Red Spider Mite

[Penny Lane]

Hello everyone!

I've got a particularly bad infestation of red spider mite in my greenhouse. They're all over the foxgloves, borage, honesty, chard and kale I've got in there. I would bring everything out and let the frost kill off the mites but the chickens would kill off my plants!
I've read about these predator mites you can buy to help but they're too expensive for me to try. I've also found a recipe for a spray that I'm making up today - chilli peppers, garlic and onion in soapy water but I was wondering if anyone here had any advice?
I know I need to empty the greenhouse at some point and give it a thorough cleaning but that still leaves my poor plants infested.. Any help please?

[Odsox]

You could try a greenhouse fumigator, like this ... http://seeds.dobies.co.uk/search?w=gree ... 0fumigator
I haven't used one for years, and when I did use them it was certainly not a "natural" one, as I seem to remember it was mainly brimstone (sulphur) and you had to get out of the greenhouse quickly once lit.
I do remember it worked though.

[diggernotdreamer]

Red mites are a management problem in covered growing areas. They thrive in hot dry conditions. The best way to keep them down is to keep the humidity up in hot weather, damp down paths, keep soil damp but at the. same time you need to ventilate. You can get predators but they need warmer temperatures to survive so something to consider in spring. Meanwhile, clean out your greenhouse, you could use something like pyrethrum spray on the mites, that will kill them.

[Penny Lane]

Thanks both :)
Odsox, that fumigator looks good. I'll do some more reading about it, thanks for that.

Digger, I've opened up the greenhouse to let the cold in. The plants in there don't need heat (except the cactus, will bring that in!) so I'm hoping the cooler weather will slow the mites down. I'll also get it damp in there.
I've used the homemade spray I mentioned on the foxgloves and borage. It was lethal!! I was choking by the time I finished!
We'll see how it goes before looking at other sprays.
A pile of aphids dropped off a leaf I sprayed and I was so dismayed to realise how many there are in there. I've got a horrible feeling I'm going to have to sacrifice my plants for the health of future plants...