Help! Broad Mites! Can I use diatomaceous earth?

Hey RIU,

So I have mother fucking broad mites. A confirmed diagnosis a little less than 24 hours ago. I have unknowingly been battling weird toxicity issues, which I thought were pH problems, over nuting etc etc. Well, nope, I have taken a few samples to friends with good scopes, and all have said broad mites.

My problem is, I have a total of 4 girls in flower. 2 are not showing signs of broad mite infestations, and my two newer girls are. I have been researching for hours on what to do, and since most insecticidal soaps and other insecticides maybe to toxic to use when you just started flowering, I figured organic options are my best bet. I have thought of Spinosad, Azomax, which are mostly organic products, but I have read only 50/50 chance success rate.

Thus, I was wondering, would it be ok for my younger girls, less than a week or two flowering, to dust them with diatomaceous earth? Obviously the food grade kind. I have used DE before, but more related to animal/ husbandry stuff. I have heard it is good to use on plants, but as it being we are gonna smoke this stuff, I wasn't too sure if 3 weeks or less was too late. Plus, I was gonna wash my buds before drying them, especially if I was using DE.

Also, for veg, I got some Avid, so I should keep those fuckers at bay at least for 50 days or so. Thanks everyone. Peace.

Don't use the DE on your plant . it is only for soil. Use the Avid.

Being that your in flower, i don't recomend spraying ANY systemic. I'm very interested if there is an organic cure to this. Highly unlikely from everything i hear, and what we know of them at this point.
But in veg, i recomend going full nuclear on them.
Avid, forbid, kontos, floramite. All of them, SERIOUSLY! Spray each one a few days apart. It's worth a shot, if you can't afford to lose a strain, or something like that. God i hope i never get them fuckers

A guy i know, picked them up from some cuts he got from a club in the bay area. I saw him at the supermarket after he had told me, and i practically ran away from him. Not kidding.
I would recomend ditching plants, and starting over. I know, easier said than Done.

hot water from bathtub faucet and drowning them is best bet in flower

Thanks guys for all of your info!

For my veg, I have used Avid/ nuked by veg box upstairs. As for flower, I really do appreciate all of your suggestions! I think that I may have to try and give them a warm water bath.

Since no- one really responded with a reply yesterday ( at least by my bed time), I already hit the younger flowering girls with some soap+ Diatomaceous earth. You can use DE as a foliar application, whether if you are "dusting them" with a dustimizer or whatever,or you can spray it on, at a 1/4 per gal.

Since I am on a tight budget, and I had DE, I thought why not. My flowering girls are covered with a roof, and sides, so they DE and soap should help for a bit. I know very temporary, but I have used DE as a foliar application on my actual vegetables and it was awesome! No more catipillars, japanese boar beattles, and these spikey-aphid/beattle thing I had. The DE killed them all, plus it was organic.

I have been thinking about making an organic insecticide tonight, using garlic, some peppers, cinnamon and veggie oil. I know this is not a permanent fix, I figure at least I can try and keep the damage at bay.

Again, thank you ! i hate broad mites, I do not blame you for running Aeroknow. Cheers

Well, gave them the hot water bath, refilled all lost soil and then re-sprayed the girls with some soap, canola oil a pinch of diatomaceous earth again. Cross my fingers it will work : ).

Since the flowering girls are kind of in the middle part of my rectangular vegetable garden, I have large Japanese eggplants growing around the perimeter to keep them conceled, along with bell-peppers and green oin. Soon to thrown in some basil and hawaiian chili pepper plant.

I treated the entire veggie garden with a heavy dusting of diatomaceous earth, dusting this time, not spraying. So, whatever bugs are in there that have exosekeletons are goin bye bye! My rectangular garden is covered from the rain, so the DE won't wash off for a bit.

I am going to re-treat my vegging girls with avid tomorrow. I re-cleaned the entire room (Bleach and soap scrub down).l know I will probably still be battling for a bit, but my heart is eased with these various methods. I'm gonna start dinking around with some natural organic insectisides and see how they do with mites.

I will try and upload some pics of the recovery.