Cleaning leaves with cotton wool...is it a good idea?

random_mindtrip

New Member
Hey!
Been lurking here for a while, newb to terms of growing and wanted to ask if anybody tried this
Got two plants i got the seeds from my friend and decided to make a box for them.
Mylar'd the inside put 7 e27 mixed red and blue spectrum with crees and two 15W 4000k white bulbs cause the plants are still in veg although one of em is already more than 1 feet high.
Planning to put two more slots with e27 2700k and switch the 2 4000ks with 2700k. I bought a UFO lamp for later thats going top of them maybe some pics will arrive soon. You can guess its pretty DIY but the plants are growing. The soil is regular plant soil mixed some cow manure on the bottom of it and feeding them with mineral rich bottled water added some fertilizer in it. The fertilizer is just 3 elements N-P-K so i gotta watch out for magnesium deficiency later that im aware.
My only consideration right now is the dust on the leaves can I just wipe it off with some cotton wool or leave it alone? It creates a surface of white dots on the leaves but im pretty sure its dust and nothing else. Anybody tried this could chime in and help me solve this thing so i can relax.

Thanks,

T
 

Aby55

Well-Known Member
You could use just about anything non toxic to wipe the leaves.

I dont foliar feed but ive read that many do foliar feed or they just spray the leaves to keep them clean.

I would just try to dust dustthe leaves with a clean dish towel or maybe even just a paper towel

Edit: if you do spray your plants do it as lights come on do not do it just before they go off.
 

random_mindtrip

New Member
Well it didn't come off, what turns out its all spider mites, or mold....I was a bit panicked at went 70% ISO on the leaves. Now i feel dumb for doing that.
Gonna attach some pics maybe somebody can figure out what those white spots are.
Since the ISO move the end of the leaves are clawing up in the air while having a dip in the middle as you can see on the pics, I guess i just need to spray with water.
I have reverse osmosis based pure water but im using only to mist them a little... maybe that helps?
 

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random_mindtrip

New Member
I read that it works but i didn't have it home. Gonna get it later today, does it have to be mixed with water? If it does whats the recommended ratio?
I feel dumb about the iso I clearly see it has a negative effect on the leaves' structure....I just hope it's temporary. Anyway thanks for the input!
 

random_mindtrip

New Member
looks more like insect damage... mites I guess.
I made the tent out of a box from the attic...
Somebody mentioned something about tabby water to be sprayed on leaves and i happened to have real homegrown tabby. Im just waiting for the water to cool of so i can put into the sprayer.
This is my first grow but I don't want those plants to suffer under my experiments I just want those white dots to disappear as soon as possible.
 

random_mindtrip

New Member
I cannot link yet, but i can get this thing called SMC(spidermite control) unfortunately i have to wait till tomorrow when i can buy it, will see...
 

SmileyBizz

Active Member
You could use just about anything non toxic to wipe the leaves.

I dont foliar feed but ive read that many do foliar feed or they just spray the leaves to keep them clean.

I would just try to dust dustthe leaves with a clean dish towel or maybe even just a paper towel

Edit: if you do spray your plants do it as lights come on do not do it just before they go off.
So you are advising him to foliar spray when the light are about to come on..why?

Are you trying to burn all his leafs off lol. But then again i only use MH & HPS lights and not sure if your lights lets of heat but if they do, only spray when lights are off
 

random_mindtrip

New Member
I found my dad's magnifier and inspected the situation, it looks to me as ANC said...some kind of insect damage. It looked to me as the fibers of the leaves were just bitten off leaving this white dotted surface after. It might've happened when I took them plants out in the attic for sleep, since it was dark and a bit colder than my room but I didn't consider that the attic could be full of dangerous creatures eating the leaves up. It's still all speculation so it could still be mold or living larvae of mites on it.
Nonetheless I sprayed them with a little tabby tea today and I never bring em out in the attic again. Lesson learned.
Aaand preflowers are starting to show up so I have to change the setup soon, it's something like 110W of LEDs total for flowering, let's just hope will be enough.
 

SmileyBizz

Active Member
I found my dad's magnifier and inspected the situation, it looks to me as ANC said...some kind of insect damage. It looked to me as the fibers of the leaves were just bitten off leaving this white dotted surface after. It might've happened when I took them plants out in the attic for sleep, since it was dark and a bit colder than my room but I didn't consider that the attic could be full of dangerous creatures eating the leaves up. It's still all speculation so it could still be mold or living larvae of mites on it.
Nonetheless I sprayed them with a little tabby tea today and I never bring em out in the attic again. Lesson learned.
Aaand preflowers are starting to show up so I have to change the setup soon, it's something like 110W of LEDs total for flowering, let's just hope will be enough.
Use dr simrel you add some to your water then spray the plants once & it kills anything on the plant that shouldn't be there, i used it in veg and it sorted the problem and bug etc dont go on the plant now. I wouldnt used it past week 3/4 of flower tho. dr simrel works wonders 100%
 

SmileyBizz

Active Member
I found my dad's magnifier and inspected the situation, it looks to me as ANC said...some kind of insect damage. It looked to me as the fibers of the leaves were just bitten off leaving this white dotted surface after. It might've happened when I took them plants out in the attic for sleep, since it was dark and a bit colder than my room but I didn't consider that the attic could be full of dangerous creatures eating the leaves up. It's still all speculation so it could still be mold or living larvae of mites on it.
Nonetheless I sprayed them with a little tabby tea today and I never bring em out in the attic again. Lesson learned.
Aaand preflowers are starting to show up so I have to change the setup soon, it's something like 110W of LEDs total for flowering, let's just hope will be enough.
I also grow mine in the attic without a tent, keeps the heat down but i think i will suffer coz of it lol
 
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