Spider mites

[Vitov7]

Not that I have any at the moment but it's always better to stay ready so that doesn't become an issue... I have a bottle of Spinosad it doesn't actually say on the bottle that it will kill spider mites but I heard this is some good stuff and I could stay ahead if I spray all the way through veg and up to 2 weeks before harvest it's organic and safe to use what do y'all think? Will this kill or prevent spider mites. I was able to successfully get rid of caterpillars my last outdoor grow season but I'm growing indoors this season

 

[TheSadVeryBadMadGrower]

I personally have Neem Oil but have never used it as of yet....

 

[BudgetMessiah]

Not that I have any at the moment but it's always better to stay ready so that doesn't become an issue... I have a bottle of Spinosad it doesn't actually say on the bottle that it will kill spider mites but I heard this is some good stuff and I could stay ahead if I spray all the way through veg and up to 2 weeks before harvest it's organic and safe to use what do y'all think? Will this kill or prevent spider mites. I was able to successfully get rid of caterpillars my last outdoor grow season but I'm growing indoors this season

Diatomacious Earth is my go-to insecticidal. You can mix it into the soil, sprinkle it on plants, make a solution by mixing it with water and spraying it on foliage. It kills anything made of chitin (includes spider mites) and is organic and safe to use.

 

[Catpotwoman]

Seconded on the diatomaceous earth. It's pretty cool stuff, made of the skeletons of diatoms, a tiny prehistoric organism. So, fossil dust.

It kills all sorts of beasties and can just be sprinkled lightly on the soil. I nipped what could have been a nasty infestation of fungus gnats in the bud with a small amount of it and a mite trap.

The problem with spray insecticide solutionss is that even if it's organic, doesn't mean the residue is safe to burn in a pipe and inhale into your lungs. Even a pesticide safe for eating isn't necessarily harmless to smoke. I think the more you can avoid spraying the plant, the better (although I've heard neem oil is about the best option if you have to spray).

 

[BudgetMessiah]

I would not use DE, or anything really, to spray on buds to kill insects.
Feel free to go wild in the veg stage, tho.

 

[Catpotwoman]

I would not use DE, or anything really, to spray on buds to kill insects.
Feel free to go wild in the veg stage, tho.

I've honestly never heard of spraying with it. Most I've done is sprinkle on the soil and rub a bit at the bottom of the stem before the first node.

Yeah, I'm rereading and I thought it was implied by my post, but maybe in retrospect was not: spraying buds means you're inhaling whatever toxic stuff you sprayed; spraying buds is bad.

 

[rustyshaclkferd]

smite...within this time frame, mighty wash is good, will totally work but will also still be present in leaf material , which you trim but some will be there , others would use it I wouldnt , smite works fine and is harvest day safe. but it is a contact killer...so got to make contact

 

[Avinash]

neem oil is best it will not only kill them it prevents any other mites which wants to munch on ur ladies with their smell

 

[Kinch]

For what it's worth, I've used a household vacuum hose on buds/branches as soon as I see webbing. My indoor grow is in-house, so I examine the plants about every day. This grow has had recurring spider mite infestations (two instances). The first appearance was weeks ago, and the vacuum/wash seemed to solve the issue or repress the colony until today's reappearance. It seems like they get mites every time I put the plants outdoors.

The mites like the heat. It's NorCal winter right now, so the first webbing appears on the buds closest to the lamp. The vacuuming frays leaves a bit and might damage trichomes, but it seems to pull the webbing off the plant and likely many of the mites themselves. To be safe, I also give the plant a hard spray down with the hose. I heard somewhere that spider mites like a plant dry. Don't know if it is true.

If they reappear before harvest (three weeks), I'll likely invest in some Neem Oil. Thanks for the posts.

Ego

 

[BudgetMessiah]

I heard somewhere that spider mites like a plant dry. Don't know if it is true.

