HELP!!! Greenhouse grow mites are back!!! flower week 4

AlikaMetallica

AlikaMetallica

Member
I have a 10x12 ft greenhouse with 6 HUGE plants, and 2 dwarf plants that I started late. I have never grown in the greenhouse before, only complete outdoor and have never had an indoor grow room.
I developed a mite problem about week 6 into veg.
I hit the plants with floramite and then again 4 days later. This did the trick and my greenhouse was mite free until this last week, which is week 4 into flower.
My plants are 13 feet tall and at least 6 feet in diameter each. They are crowded in my smaller greenhouse and had I known my plants would get this large, I would have planned it much differently. I have had to tie branches down that were pushing into the ceiling and now they are almost touching the ceiling again.
I spend hours each day in there pruning, feeding, watering, and overall just caring for my crop.
Recently, I began noticing signs of the mites returning on the inside of the plants. I have been rapidly removing the effective leaves but there is so much I can only get through so much pruning in a day.
I'm terrified to use any miticide on the plants during this stage of flower, but I also don't want to lose my crop.
I have invested a lot of time, money, and energy to get where I'm at thus far.
Is there any safe method of eradicating the mites during the flower cycle without harming the plants or harming the people who will be using this medicine? I need to get a handle on these mites before they kill my plants!!!!
Thank so much,
Greenhouse grower
 
cassinfo

cassinfo

Well-Known Member
Wow..I'm sorry you are going through this. I've been there myself at 4 weeks into flower. Whatever u spray them with, you will be tasting when you smoke it. Mines where in 5 gallon pots. This is what I did. I took them outside one sunny day and pull out my big spray pump and water hose. I carefully sprayed every plant down 1 by 1. Bottoms up with the hose. Then water and dish washing soap in my pump bottle. Bottoms up again. After hours of spraying, I left them outside to dry out for a few hours. I then went and Dr.doom my room I'm the basement. Bleach, vacuum, tore down my mylar of the walls and pitch. 4 hours pass. I repeat the girls with my water hose and soap spray bottle. This started at 9am. I was finish around 8 pm. Did it work you ask? It work for about 2 weeks. It did slow the mites down long enough for me to finish the grow. Worst day ever so good luck to you!! I feel your frustration.
 
AlikaMetallica

AlikaMetallica

Member
cassinfo said:
Wow..I'm sorry you are going through this. I've been there myself at 4 weeks into flower. Whatever u spray them with, you will be tasting when you smoke it. Mines where in 5 gallon pots. This is what I did. I took them outside one sunny day and pull out my big spray pump and water hose. I carefully sprayed every plant down 1 by 1. Bottoms up with the hose. Then water and dish washing soap in my pump bottle. Bottoms up again. After hours of spraying, I left them outside to dry out for a few hours. I then went and Dr.doom my room I'm the basement. Bleach, vacuum, tore down my mylar of the walls and pitch. 4 hours pass. I repeat the girls with my water hose and soap spray bottle. This started at 9am. I was finish around 8 pm. Did it work you ask? It work for about 2 weeks. It did slow the mites down long enough for me to finish the grow. Worst day ever so good luck to you!! I feel your frustration.
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Wow! I'm scared to spray them with anything at this point. They are in the ground, so I won't be moving them outside and I'm terrified to even spray them down with water because of the mold factor. They are huge and pretty much crammed into the greenhouse. I have fans going in there to keep the humidity down, but I can only prune so much. When I walk in there, it's like walking through a forest. I think they would survive to harvest, but I really don't want to risk losing the crop to mites. At the moment, I've just been spending hours each day removing leaves that look infested. I read something about a habanero pepper spray solution, but I'm worried that while they are in flower, my plants may come out tasting and smelling like hot salsa, so I have been reluctant to try that. I guess my only option at this point is to start wiping all the leaves down with a wet cloth and pray
 
cassinfo

cassinfo

Well-Known Member
I see...hmmmm..I read somewhere that if you can add CO2 and boost it up. That will kill the mites and will not effect your gals since you are already 4 weeks in. I'm not a CO2 user so hopefully someone with experience can chime in and lay some facts down. Sorry I couldn't help, but good luck to you.
 
silvrsurfer77

silvrsurfer77

Well-Known Member
cassinfo said:
Every grower needs to experience mites at least once to appreciate the importance of cleanliness. :hump:
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Unfortunately I just started playing outside and I think I might have a mite situation on my hands, not quite sure, but im very nervous. makes no sense to be pollinated and leaves me believing mites just started to show ?

