How do I fix broad mites, should I buy lady bugs? And what’s neem oil?
@jacrispy @jungle666
Jacrispy is correct in Neem not doing anything. Its more of a preventative application. Russet/broad mites can build immunity very quickly and hold it for generations of offspring. If you hit em...hit em hard right out the gate. The issue I see with a fogger is that you are in what appears to be a relatively small tent where the Pyrethum TR foggers are meant for larger areas (up to 3000 sq ft). If the tent is in an area like a garage or something where you can set off a fogger without it being an issue for people/pets etc then follow these directions:
Buy (2) 2 oz pyrethrum foggers @ .4% pyrethrum active ingredient. They are good for up to 3000 sq ft.
Dont bother buying "Doctor Doom" brand cuz they are weak @ .04% vs .4% for the Pyrethrum foggers. They are good for up to 3000 sq ft.
1. Clean entire room from top to bottom with a 10% bleach water solution. Vacuum every square inch of the room. Mop the floors with bleach water solution as well. Be sure to wipe down and sterilize
ALL equipment that was in use or in the grow room with alcohol wipes or something similar..
2. Blow off a Pyrethrum fogger in your room.
*******Be sure to do this with all fans/lights/pumps/ballasts or any other electrical item that can create a spark since the foggers have a flammable propellant.
Allow 2 hours time for the fogger to settle after going off then go in the room & turn on exhaust fans and circulating fans.
3. Repeat step 1.
4. After 3 days repeat step 2 by using the second Pyrethrum fogger. Dont clean the room after the second fogger.
The reason for the second bombing after the 3rd day is due to the fact that the pyrethrum wont kill the eggs of the few that may have still lived after the 1st nuclear assault. When the mites get bombed like that, it is in their genetics to basically hatch their eggs as a means of survival. Bomb number 2 is what kills off everything left after bomb 1. Total eradication.
From here on out I would build a maintenance routine of 1 pyrethrum fogger in between every harvest and be sure to use a neem oil spray to mist entire plants top to bottom (leaf undersides included) at least once before introducing any plants or clones into the room. Once plants have been introduced into the room you can use the neem oil spray as a preventive about 2 times a month in veg. Dont ever bring clones or outside plants into your indoor grow without a quarantine first. Always treat outside plants or clones as if they are infested.
The pyrethrum foggers are safe to use in a room with plants as well since the pyrethrum wont hurt the plants -but if they are placed too close to plants, the propellant will burn the leaves. Id give about 1-2 feet distance of the fogger and any plants if possible.
You can safely use the foggers up to the last week before harvest also.
DO NOT USE THE FOGGER IN A CLOSED TENT.
If you are in an area where you cant set off a fogger, I would recommend Pyrethrum spray from the garden center/home improvement in the most concentrated form you can find and apply it as a foliar wash, sure to spray plants from top to bottom and on undersides of all foliage as well. That would be my second best recommendation for Russets next to a fogger. Remember to hit them hard and fast right out the gate. Dont skimp in an attempt to "go easy on your plants", because if you dont kill them now then your whole garden is eventually doomed anyways.
Best of luck, and I hope you can find something in this post as useful.