

when a collection is at risk .. and i have tried all the less invasive remedies.. i usually go nuclear ... i would research a systemic ... and treat every pot in the garden.. and then the garden .. a systemic treats the plant from the inside .. so as to kill the 'suckers' .. but wont hurt the predators [directly?] since they arent eating the plant itself ... if you insist on an organic solution .. [and all the power to you] .. well.. you are right back to where you are ... the biggest reason for success [or lack thereof] .. is an IPM plan [integrated pest management]... i am going to guess.. you are treating your plants in a reactionary way.. rather than starting early in the season.. PREVENTING it first.. e.g. an apple grower starts spraying while the tree is dormant.. then waits until after flowering for the 2nd spray.. then a third.. and a 4th .. etc .... they do not wait until a bug is present.. to take action ... i wish you luck ken ps: and no.. i have no specific recommendation ... pps: i like to think of you take out great grandma in early spring. ... you wont be dealing with her 40 billion progeny in summer ... lol ... but if you wait until there are 40 billion.. you will be one frustrated puppy ... woof ..

Haven't had any spider mites on my pepper seedlings yet (knock on wood) because the aphids usually beat them to it :/ I don't overwinter much, though. I had a pretty bad infestation of red spider mites on my potted purple sage which toughed out the winter out on the deck tucked away under the eaves and a table. I sprayed it with insecticidal soap, waited 2 days, then sprayed it with Neem, waited 2 days, sprayed with soap, etc, for about 2 weeks. Worked pretty well, and once the weather turned nice enough to put the plant out in the sun and wind I didn't have any more problems. That's my standard treatment for most insect problems on my houseplants. Also highly effective for the scale on my potted citrus trees.

Totoro: Thank you for that fantastic link. Read through that and I agree with the poster that CHEMICAL NITROGEN fertilizer DO ATTRACT PESTS such as spider mites. I only had one experience with spider-mites: that's when I bought a tiny own-root (Austin Eglantyne). It came in the mail WITH SPIDER MITES. I sprayed with water, that didn't help. WHAT I SHOULD HAD DONE WAS TO DUNK THE ENTIRE PLANT IN A BUCKET OF WATER to drown the spider mites, before planting. Eglantyne has a wimpy reputation as own-root so I tried to force it to grow with MG-SOLUBLE-Fertilizer, that WORSENED SPIDER MITES. What helped was to move it from a hot brick-border, into a cool & partial shade northern location. Then I wiped the stems with alcohol, and it recuperated. Owner of Rose Unlimited also recommended NOT planting roses near HOT BRICK border, the reflected heat attracts spider mites. Spider mites like it hot & dry. Except for that singular Eglantyne, I never see spider mites on other roses NOR marigolds (despite planting marigolds next to hot-brick-border) every year for over a decade. That spider-mite infested Eglantyne died after that winter. So I bought a second own-root Eglantyne, but I used blood-meal NPK 12-0-0, NO spider mites whatsoever. I also made the soil more alkaline & loamy for faster water-uptake. Info. from below link, which lists Dill and Chrysanthemums as effective against spider-mites. Yes, I do have a large patch of dill in my garden, and I plant Chrysanthemums in the fall. https://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/12-plants-that-repel-unwanted-insects Other herbs Bay leaves: Repel flies. Chives: Repel carrot flies, Japanese beetle and aphids. Dill: Repels aphids, squash bugs, spider mites, cabbage loopers and tomato hornworms. Fennel: Repels aphids, slugs and snails. Lemon balm: Repels mosquitoes. Oregano: Repels many pests Parsley: Repels asparagus beetles. Thyme: Repels whiteflies, cabbage loopers, cabbage maggots, corn earworms, whiteflies, tomato hornworms and small whites. Alliums Plants in the Allium family, such as the dramatic Allium giganteum whose purple flower heads adorn stalks up to 6 feet tall, are regarded as a broad-spectrum natural insecticide. They repel numerous insects that plague vegetable gardens, including slugs, aphids, carrot flies and cabbage worms. They also will keep aphids off rose bushes. Alliums include small-growing herbs such as chives and garlic chives, leeks and shallots. Chrysanthemums Repel roaches, ants, Japanese beetles, ticks, silverfish, lice, fleas, bedbugs, spider mites, harlequin bugs and root-knot nematodes. The ingredient in chrysanthemums that makes them so effective as an insect-repelling companion plant is pyrethrum. Pyrethrum can be carcinogenic to humans and care should be taken in using them in this form. Marigolds Aphids, mosquitoes and even rabbits don't like the smell of marigolds. The scent from various types of marigolds repels aphids, mosquitoes and even rabbits. The roots of marigolds are well-known among farmers to repel nematodes, though those qualities require a year to take effect. Nasturtiums Nasturtiums release an airborne chemical that repels insects. Repel whiteflies, squash bugs, aphids, many beetles and cabbage loopers. Nasturtiums do not repel the all-important pollinator — the bumblebee. Petunias Repel aphids, tomato hornworms, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers and squash bugs. Some people think of petunias as nature’s pesticide. Other ornamental flowers Common lantanas: Repel mosquitoes. Four o’clocks: Attract but poison Japanese beetle. Geraniums: Repel leafhoppers. Narcissus: Repel moles.