I have been fighting a huge spider mite infestation for over a week. I chopped a plant early, I may have lost another beauty. Anyway I had a clone that I was getting ready to 12/12 and she also got mites. I used tobacco sprau and dish soap, left outside in the rain and cooler weather hoping to pick up some natural predators and the increase of humidity and rain. Also outdoors this time of year has the perfect light cycle anyway. Well yesterday afternoon I put her back insdie noticed there are still some mites but not a lot. I was going to make a quick oil and water spray and noticed a little jumping spider running and jumping all over my girl. This morning I wanted to mist before the lights turned on, just because I know mites hate humidity, and the spider is still there. My question is the jumping spider really helping me? Dont worry I would never kill a harmless spider, but shuld I catch the spider and put her on my other clones and use more tobacco juice on the plant with some mites? Or should I just keep the humidity up on the plant and let humidity and the spider have at it?
Spiders are natural predators in your garden. They're your friends actually. They'll kill and eat up all the other pests you don't want in your garden. I'd leave it there
I don't quite know if it's credible and also, I've never dealt with spider mites in any of my grows, thank god; however, on Trailer Park Boys, Ricky was growing dope in his trailer and had a bad problem with spider mites. The way they solved the problem was administering lady bugs to the grow. The lady bugs just ate all the spiders mites and the day was saved! I don't know if this is true in reality, but it could be a solution you could check into for validity.
Ladybugs are also predators. They'll eat everything also, hence they're helpful too. But most of the time they are only use in like greenhouses. They have a habit of flying into your HID lights and cooking themselves to death.
Ladybugs will eat them I think Daddy long legs (spider) will eat them. I made a solution of a drop of a mild soap with water and sprayed my plants.
diatom? please do tell... Yes I know spiders are awesome predators just wondering if they would feed on something as small as spider mites. I just got home lights go out in a bit, but the spider is still running leaf to leaf, hopefully taking care of things for me. I guess I will just keep humidity up and when the spider leaves on its own if there are still mites I will go back with safe(r) pesticides. Im no organic nut, just dont believe in pesticides period. I am looking into lady bugs as soon as my garden expands. Tommorow I will try to post pictures of another plant that is still outside, that I dont know what to do with the growth is so stunted and the pistils have all turned brown but theres a lot of crystals, i dont know if I should keep attacking the mites and try to keep in flower, fight the mights and try to reveg and then soon as I see some new growth return to flower, chop early and see if theres any buzz, or just compost. Life is a little hectic right now, but i do need to do something as im getting paranoid with a plant in the backyard that may not even produce, why take the risk for no reward? Anyways thanks for the advice and keep it coming. Sorry for the run-ons but this computer has no enter key so thus no paragraph breaks.
The diatomic partical is the smallest filterable partical, diatomaceous Earth. It's used for high end fish tank filters and some pool filters. Anyway, it is so small, it clogs the mites skin pores and they suffocate. LINK If you don't want to wait, start calling pet stores and/or pool stores in your area. Hope this helps, good luck
lbh, im going to get some diatomaceous earth today anyway to combat the fleas. i cant get rid of them either as they seem to be immune to frontline and any other chemical, but nothing is immune to suffication. yep today is a kill day, to quote brando THE HORROR
OK yesterday I covered the house, and hit the plants with mites gently, i tried to help the spider out by moving him to a safe place, but he was fast, hopefully he is still alive and i did not treat the plant he was on just the soil a little. Today when I went for my morning foliar mist, I could not find the spider, so I treated the plant with the most mites with ORGANICIDE, an organic fish and plant oil spray that claims to kill mites, so we will see how that goes. The plant I moved outside due to the huge infestation got covered with diatomaceous earth after I checked and there were no beneficial insects on it. We will see how this goes.
Sorry for bringing out a VERY old post. Rosemary oil, dawn soap, water. If made to strong it will put a little hurt on young clones but kills spider mites dead quickly and the eggs. It will cost you around 8 bucks. Natural (almost) and smells good. Happy crowning.