Hey all, the title sounds worse than what actually happened... I just finished a (less than spectacular) grow of clones straight to 12/12, and was hit pretty hard with spider mites. I neem oiled them once I realized what was happening, but I think I was too late. What do you all recommend sanitizing the inside of the tent with to start with a pristine and clean grow area, free of spider mites? Thanks GC!
Oh and from now on put a hot shot pest strip at the base of your plant. Six bucks at lowes. No more mites.
YOu should be able to find LadyBugs for around 6-10 for 100 or so THey send em right through the mail....nothing against 'pest strips' though
Peroxide as mentioned above is a great cleaner, as for mites, aphids and thrips try SM -90 it works great IMHO. You can also spray the floor and sides of your tent with a light coat of SM-90 (5 parts water to 1 part SM-90 for all applications) as the smell acts as a repellent to the aforementioned pests. I have spayed a grow just a few days from harvest with no bad effects to the buds. After you use it on the tent walls and floor make sure you wipe it up with warm water and peroxide as it is an oil. Moreover if used on your plants more than twice in 14 days make sure you spray and wipe the leaves with water as to clean off the stomata of the plant so it can breath without obstruction. I hope someone can find a use in these suggestions. Peace and Good Growing !!!!!!
bleach, fire, napalm, plasma, radiation, Ammonia, basically anything that kills living things. But seriously its not just about what you clean it with, its about how well you clean it. I find that a 2 week sterilization period with a cleaning every 3 days alternating bleach, peroxide, and a just water( bleach makes me physically ill when I smell it, so I make sure to wash it off really well) the minimum to successfully get rid of the bastards. I've only ever had a 1 month break from growing in the past 7 years, and it was due to spider mites. that was 5 years ago. Now I follow a strict sterilization and quarantine method for anything that goes near the indoor garden, including myself.