I just figured out what was wrong with my black bamboo I got at the green elephant trading March of 05; spider mites. It was my first bamboo and I tried to learn as much as I could before getting it. At first I thought they were old leaves, and being newly transplanted put them in shock, so I ignored the warning signs. Now most of the mature canes that came with the clump are almost all dead, and a few that are left are slowly turning gray. Fortunately bamboo is resilient and the new shoots are still coming, and are not too badly infected. Now that I know what I am dealing with I can make a plan of action. Word of caution and warning to those trading plants; please make sure you check them out and that they are pest free before trading. This way it will keep anything from infecting anyone elseÂs garden. If you are receiving plants check them out thoroughly before planting them in your own garden; this way you avoid losing plants. For those of us newbies do not ignore any spot, discoloration of your plant, it may be from being hot, it just need water, but better then to be over cautious then lose most of your plants. I have to let myself off the hook a little because I am dealing with a non-curable disease that leaves me bedridden a lot. Lesson learned, so because I had it on hand I soaked my bamboo with some insecticide spray until I can get something that is for spider mites, and maybe my new bamboo from the spring will be saved and next springs crop of shoots will grow up beautiful! Kendal

Spider mites are barely visible with the naked eye. Usually the back of the leaves on affected plants will feel gritty. By the time the webs appear you have a full blown case. Check the back of the leaves with a magnifying glass. I've had good results with spraying the plants with insecticidal soap, such as Safer's or using Trounce, also made by Safer's. Yes, spider mites will kill your plant if you let them. Here's a link to the houseplant forum. There are very some knowledgeable people there who will surely give you good advice. I don't know how to make it a clickable link; you'll have to copy and paste. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/houseplt/ Good luck with your plants.

Firstly, thanks so much for all the discussion about the little beggers. I whole-heartedly concur with Ted that bringing in that fully growing plant was probably my biggest mistake. Equally, using the soil that came out of the 4" pots that the Dahlias had grown in all summer was another one. I'm not completely convinced that dusting or soaking the tubers in some solution is mandatory, but I'm certainly leaning in that direction. This fall all that work will be done out-of-doors and the tubers will come in clean, and into new clean soil. Meanwhile, I have just had a great conversation with a woman at the company whose link is below. They are Canadian sellers of natural pest controls, including mite predators. While I too am concerned about letting things lose in the wild, I'm going to trust someone else in this case as I can only have so many areas of expertise...;-] She has recommended that I get 2000 predators in vermiculite to cover my 90 sq.ft. of trays indoors. She said they can go on after the tubers are planted, as long as its not too long after (e.g. days are fine.) The predators cannot be stored and should be used as soon as received. She has further recommended that I get another 2000 during the week (or so) I am going to be taking cuttings, as stress is another factor in mite growth. Predators like 75F (23C) and ~65% humidity. I will get some more when the plants go in the ground outside. Cost is C$45 for 2000, plus a C$12 shipping charge. So that's very reasonable considering I'm trying to keep some C$600 worth of tubers from going to waste. I'll let you know how it goes. She did recommend I completely scrub everything and try and ensure I've gotten rid of as many ahead of time as possible. That sorta made me laugh...if they can't overcome mites that are there...what use are they? But ok, I'll give them as much of a leg up as I can. Every other plant in my house is still being tossed, including the soil, and all planters thoroughly cleaned just in case. Cheers, Russ http://www.naturalinsectcontrol.com/catalogue/getprod.cgi?1023A1

"I have noticed little clumps of webs. Not spun from leaf to leaf but more like set up as little houses on the under sides of the leaves. I have noticed that one of the plants the leaves feel very dry, not dead, just dry, and have yellowish patches on them. Is this spider mites? There are some little holes on the leaves as well." Sounds like classic spider mite sign. If you can see the webbing, you have a large amount of spider mites, and they are moving to the next plant! Take the plant AWAY from any other plant, and treat those plants as if they are infected even if you didn't see any visible sign. This is the organic way- Clip off the branches with the webbing, toss in a sealed bag into your trash. Wash each remaining leaf and stem by hand with a bit of soap and lots of water. I'd pour slightly soapy water into the pot, too, for good measure. Keep quarantined from other plants, and I'd spray leaves with soapy water every other day for a week, then every few days for another week. Or you can use neem oil instead, but it has a rather offensive odor inside. Good luck!