Is true, they're not very sturdy. Can basically just drown them with tap water.
Still strongly recommend a DE solution with water sprayed onto fan leaves and stems during veg. It gives the leaves a slightly frosted look, the way Tony the Tiger frosts corn flakes. But to the bugs, it's the equivalent of covering every surface with a layer of broken glass several inches deep.

 

[lambandtuna]

captain jacks

 

[Vitov7]

Update I've been rotating between spinosad and a cold pressed neem oil with a soap solution combination every three days and plants are looking great and I don't see any mites

 

[Avinash]

That's good continue that for 15 days

 

[etruthfx]

Diatomacious Earth is my go-to insecticidal. You can mix it into the soil, sprinkle it on plants, make a solution by mixing it with water and spraying it on foliage. It kills anything made of chitin (includes spider mites) and is organic and safe to use.

Do not use Diatamatious earth because it will slow down your plants photosynthesis by blocking the light in powder and in foliar form you will notice the white residue left all over. That being said never use any type of powder coating on your leaves only dissolved foliar sprays.
Neem oil is not very good everyone swears by it but it doesn't do anything but coat your leaves. It's true that many oils are a repellant for bugs including neem Oil but that does not mean that you can not get mites while you are using it or that it will take care of a problem.
I have had very good experience with neem based derivatives that have a higher concentrate of the main ingredient azadirachtin. Namely Mite Rid works pretty good. Lost Coast Plant Therapy is currently my go-to. I have heard good things about Mighty Wash when used correctly.
It depends on your location what mites you are dealing with, there are many types of mites and some of them are more resilient to certain things.

 

[Vitov7]

Do not use Diatamatious earth because it will slow down your plants photosynthesis by blocking the light in powder and in foliar form you will notice the white residue left all over. That being said never use any type of powder coating on your leaves only dissolved foliar sprays.
Neem oil is not very good everyone swears by it but it doesn't do anything but coat your leaves. It's true that many oils are a repellant for bugs including neem Oil but that does not mean that you can not get mites while you are using it or that it will take care of a problem.
I have had very good experience with neem based derivatives that have a higher concentrate of the main ingredient azadirachtin. Namely Mite Rid works pretty good. Lost Coast Plant Therapy is currently my go-to. I have heard good things about Mighty Wash when used correctly.
It depends on your location what mites you are dealing with, there are many types of mites and some of them are more resilient to certain things.

Socal desert environment

 

[BudgetMessiah]

Do not use Diatamatious earth because it will slow down your plants photosynthesis by blocking the light in powder and in foliar form you will notice the white residue left all over. That being said never use any type of powder coating on your leaves only dissolved foliar sprays.

Bro science.

 

[trambles]

For preventative maintainance I spray with neem once a week throughout the life of the plant or bomb the room with a pyrethroid. If u have a SMALL outbreak might wash or vacuum will work to an extent.
If u have a massive outbreak use AVID/avermectin. It is the only thing that will work. I wouldnt spray this stuff if ur close to harvest.

 

[Sfrigon 1]

Get some smite I think it's called and spray undersides of leaves good right after lights go off . I do this every four days and flip flop w trifecta. I do this as a preventative maintenance but I know once you have them they're tough to get rid of

 

[Sfrigon 1]

Diatomacious Earth is my go-to insecticidal. You can mix it into the soil, sprinkle it on plants, make a solution by mixing it with water and spraying it on foliage. It kills anything made of chitin (includes spider mites) and is organic and safe to use.

I have found this only works for soil dwelling insects . I put a light dusting on top of soil every week or so. Make sure fan is off u don't want this stuff clogging pores

 

[BudgetMessiah]

I have found this only works for soil dwelling insects . I put a light dusting on top of soil every week or so. Make sure fan is off u don't want this stuff clogging pores

I had a horrifying case of scale on the parsley I bought into my house at the end of summer. Didn't realize it until it was too late and microscopic caterpillars were everywhere (thanks to my recent cannabis hobby, I had a jeweler's loupe to confirm). I added 1/2 teaspoon to 20 oz of water in a spray bottle, and they were gone before a week.