I have been left in charge of a treasured plant by one of my work colleagues, the posh one.

Handover took place at the end of last week, and the treasure was left on a desk pedestal where I could not forget its need for morning watering.

As a precaution, the last pre-weekend watering took place on Friday afternoon and I forgot about the treasure until yeasteday morning.

When I arrived yesterday – shock horror – major leaf wilt! Cue immediate watering.

On close inspection minor scenes from a horror movie were being played out on several stems. The leaves were desiccated like post death bodies in Aracnaphobia – this effect being further enhanced by close spun webs and tiny little mites. A little research identified the culprits as

Spider Mite!

I feel like I’ve stepped into a 1970s sitcom where I am charged with the care of a much loved pet (usually a goldfish), which meets its demise whilst the loving owners are on holiday.

Another work colleague and myself have administered a ‘bed bath’ of heavily diluted detergent and some pruning, but will the treasure survive? Only time will tell.

Min6