Mouseketeers

Mouse melon flowers
Tiny flowers on the mouse melons

Mouse melon
A melon for mice, indeed

About a week or so ago I noticed that a couple of the ground cherry plants that had been struggling had given up. When I looked closely, I saw signs of a spider mite infestation – not serious, but definitely there. I pulled up the plants and composted them.

Over the weekend it was clear that the infestation was spreading – several plants were showing the golden spots on their leaves that are an early indication, although there weren’t many signs of their dense webs. And so yesterday I got out my eco-friendly bug spray (it’s based on fatty acids and suffocates pests, AFAIK) and gave everything in the Grow Dome a good spray. Then I fed and watered everything to keep all of the plants healthy and to raise the humidity (which spider mites don’t like).

This morning I have watered again. In a few more days I might spray again.

More positive news is that the spindly mouse melon plants (also known as Mexican gherkins) are flowering and setting fruit. They really are tiny – the fruit in the photograph is at most 0.5 cm long!

*This is the closest thing I’ve got to a cucumber at the moment, Patrick!

Posted Aug 4, 08:50 AM.   Posted in .

4 Comments for Mouseketeers

  1. Good luck with the spider mites!

    I have two Mexican gherkin plants, one on my roof and one in my garden. The one of the roof has been suffering terribly in the recent heat, but the one in the garden is doing well. The latter was setting some cucumbers, but then I accidentally broke off that part of the vine. Hopefully it will set more soon.

    Patrick · Aug 4, 03:43 PM

  2. Ooo, those spider mites are a SERIOUS pain in the arse. I get them in my conservatory (hot and dry), and they are ineradicable. Regular misting slows ‘em down a bit, but they are a truly terrible pest once they take hold. Good luck!

    Soilman · Aug 6, 06:42 PM

  3. Last year I tried the biological control, and that seemed to work quite well – but the nights are cool at the moment, even in the Grow Dome, and it’s not ideal conditions for introducing them. Mind you, the turn back to wetter weather should help!

    Emma · Aug 6, 07:05 PM

  4. Sorry about the spider mites, but boy, that little Mexican gherkin is just the cutest thing ever.

    Christina · Aug 7, 10:17 PM

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