Removing and Preventing Spider Mites

[RRLBT420]

good idea. i did more damage than the spider mites would have done in weeks. its ok tho i just harvested and this was just an extra weight plant.

at least it wasn't the whole crop lol. the first time i tried my cinnamon and clove spray i mixed it too strong.... sprayed the plant down and i could actually watch the plant die. it was like watching a nature show where they speed up the plant throughout the season. literally 10 minutes later, the entire plant was fried. not exactly a great first experience with pest control lol

 

[DrFever]

just a little fyi for everyone. Last night i was studying my clone tent found a few mites cause i noticed some ladybugs wandering through my clones so i knew they were looking for food. So as i was wiping each and every clone there were a few things i noticed in the mites patterns and life cycles.

1. They tend to lay their eggs close to the veins of the leaves...this makes the eggs hard to wipe off cause the vein is raised offering protection because it's hard to wipe in the little crook where the vein meets the leaf surface. However, the leaves are resilient and can be manipulated a little in order to get your fingers (clean hands only!) in there to wipe off the eggs as well as the mites.

2. It seems that the mites are some what territorial? I'm not sure if that's actually the case but what i noticed is that in an early detection scenario there is only one mite on each leaf or each small clone. I believe that when the eggs laid by said mite begin to hatch is when there are several mites on one leaf surface and then they begin to spread to their own leaves.

3. Another observation is that when those hatched eggs have eaten and begin to search for their own territory i noticed that they go to the top of the plants and lay eggs on the new growth nodes. Then by the time that leave starts to enlarge those eggs are beginning to hatch and eat and the cycle multiplies till you have mites everywhere (a couple hundred eggs per mite makes for really fast population growth...kill them quick). It is really hard to wipe the eggs of these new little leaves in the growth node because they the most fragile leaves and the veins are huge comparatively to the rest of the leaf surface making it hard to wipe them out.

Hope that helps a few people. Early detection is the key to control. If you have webs, they have already taken hold.

----also, dr fever, if i were you i would also check the surrounding plants for mite damage...look for those spots. They travel fast and are hard to spot early. Be diligent in your study cause if you miss even one, you will soon have webs again on other plants. They are easy to overlook especially in large gardens. Use good lighting and a 30x scope if you need to. I am able to see the eggs with my bare eyes now that i know what i'm looking at. Train yourself what to look for. I myself don't bother with isolation, instead i usually treat all of my plants, just to be sure, if i notice that they are on the second generation (more than one mite on the same leaf, or several mites on the same plant) then the whole garden is sprayed.

Props to rrlbt420 for starting this great post.

you know it bro im treatin them all not fckin around

 

[xdrgreenthumbx]

just picked up some Azamax...will update with results

 

[aeviaanah]

at least it wasn't the whole crop lol. the first time i tried my cinnamon and clove spray i mixed it too strong.... sprayed the plant down and i could actually watch the plant die. it was like watching a nature show where they speed up the plant throughout the season. literally 10 minutes later, the entire plant was fried. not exactly a great first experience with pest control lol

yea, i havent made a mistake this big in a long time....but as you said it was only one plant. the soil plant (bubba kush) was not trimmed up at the same time as application and is not showing any ill signs from treatment. again it is when you do multiple things all at once. do the cottonseed oil, clove oil and garlic oil kill eggs? i am familiar with pemethrin, neem, azatrol, floramite, isopropyl alcohol, tobacco, peppers...havent heard of the three oils tho. does it just kill the mites or is it similar to neem oil?

 

[GoldenGanja13]

I believe you misunderstood what i was saying. FLORAMITE is not good for the environment. i have nothing against the use of azatrol.

I was just throwing in my two cents on what works the best in my garden. It does not reflect any posting. But thanks for being Kind.

 

[RRLBT420]

I was just throwing in my two cents on what works the best in my garden. It does not reflect any posting. But thanks for being Kind.

no prob just makin sure we understand each other is all. the input is always appreciated and thanks for the details on Azatrol.