Heres my thread if anyone can confirm....Im debating amputating the affected area before it spreads but not sure ? :/

https://www.rollitup.org/t/need-help-with-outdoor-plant-in-flowering-help.882389/
 
silvrsurfer77

silvrsurfer77

Well-Known Member
I primarily do indoor only and I guess I was just lucky because i was lazy with cleaning my grow room and my friend used to bust my chops so bad about being clean, finally started listening read enough horror storries to be clean now, unfortunately I dont think you can do much outdoor or green house wise to prevent it. If this is my first encounter with mites, im glad its outside and only 1 plant
 
cassinfo

cassinfo

Well-Known Member
silvrsurfer77 said:
I primarily do indoor only and I guess I was just lucky because i was lazy with cleaning my grow room and my friend used to bust my chops so bad about being clean, finally started listening read enough horror storries to be clean now, unfortunately I dont think you can do much outdoor or green house wise to prevent it. If this is my first encounter with mites, im glad its outside and only 1 plant
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You got lucky. Well, keep up the good work.
 
AlikaMetallica

AlikaMetallica

Member
cassinfo said:
Every grower needs to experience mites at least once to appreciate the importance of cleanliness. :hump:
Click to expand...
It's not that we aren't clean. We are outdoor, in soil, in a greenhouse. We knew there was a possibility and when it happened during veg, we thought we cured the problem with the two treatments of floramite, which I was reluctant to use, but after research, was the best choice for us for what we were dealing with. It did work, but they have managed to come back, but it's too late in the season to hit it with the floramite again.
If I was indoor, I would be way OCD about keeping my room tight and clean, but unfortunately, I'm not indoor.
The only thing I hate about outdoor is the pest control. Next season I am going to take some better preventative measures. I never expected the mites to come back after the floramite treatment.
 
AlikaMetallica

AlikaMetallica

Member
wiethe20 said:
Order 1000 lady bugs maybe will keep at bay until harvest, any webbing you see, use a shop vac
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We had lady bugs on there, and they died off within a week. I think I will just get more, but keep them refrigerated and set each bucket free when they start dying off. Also, I have about 20 pet praying mantises in there for any larger pests and they like to snack on the lady bugs. Yeah, I'm going to get the lady bugs by the thousands and pray.
 
W

wiethe20

Well-Known Member
AlikaMetallica said:
It's not that we aren't clean. We are outdoor, in soil, in a greenhouse. We knew there was a possibility and when it happened during veg, we thought we cured the problem with the two treatments of floramite, which I was reluctant to use, but after research, was the best choice for us for what we were dealing with. It did work, but they have managed to come back, but it's too late in the season to hit it with the floramite again.
If I was indoor, I would be way OCD about keeping my room tight and clean, but unfortunately, I'm not indoor.
The only thing I hate about outdoor is the pest control. Next season I am going to take some better preventative measures. I never expected the mites to come back after the floramite treatment.
Click to expand...
There is a lot of preventative measures....try looking up other plants or veggies to grow next to mj there are a few... and mites can become Immune to your attack....always do a 3 stage attack with different products
 
W

wiethe20

Well-Known Member
AlikaMetallica said:
We had lady bugs on there, and they died off within a week. I think I will just get more, but keep them refrigerated and set each bucket free when they start dying off. Also, I have about 20 pet praying mantises in there for any larger pests and they like to snack on the lady bugs. Yeah, I'm going to get the lady bugs by the thousands and pray.
Click to expand...
Introduce them at night, well if you didn't know
 
AlikaMetallica

AlikaMetallica

Member
wiethe20 said:
There is a lot of preventative measures....try looking up other plants or veggies to grow next to mj there are a few... and mites can become Immune to your attack....always do a 3 stage attack with different products
Click to expand...
Oh that's a good idea. I heard marigolds actually. I'm going to put some in there and hope it helps, along with the ladybugs. Next season there will be much I do differently, but this is our first greenhouse experience, and only my 3rd year growing. I still have a lot to learn, but I do have a natural green thumb and love growing my farm. Here is my pumpkins and sunflowers.
 

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