Hey GC! I really need some help with this, I never thought it would be a problem but there are a ton of Black Flies that are nesting on my fucking plants!!! I need a cheap and easy way of getting rid of the black flies (spiders and mosquitoes too). Something that is easy on the plants too because I just transplanted them to this place and they are finally growing back up but the flies are too much and they seem to be (or something else is) eating holes in the leaves! I thought about a nitrogen problem but that could not be the case. Thank-you ps. I need this within a day or two because it is getting worse that you may think... whole leaves are being eaten!
It sounds like a fairly desperate situation, you could use pyrethrum; its a powerful and pretty common overall insecticide. Make sure you buy the organic solution though. Its toxic if inhaled too, so use a mask when applying. If it comes down to it, use sevin. It'll destroy your insect problem, but use it as a last resort. Be careful with these though, spray as little as possible. You could also just turn out the lights until the problem goes away, bugs want light to survive, but they will probably ravage your plants before they leave. Hope this helps, good luck with your grow. edit: is this an indoor or outdoor grow?
outdoor, I checked 2day and it seems to be getting a little better, I am going to have to do something though before the plant buds more... where can I get these?
PS. Can I spray around the plants instead of on them? I don't want to fuck them up b/c they were just transplanted here...and could use as much help they could get (i.e. no poisons lol)
You can make a home made insecticide using tabaco. Put 3 strong cigs in a gallon of water and let them sit in the hot sun for a few hours to a day. Once the water has changed to a brown color filter out the tabaco and put the water into a spray bottle. This should do the trick. Spray it on ur plants and under the leaves. Try to leave spiders on ur plant for they will eat other bugs that are harmful to your plants.
Hmmm that sounds doable... I like the idea of leaving these nasty red spiders on my plants too I am sure they are scaring most of the big bugs off Can anyone confirm this remedy (above) for bugs? Is it safe for the plants?
Confirmed! Tobacco extract is a safe way of getting rid of bugs. Safe if you're a smoker anyways.... And leave the spiders, I swear by them. There are always a few spiders in the room with the growbox I use. p.s. : does huge black fly infestation mean you have huge black flies on your grow or just many small ones? if it's many small ones let the top soil dry out, that'll work.
The remedy works, but for flying insects it may not be the best as you really need to give a hefty dose to knock them out. Pyrethrum should do minimal damage to your plant if you apply it properly, which is to spot spray with it instead of spraying the entire plant, saving the spiders and other beneficials (as long as none gets one them). It is an effective insecticide which kills insects on contact. The pyrethrum will stay on the plant for a while though, possibly killing other insects. It dissipates faster with light, so turn on the lights after use, to minimize damage to the plant and kill less beneficial creatures. Note that as soon as you apply the pyrethrum the bugs will be knocked out, that doesn't mean they are dead though, spray them when they are down to get rid of the infestation. If you are hesitant about using pyrethrum (although its probably your best bet) you could use bug juice. Its pretty gross but effective against the insect of your choice. Here is a recipe for the solution: Collect at least 1/2 cup of pesky insects and place them in an old blender with enough water to make a thick solution. Blend on high and strain out the pulp using cheesecloth or a fine sieve. Dilute at a rate of 1/4 cup bug juice to 1 cup of water, pour into a spray bottle, and apply to plants. So if you are fighting off black flies get use black flies. This will not kill the bugs, just repel them away. Both these methods work, the bug juice is not nearly as effective as pyrethrum, which you can buy at nearly any nursery, department stores with a plant section, maybe stores like home depot. Hope this turns out well for you.