Colorado Med Growers, Unite
- Thread starter riddleme
- Start date
growman09
Active Member
here it is again check it out a little has a bit of info on different bugs http://www.annettemcfarlane.com/pestID.htm#Mites
1 litre water
30ml of 30% h2o2(hydrogen peroxide)
20ml alchohol
3ml wetting agent.
this is a multipurpose spray. used routinely it is very effective against insects,
fungus,and disease. it may be used safely throughout the cultivation process
of all c3 type plants. i use this formula in my pro greenhouse biz and on all my certified oganic produce
DannyGreenEyes
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys. After a lot of research I've found that predatory insects (predatory mites, destroyers, pirate bugs, etc...) are just too expensive, and anything else puts the lady bugs in danger. So what I'm probably gonna do is turn up the heat a little so as many of the lady bugs leave the plants as possible. Then use a suffocant spray and spray everything.
Growman - That thread is usefull, but it says that lady bugs eat mites, and I can tell you for a fact that they don't. At least not these mites. So (just some cautious advice) you might want to reconfirm info that you get from that site.
Thanks again guys, I have my work cut out for me.
zencowboy
Member
This is my 1st post. I have read in 2 days these 31 pages. Yeehoo.
I will have card soon and looking to grow indoors. I guess next for me is finding on here what is the best option to grow for me. 1) Soil I am thinking. 2) Organic for sure. 3) 6 plants for 1st run. 4) What do you seasoned growers think should be the lights and wattage for 6 plants in 5 gal containers in soil?? (7 gal would be fine). 5) cutting and pasting all the great info into a one-place ebook for myself to go to quickly. 6) Patience and Love.
Thanks all thus far on what I have read and learned!!
I will have card soon and looking to grow indoors. I guess next for me is finding on here what is the best option to grow for me. 1) Soil I am thinking. 2) Organic for sure. 3) 6 plants for 1st run. 4) What do you seasoned growers think should be the lights and wattage for 6 plants in 5 gal containers in soil?? (7 gal would be fine). 5) cutting and pasting all the great info into a one-place ebook for myself to go to quickly. 6) Patience and Love.
Thanks all thus far on what I have read and learned!!
doogleef
Well-Known Member
I recommend soil to all new growers. A good soil mix can be made up and given nothing but tap water as feed for 12 weeks. Gets no easier than that.
400W is a good size for a start-up grow. 400W is good for about 8 sq ft.
Don't be afraid of non-organic fertilizers. The plant does not care if the salts (fertilizers) are derived from carbon-based sources (organic) or from a chem based fert. Nitrogen is Nitrogen by the time the plant takes it up.
400W is a good size for a start-up grow. 400W is good for about 8 sq ft.
Don't be afraid of non-organic fertilizers. The plant does not care if the salts (fertilizers) are derived from carbon-based sources (organic) or from a chem based fert. Nitrogen is Nitrogen by the time the plant takes it up.
DannyGreenEyes
Well-Known Member
lol, good point. I would hope they're hungry though. I sprayed before releasing them killing all (or mostly all) the larvae & adult pests. Plus I released 3,000 of them. If there where that many eggs for them to eat they could have opened a Denny's. lol
Seriously though, the Spider Mites haven't come back so I'm guessing they ate the spider mite eggs. And I saw them digging in the soil for the first few days, I can only guess they were going after Gnat Larvae. So it's possible they just don't like the Broad (white) Mites.
And I also read somewhere that Lady Bugs wont completely eliminate a food source. I can't remember where I read it, so I don't know how dependable the info is. But something I try to keep in the back of my mind.
growman09
Active Member
thats alot of lady bugs did you catch them last summer dwn here in pueblo we had a hatch of lady bugs like i have never seen at some gas stations the white awnings over the pumps were so covered they looked red and black it was great for my outdoor garden but then they all vanished and we had a hatch of some kinda bug that ate my whole corn crop and jacked wth my pepers and pumpkins it was a total bummer the only good stuff i ended up with was strawberries and tomatoes oh and my carrots did great ive never had a run in with mites hope to god i dont ever but i do know hydro shops carry foggers that are not supposed to hurt plants so worst case scenirio you always got that option or od them on co2
DannyGreenEyes
Well-Known Member
This is what I learned on my first grow (half way through now)
1 - Get lights with decent hoods that can be vented. It will be cheaper than dealing with the heat problems from cheap hoods.