 

[RRLBT420]

yea, i havent made a mistake this big in a long time....but as you said it was only one plant. the soil plant (bubba kush) was not trimmed up at the same time as application and is not showing any ill signs from treatment. again it is when you do multiple things all at once. do the cottonseed oil, clove oil and garlic oil kill eggs? i am familiar with pemethrin, neem, azatrol, floramite, isopropyl alcohol, tobacco, peppers...havent heard of the three oils tho. does it just kill the mites or is it similar to neem oil?

clove certainly kills the mites, though i haven't used the other 2 so i can't testify to their effectiveness against eggs. garlic is a great repellent, even if it doesn't actually kill eggs. i am getting lots of ideas from these posts though. kinda makes me wish i could set up an experiment to test the most effective organic sprays side-by-side. maybe i'll set one up in the future?

 

[aeviaanah]

clove certainly kills the mites, though i haven't used the other 2 so i can't testify to their effectiveness against eggs. garlic is a great repellent, even if it doesn't actually kill eggs. i am getting lots of ideas from these posts though. kinda makes me wish i could set up an experiment to test the most effective organic sprays side-by-side. maybe i'll set one up in the future?

sounds good- i can participate when needed...if i have spider mites at the time.

 

[RRLBT420]

sounds good- i can participate when needed...if i have spider mites at the time.

i hear ya. i wouldn't purposefully give them mites but if it happens i think i'll do it. i know they'll be back someday lol

 

[DrFever]

ok well i made like 3 litres of meen oil and went at my plants i waited bout 3 hrs after lights off then soaked leafs as well as under all leafs omg what a smell huh hahahaha once i was done i turned on my exhaust fans and waited another 3 hrs before i turned on my lights i sure hope this works out tommorow i will do more cleaning in my grow room kinda hard doin it all in 1 as im in stealth mode as it is lol

will it be expected to see leafs turn yellow or any other color i know i waited another 1 hr more to make sure my plants were dry before lights came on i take it i will need to repeat this again in 3 more days is this true ???

PS thanks to all that helped me get over this hurdle hopefully i killed them all first time i know i let them have it lol

 

[GoldenGanja13]

Yeah with all sprays, organic and chemilcal, you must spray every third day 3 or 4 X. It's because the eggs hatch in 3-4 days and start a new cycle.

 

[DrFever]

Yeah with all sprays, organic and chemilcal, you must spray every third day 3 or 4 X. It's because the eggs hatch in 3-4 days and start a new cycle.[/QUOTE

thank you very much
after my second treatment should it kill all ??? or is goin to be a on goin thing from now on i realize you got to monitor plants for the lil fckers but after second time it should kill them all ????

PS: all i did was spray them all hard i didnt wipe down plants prior to treatment this should be ok i hope

 

[RRLBT420]

ok well i made like 3 litres of meen oil and went at my plants i waited bout 3 hrs after lights off then soaked leafs as well as under all leafs omg what a smell huh hahahaha once i was done i turned on my exhaust fans and waited another 3 hrs before i turned on my lights i sure hope this works out tommorow i will do more cleaning in my grow room kinda hard doin it all in 1 as im in stealth mode as it is lol

will it be expected to see leafs turn yellow or any other color i know i waited another 1 hr more to make sure my plants were dry before lights came on i take it i will need to repeat this again in 3 more days is this true ???

PS thanks to all that helped me get over this hurdle hopefully i killed them all first time i know i let them have it lol

lol yeah i could do without the smell of neem but it is pretty effective. and yes do spray again every 3-4 days to keep them controlled. i've never experienced any yellowing from spraying plants, but it does happen on occasion if i dip my young plants. neem is pretty mild on the plant. keep up your eradication efforts though, it can take up to a couple months to completely remove an infestation, even if the plants look healthy mites can hide a lot of places. sweep and mop everyday.

