What bugs could you add to your garden to help prevent spider mites, predator mites, and all the other pests? I was thinking adding bugs to a garden might be of some benefit to a garden or maybe Dragonflys Ladybugs and yellow ladybugs Assassin Bugs Has anyone ever thought of this? That means they will need food right?
Here is a copy of the article I have saved. Neem oil is most effective when used as a preventive, meaning that you spray every crop regardless of whether or not you see a pest. Many growers seem to be put off by its oiliness, finding sprayers clogged and plants left coated in oil. The solution is to get the oil broken down and suspended in the water, then we can get it onto the plants. Mix: 1 litre warm water 8ml cold-pressed Neem oil 5ml liquid soap Note: If your Neem oil appears solid and/or cloudy it is most likely too cold. Run the bottle under warm water for a few minutes until the Neem oil is easier to work with. Shake it well. 8ml Neem + water 8ml of Neem oil + 1 litre of warm water you can see that the oil and water are completely separated.. 8ml Neem, water and 5ml soap 8ml of Neem oil + 5ml of liquid soap in 1 litre of water. NOTE - you may have to add more or less soap, depending on the strength of your soap. When you can see soap bubbles youve got it right. Shake this in your sprayer, it should make a milky-white liquid, with no oil floating on top. Leave it to settle for a few seconds. If there are any oil droplets floating on the top, add a little more soap, drop by drop, (keep shaking) until the oil is gone. Dont be surprised if you have to add more soap than I did. Now you are ready to spray. Spray everywhere, especially under the leaves where critters hang around. Get those plants dripping wet. Keep shaking while you spray. IMPORTANT - you must repeat this application every 3 days for at least 2 weeks (3 weeks if you want to be 110% sure) This is important because Neem oil doesnt directly kill bugs (amongst other things it stops them from reproducing, feeding and molting their skins). So in effect, it breaks their life cycle. This means you need to spray for at least the length of one life cycle, which for spider mites in ideal conditions (like most growrooms) is around 2 weeks, sometimes a little longer. I use this method for the first 2 weeks of 12/12. It was taught to me by a professional grower of 20 years experience. He also uses this recipe as a soil drench (Neem is systemic and therefore there is no need to spray if soil drenching) I have used it as a foliar spray for about a year now and have had no problems with mites or any other vermin, large or small. Skeptical friends have also been won over to this system. Emergencies If you are facing an infestation emergency, you can add Pyrethrum to the above mix. I challenge any nuclear-proof insect in the world to survive the twin pain of Neem and Pyrethrum. Notes on Ingredients: Cold-pressed Neem oil has much higher levels of active ingredients and is well worth the money. A good place to find this stuff is from a Pharmacy that stocks herbal remedies. (It is used as a treatment for head lice.) If your Neem oil appears solid and/or cloudy it is most likely too cold. Run the bottle under warm water for a few minutes until the Neem oil is easier to work with. Shake it well. Liquid Soap - plain unperformed, boring liquid soap. Personally I don't let that stuff anywhere near my plants, but many do, and if you're one of them you may find you need less than if using liquid soap. Experiment a little when you shake the mixture. Plain liquid soap is much more gentle than washing-up detergent. Pyrethrum is extracted from Chrysanthemum flowers. It is a highly effective and 100% natural insecticide. It is also one of the safest, bearing little threat to mammals. Pyrethrum degrades quickly once sprayed. Editors note: Liquid soap is similar to Safers soap (a fat based liquid soap mixture). Safers suffocates and dessicates (dries out) insects. Works good, but can also clog leaf stomata, so a follow-up spray of water is required.
^Exactly. This is exactly what I was also taught. I like baby soap. Nice, and gentle. Good tip is to just hang your bottle somewhere high up in your room. Stays warm enough up there so it is always ready for use. Just shake, and spray.
Ive tried ladybugs for the past week and about half of what i let out on the plants are staying on, becasue they fly. i read that you should spray with a half cola half water solution on the ladies before u let them out adn that glues there wings shhut for a couple weeks which should be long enough to eradicate the mites. I regret not doing this as there are some stragelers about the house. I also just read that ladybugs pee and poop on the plants ,which seems logical but the source was not 100% with supporting facts.