2 - Put a filter over your air intake immediately. Just because there's snow on the ground, don't assume you wont get pests. Stockings will work in a pinch, but mite/thrip screens are better because they don't rip.
3 - Finding a fertilizer with Sulpher or Molybdenum are almost impossible to find. Dyna-Gro is the only brand I've found with all the minor nutes. It's chemical based though, and I've been told tha mixing organic & chemical nutes is bad.
4 - If you're sold on going organic, then Fox Farm Ocean Forrest is the bomb, but it's too hot for clones & seedlings. Use something with little to no nutes till the plant out grows the 16oz cup, Fox Farm Light Warrior I hear is good.
5 - Mycorrhiza, get some, mix it in with your soil, use it every time you transplant, treat your girls with it regularly. And plan on needing 10, 15, or 20 gallon containers before your done, your roots will need the extra space if you use Mycorrhiza from the first day.
6 - Lady Bugs, I'd suggest releasing 3,000 or more after you Lady Bug Proof your grow room. They'll keep unwanted pests, that can piggy back on your clothes to get to your plants, from colonizing. They're a good preventative measure but they're not 100%.
7 - I'm growing 7 plants and two 400w bulbs have done me good. If you can afford it, two 1,000w bulbs, 1 MH & 1 HPS would be best. And you can get by with one 400w HPS. But for the fastest grow, 1,000w is the way to go.
8 - Under no circimstances should you add anything to Fox Farm Ocean Forrest if you decide to use it. If anyone tells you to add any nutes when mixing your pots, don't trust another word from that person. (You can add Mycorrhiza as long as you find a product with very low nutes, like 0.1 - 0.2 - 1 for instance)
9 - You don't want to overwater or underwater. But while you're learning, it's better to underwater than it is to overwater. Overwatering can cause root rot.
10 - Grow stores are more expensive than nurseries 99% of the time.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Hope it helps.
DannyGreenEyes
Well-Known Member
Nah, not a good idea to catch them in the wild. Soime lady bugs eat plants. I read they're the ones with 24 to 28 dots on them, but haven't confirmed that so it's safer to buy them from a nursery or a grow store. 3,000 only cost me $16.
You're lucky if you never had to deal with Mites, especially Spider Mites, they're real bad around here. And if you don't know what got your crops, then you might have had a mite problem & just didn't know it. No one seemed to know what these White Mites were, I had to catch one and put it under a microscope just to find out it was a Mite. And I had to do the research to identify it.
White Mites inject a toxin to disolve the plant walls so they can bite into it. And after they're done eating the toxin continues to work creating deformed leaves, leaves that curl downwards, and damage that looks like catepillar damage. Don't ask me why they're here, they like it humid. But they're here allt the same.
I still have a little Mite X left, which is a suffocator. And I just bought 2 different Neem Oil products which are also suffocators. I hope they can't become immune to being suffocated. lol So tonight I start the transplants to 10 gal containers and I spray them down 1 by 1. Then I go into the room and spray everything down. 5 days later I spray with something different, then 5 days later I spray with the last of the 3 products. If I kill the Lady Bugs then so be it, I'll just have to do a lot of cleaning up.
DannyGreenEyes
Well-Known Member
Mites wont colonize when predators are present, so lady bugs will at the least keep them off your plants, for the most part anyway.
I've read that they will and I've read that they wont eat mites. I'm guessing they'll eat some & not others, but that's a guess.
If you're indoors then getting Mite/Thrip screens for both your intake & exhaust is invaluable.
