is it true if u spray soapy water on your plants it will get rid of spider mites

jrloko

Well-Known Member
yup its true for most plants. but i think i read somewhere that its not good for flowering plants.
 

GrowTech

stays relevant.
doesn't always help with getting rid of mites, in fact you will have to be very aggressive about it to actually see results.
 

~MoE~

Well-Known Member
it does work but never do it near 2-4 weeks before harvesting, and you'll have to keep doing it to get rid of the lil pricks
 

jats

Well-Known Member
if you add some Neem oil (the oil form the Neem tree 100% natural) to the soapy water it will work even better :mrgreen:
 

jats

Well-Known Member
wtf is neem oil and how do i get it i dnt have mites yep but i wanna b prepared
its a 100% natural,deadly to most insects (suffocates them) oil from the Neem tree from India...maybe you could find some at a health/whole food store...you would mix only a few drops in a bucket of warm soapy water then spray that on to every leaf on the plant top and bottom(of leafs),,top to bottom....hope you never have to do this :roll:
 

Jester88

Well-Known Member
Kill-A-Might 2/2.5ml to a litre and your apples.... i dont know how ppl kill the plants ive had to use it on plants 2-3 weeks old and they were fine :)

was interested to read this tho +1 rep to u
 

vapedg13

New Member
is it true if u spray soapy water on your plants it will get rid of spider mites

Well you might kill the adult mites but it does nothing for the hundreds of eggs that are still left to hatch every 2-3 days.....No type of neem oil, safer soap, pepper sray ect will kill the eggs



Spider mites, especially two-spotted spider mites Tetranychus urticae (Figure 1), are among the most common pests of greenhouse crops. Other spider mite pests in greenhouses include the carmine spider mite, T. cinnabarinus and the Lewis spider mite, Eotetranychus lewisi. The lewis spider mite (Figure 4) (Figure 5) (Figure 6)can cause problems on poinsettias.

Why are spider mites such problems? There are many reasons, including small size (difficult to see), development mostly on leaf undersides (even harder to see, or hit with pesticide applications) rapid life cycle (populations build rapidly), wide host plant range (can be found nearly everywhere) and pesticide resistance (sometimes hard to kill). All of these things can contribute to their status as severe pests. The general biology of spider mites is similar, but the information below is based mostly on two-spotted spider mites.

Spider mites feed by piercing plant tissue with their mouthparts and removing plant fluids. Each adult female can produce 100-200 eggs (varies with the host plant), which hatch in a few days into tiny larvae. Following a brief larval stage, several nymph stages occur before adults appear. The typical egg to adult cycle takes 7 to 14 days, but can vary considerably depending on temperatures. A diagram of the life cycle is shown in (Figure 2). All developmental stages occur on the plant.

Hot and dry conditions favor spider mite development. As mentioned, most spider mites are found on the undersides of leaves. Feeding injury often gives the upper leaf surfaces a characteristic mottled or speckled appearance (Figure 5) - note that this is injury to poinsettias from Lewis spider mite feeding). Large numbers of mites produce visible webbing, which can completely cover leaves and flowers (Figure 3 - two spotted spider mite & Figure 6 - Lewis spider mite). Spider mite populations often reach their peaks as crops mature. Because spider mites do not fly, detection is by looking at plants for signs of mites or mite feeding injury. Because even adult female two-spotted spider mites are about 1/50-inch long (and Lewis spider mites are about half that size), a hand lens is very useful and necessary.
 

Mr.Brown

Member
I personally have never used insecticidal soaps,such as safers brand, or dish soap/water sprays on flowering buds (even though I know that it works, and think it's great for during veg). The reason is the flavor that the residue leaves on the buds. I've smoked plenty of fine looking herb grown by a friend of mine that uses soaps up until the last 2 weeks of flower, and there is a distinct after taste to all of his strains. Also, in my opinion, they feel a little harsher on the lungs no matter the strain. I suggest using Ed Rosenthal's Zero Tolerance Herbal Pesticide (made from lavender, cinnamon, clove oils), or SNS (similar product made from rosemary and clove oils). These can be used through out flower with out any negative effects. You could also try soaking lavender petals in water, straining the petals out, and using the solution as a spray. Not many people have a bag of lavender petals setting around, so it may be more trouble than finding a pre-made, organic solution.

For best results you should always be PRE-EMPTIVE. Using Azamax as a soil drench BEFORE you notice a bug infestation will protect the medium around your roots (many bugs, like fungus gnats, start their life cycle down by the roots of the plant where all the good stuff for them is), the plants will also absorb the Azamax making it so that insects cannot digest the plant material and will push on, or starve. Doing this and spraying around every 3-4 days, or as needed, with a flower friendly spray like Zero Tolerance, H202, Mighty Wash, or a diluted hydrogen pyroxide/water solution is a great way to be preventative and they shouldn't stand a chance. I've been using this two method approach with my outdoor grow as with previous indoor grows. It keeps away mites, and everything else I've encountered SO FAR..

This is officially my very first post on this site, so I hope that it's helpful. I know that the thread is old, but felt like I could add to it. I'm not a master myself. If I was.. I wouldn't have any reason to read forums lol. When it comes to certain things I'm confident sharing my ideas and experiences though. Special thanks to everyone who takes the time to answer peoples' questions even though they don't really stand to gain anything from sharing their knowledge.
 

elnene

Active Member
you wont be killing any spider with only soap, see, soap is used combined with any insecticid (quimic or organic) in order to get the insecticid better attached/sticked to the leafs and, of course, to last longer.
cheers
 
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