 

[Snickelfrits]

use one of the electronic pest repellers as a preventative measure theyre cheap and u dont need chemicals or nuthin

 

[DrFever]

ok well plants are smokin green an life goes on will do in a few days but had a friend over who is very very experienced in growing and problems he told me to get a can of indoor raid i guess its a florescent bottle and it will kill it all an not harm nothing
i will post the product when he brings it over tommorow

 

[GoldenGanja13]

You spray them when lights have been off for 3 hours or so, then wait 3 days spray again, wait 3 days spray again, then 3 days later, you look high and low for survivors.

 

[stinkbudd1]

Hey all, first of all let me say im not at all trying to highjack the spiderman thread but i could use some help assap from anyone with knowledge of GNATS these buggers have me a lil worried at the moment becouse my girls are doing so well..i noticed the bugs about three weeks ago and they aere noticable but not over bareing now they are getting more noticable and they are in my soilas well..ive let my soil go bone dry a couple of times as told on some sight but it doesnt seem to be working...Any and all help is trully appreciated to help save my lil ladies..Peace

 

[aeviaanah]

Hey all, first of all let me say im not at all trying to highjack the spiderman thread but i could use some help assap from anyone with knowledge of GNATS these buggers have me a lil worried at the moment becouse my girls are doing so well..i noticed the bugs about three weeks ago and they aere noticable but not over bareing now they are getting more noticable and they are in my soilas well..ive let my soil go bone dry a couple of times as told on some sight but it doesnt seem to be working...Any and all help is trully appreciated to help save my lil ladies..Peace

whats up man. fungus gnats arent too big of a deal but there are a few things to rid of them

1. no pest strips
2. a mixture of wine and dish soap or a mixture of vinegar and dishsoap. gnats are attracted and will drown when they go to get a drink.
3. sand on top of soil- gnats arent strong enough to dig out of sand
4. diatomaceous earth- pool filter media, like microscopic shards of glass that will cut gnats when entering from top soil.
5. water plants with neem oil or permethrin (stressful)
6. ive noticed gnats hate higher intensity lights and high wind areas.
7. sticky strips
8. let soil dry in between waterings

 

[stinkbudd1]

whats up man. fungus gnats arent too big of a deal but there are a few things to rid of them

1. no pest strips
2. a mixture of wine and dish soap or a mixture of vinegar and dishsoap. gnats are attracted and will drown when they go to get a drink.
3. sand on top of soil- gnats arent strong enough to dig out of sand
4. diatomaceous earth- pool filter media, like microscopic shards of glass that will cut gnats when entering from top soil.
5. water plants with neem oil or permethrin (stressful)
6. ive noticed gnats hate higher intensity lights and high wind areas.
7. sticky strips
8. let soil dry in between waterings

Thanks a lot Aeviaanah, this is getting strange i be looking for you all over the place and everythime i have an issue you just pop up out of thin air, something like a super hero lol but dont think im not appreciative that you are here.. I've also did the soil dry out thing twice so far and tommorow im going to get some sand fron petco or somewhere.. but one more question, while reading up on these beast they say they attack your root system will these precaucions help with the ones that are already deep into my soil??? Peace and thanks again

 

[aeviaanah]

Thanks a lot Aeviaanah, this is getting strange i be looking for you all over the place and everythime i have an issue you just pop up out of thin air, something like a super hero lol but dont think im not appreciative that you are here.. I've also did the soil dry out thing twice so far and tommorow im going to get some sand fron petco or somewhere.. but one more question, while reading up on these beast they say they attack your root system will these precaucions help with the ones that are already deep into my soil??? Peace and thanks again

The larvae feed on the 'fine hairs' of the roots. They will soon want to come out of the soil...a layer of sand will keep em down, the ones that do get past that and the pest strip will be lured to the vinegar with soap. this will be the gnats demise.

be sure to combine a few listed this way you have max security. you looking out for them mites? start taking precautionary measures to ensure they stay away as well.