They also don't like UV light. Out doors you might hang some 10.0 UVB Reptile Bulbs (for reptiles - at pet stores) and keep them lit at night. Indoors I'd keep them lit as long as the HIDs are lit. They can cause burns to your plants, just like you can get a sunburn. But the plants build a base tan after a while so you can SLOWLY move them closer. Just keep an eye on things because the longer you keep them on, the further away they have to be. And there's a bonus here, to protect themselves from UV rays the plants have their own sunscreen - Tricombes & Resin
There are people that will tell you that's true, and others will say it's a myth. I've read scientific studies on it and I'm confident that it's true (tricombes & resin). But where there's an up, there must be a down. The plants will use more energy to create the resin & tricombes and therefore your yeild will suffer a little bit.To get rid of them I've found suffocators work well (oils are better than soap), but they don't kill the eggs so they require several treatments. But I'm guessing they can't become immune to suffocation.
Predator Mites, Mite Destroyers, Pirate Bugs, and the like would be my first choice to get rid of them. But they're expensive and you have to wait for them to be sent in the mail. Predatory mites would be my last choice since they need time to colonize themselves, Destroyers & Pirate Bugs don't need to colonize themselves.
And the last rule I've learned, Mites love to break rules. So expect the unexpected.
Almost forgot, some mites like it dry while others like it humid. Spider Mites hate humidity and humidity will actually help to kill them. So if you have spider mites, crank up the humidity if you can.
riddleme
Well-Known Member
Just got my new books, I really like the Garden Saver one shows 99% of problems that can happen with all the fixes listed think it was $12
http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Garden-Saver-Handbook-Healthy/dp/0932551912
if your having problems ya want this book
But I hope ya never need it
http://www.amazon.com/Marijuana-Garden-Saver-Handbook-Healthy/dp/0932551912
if your having problems ya want this book
But I hope ya never need it
DannyGreenEyes
Well-Known Member
Not a problem, I'd hate to think I did all that research just for myself. lol
I gotta get started though. I'll be back on in a few hours.
I gotta get started though. I'll be back on in a few hours.
tokeythebear
Well-Known Member
How's the skiing up there in the big CO?
420medicineman
Member
hey guys im a medical patient in grand junction and just droppin a little info that i picked up recently
the best way to prevent mites is to keep a clean room and dunk all new plants introduced to your grow room in water. If you already have the problem you can use a No Pest Strip(found at walmart) if you are in your room less than 4 hrs a day. they are 5 bucks and you will never see a live bug in your room as long as you have one. If you have a closet grow i would strongly recommend Mite-rid its all organic botanical oils that completely degrades in 7 days your plant absorbs the stuff then when the little bastards go to feed they poison themselves
Can be used twice per plant and can be used 7 days before harvest
DannyGreenEyes
Well-Known Member
Taking a cig break. Just wanted to chime in on the research that I've done.
The pest strips use a pesticide, and spider mites develope immunities quickly (possible immunities develope in as little as 1 generation). Everything I've read on mites says to use a different insecticide every time you treat. So while the pest strips may work in one case, it may not work in another.
And Mite-Rid sounds a lot like Mite X by Bonide. Mite X has 3 oils, 3 acids, Sorbitol, Sucrose, Molasses, & water. Mite X is a suffocant, it uses the oils to suffocate the mites and all that sweet stuff to attract them. I beleive the acids are used to kill other pests (Thrips, Aphids, etc...) Unless Mite-Rid uses insecticides of some kind, then I don't see how it would poison mites that feed on the plant at a later date. Or even if you sprayed it right on the mite. Poisons are poisons and suffocants are suffocants. (I'm not saying that the Mfg didn't make that claim, but as with all advertising, you have to confirm the claims or you'll end up with a toy truck with led paint on it, if you know what I mean)
I also forgot to mention Garlic. I've been told that raw garlic will keep the mites away (along with everything else. lol), but I wouldn't suggest it if you're in flower. I'd hate to have that smell or taste stick to your buds.
I agree with keeping a clean room, but with white mites the water wont do anything unless it's over 100 degrees (forgot the exact temp) and unless you keep the plants submerged for 15 minutes (if I remember right). Spider mites can't take humidity, it kills them so dunking in room temp water for a shorter period of time may work, but White Mites (Broad Mites) like Humidity, which is why temp & time are important.
There are 6,000 types of Mites so no one treatment is going to be a silver bullet. And even if you're dealing with a mite you're familiar with, the last treatment you used may not work this time around.
Well, back to work. I'll be back later.