Spider Mites

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by pork chop, Apr 10, 2015.

  1. I got a shit load of them, any help would be appreciated thanks in advance .

     
  2. vegging or flowering?
     
  3. #3 Storm Crow, Apr 10, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 10, 2015
    Homemade Insecticidal Soap Spray
    http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-insecticidal-soap.html
     
    Dr Bronner's Peppermint Soap is available at most health food stores and online. A 4 ounce bottle will run you about $5. Mix it up, and drench your plants, being sure to get the bottom of the leaves. Let dry and the next day spray down your plants with tepid water to remove the soap and dead mites. Soil bacteria will eat the soap and turn it into nutrients for your plants. Give the plants a rest day, and repeat.
     
    One way that insecticidal soaps are better than poisonous insecticides is that the mites can't become resistant to it! It kills by stripping off the bug's waxy coating and they dehydrate to death! [​IMG] Also the peppermint oil is not very pleasant to get in eyes and such, so it likely is a miserable death. (Sorry, I am mostly all "sweetness and light", but when it comes to spider mites I am a total sadist! I hate the little buggers!  [​IMG] )
     
    Because it rinses off easily, you can use insecticidal soaps right up to harvest with no problems. [​IMG]
     
    Cooler temperatures also will slow the mite's life cycle down! When they are warm (high 70s-80s), they go from egg to egg-layer in 3 days! [​IMG]  So cool things off to slow them down!

     
     
    Granny
     
  4. Lady bugs brother
     
  5. Just curious as to what region your in? i never had a problem with spider mites. fungas gnats yes, but nothing else.
     
  6. For vegging plants use cold pressed organic neem oil. There is neem oil and there is neem oil - there's a lot of junk out there. The very best is grown organically in India and can be bought at neemresource.com. The very same brand (Ahimsa can be bought in small amounts at buildasoil.com

    Neem oil NEEDS to be emulsified before used in a sprayer. You can add a teaspoon of neem oil into a coffee cup, fill it halfway with warm water and then add (a teaspoon) of an emulsifying agent, such as liquid silica, or the Dr. Bronners that Granny suggested above. Stir well and you will see the oil break down and turn to a milky color. This can then be mixed with a gallon of water and is a powerful insecticidal spray. Neem is an "anti-feedant" which will basically starve your mites to death. The organic compound in neem that you're looking for is called Azadirachtin.

    You do not want to spray neem on plants that have been flowering more than several weeks. For the flowering stage of plant growth switch to either Captain Jacks Deadbug or Monterey Gardens Insect Spray. The effective organic compound found in these two products is called Spinosad.

    Always spray as soon as your lights go off. Spraying during lights on can hurt your plants.

    Many people complain that nothing works. The problem is that these people will spray and then several days later new mite eggs will hatch and you're back to square 1. YOU MUST BREAK THE EGG CYCLE.Spray every 3 days for several weeks to break the egg cycle, paying close attention to the underside of EACH AND EVERY LEAF.

    IF you follow these directions you WILL get rid of your mite problem. Be sure to keep your grow area clean.

    J
     
  7. Then consider yourself extremely lucky. Spider mites are world wide.

    An IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program is always best - be proactive.

    J
     
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  8.  
    A lot of people don't realize that the best method of prevention (an oz of prevention is worth a pound of cure) is to have healthy vigorous plants. Healthy vigorous plants naturally produce oils/resin to protect them from pests. A healthy vigorous plant doesn't taste good to spider mites and doesn't digest well.
     
    This is not to say that you can't get mites with reasonably healthy plants, but the odds are much higher with unhealthy pants.
     
    Spider mites seek out unhealthy plants. An unhealthy plant to a spider mite is like honey to a bear.
     

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