Spider Mites ,, what to do about those pests?
- Thread starter Tim Fox
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BobBitchen
Well-Known Member
Mighty wash
Big time exterminator
Big time exterminator
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
at this point if its small, i'd get a safe lavender extract spray (spider mites be-gone?, cant remember the name)
and DUNK those plants, every two days, for ten days, thats five dunks.
Just google or bing a search for spider mite spray and lavender, it works well to kill the eggs, not many miticides do well with eggs, not to mention they are chemicals.
You could also use a rose spray called "clean leaf" but it leaves a lil bit of a residue, but you can always wash that off.
key is to do whatever you're going to do at least five times. and NEVER go longer than three days between sprayings! Especially if it's hot.
Those fuckers procreate like teenage rats on viagra
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
yeah mighty wash works too, albeit expensive, on small problems it can be great
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
really not a bad idea to maybe get BOTH the clean leaf and the lavender spray, I can't possibly imagine it to be a bad thing to mix your attack.
I would spray with the lavender one last though to sorta wash off the very very slight residue that the clean leaf leaves.
Clean leaf is a natural citrus based anti-mold spray that rose growers use to keep the leaves clean.. uhh.. hence the name?
The citrus works awesome to explode the mite eggs and fry the adults.
NETHER of these are systemic though, so don't be lazy on spraying, that's why I said to dunk them. The best way for sure.
To keep the soil from falling out of the container while they are upside down I use the, umm plus-sized panty hose...(which also help keep away fungus gnats too, if you have a problem with them)
BobBitchen
Well-Known Member
how far into flwr are you ?
Nullis
Moderator
First signs of them as in not that many? Depending how far along you are you can use insecticidal soap, Spinosad or pyrethrin. These are some of the least toxic, most effective measures available. All of these can theoretically be used up until the last couple weeks of bloom. You need to spray thoroughly, weekly. Do it just after lights on if you're very far into bloom to prevent the moisture from increasing your risk of mold.
Then after harvest use a pyrethrin bug boom (e.g. Dr. Doom Fogger) in the room and clean everything thoroughly. Spider mites go into diapause under unfavorable conditions, including with pesticides are applied. That means some go dormant and lay in wait until conditions are more favorable, such as when you are doing your next grow and not even thinking about them.
Then after harvest use a pyrethrin bug boom (e.g. Dr. Doom Fogger) in the room and clean everything thoroughly. Spider mites go into diapause under unfavorable conditions, including with pesticides are applied. That means some go dormant and lay in wait until conditions are more favorable, such as when you are doing your next grow and not even thinking about them.
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
ugh, that's sucks man, without dipping you'll only minimize them, in my experience it's nearly impossible to eliminate them without dipping.
get the spray bottle that has the bent head so you can spray underneath rather easily, instead you may want to buy a fogger...
Sativied
Well-Known Member
For a scrog a bomb probably works, but natural predators would be better.
Just had my first spider mites infestation ever. Caught them early, sprayed with SMC, which is basically rapeseed/canolla oil. Cause the mites to suffocate, including larva. Does not kill eggs but prevents the from growing to adults. Does not cause resistance, can be used weekly. Similar to other "wash" products.
Pyrethrin, a flower extract, kills them by attacking their nervous system, causing them to go mad and stop eating and reproducing. Does not work on eggs, and spider mites (a population) can become resistant to it. Effective if used appropriately, which means spraying 3 times with 3 days apart. It takes 3-4 days for the eggs (like stalkless amber trichs on the bottom of leaves) to hatchs, so the idea is to kill those new ones before they become adults and lay new eggs.
Cold temps and high humidity slows them down significantly. They also use the photoperiod to determine when fall is coming, they are less active with 13 hours of light per day. This does not kill them and can cause them to go dormant for the winter.
If they are or became resistant to pyrethrin or other products, there are products specifically for resistant mites. I got bioquant ivermec-res as backup but not sure if that's available in the US.
Probably the best way to kill the adults, larva, AND eggs, especially in a scrog and during flower, is to use natural predators. They suck them dry in all stages. Best is usually Phytoseiulus persimilis, depends on the mites, another is Neoseiulus californicus. Some require higher humidity than others. Forgot the link/site but there are suppliers in the US that send out cocktails of three different predators for less $ than most products. The predators will eat each other once they cannot find any mites anymore.
Good luck killing these disgusting suckers. Before you start your next run, Lysol your growspace else you risk getting them again the next time you run too hot and dry.
Just had my first spider mites infestation ever. Caught them early, sprayed with SMC, which is basically rapeseed/canolla oil. Cause the mites to suffocate, including larva. Does not kill eggs but prevents the from growing to adults. Does not cause resistance, can be used weekly. Similar to other "wash" products.
Pyrethrin, a flower extract, kills them by attacking their nervous system, causing them to go mad and stop eating and reproducing. Does not work on eggs, and spider mites (a population) can become resistant to it. Effective if used appropriately, which means spraying 3 times with 3 days apart. It takes 3-4 days for the eggs (like stalkless amber trichs on the bottom of leaves) to hatchs, so the idea is to kill those new ones before they become adults and lay new eggs.
Cold temps and high humidity slows them down significantly. They also use the photoperiod to determine when fall is coming, they are less active with 13 hours of light per day. This does not kill them and can cause them to go dormant for the winter.
If they are or became resistant to pyrethrin or other products, there are products specifically for resistant mites. I got bioquant ivermec-res as backup but not sure if that's available in the US.
Probably the best way to kill the adults, larva, AND eggs, especially in a scrog and during flower, is to use natural predators. They suck them dry in all stages. Best is usually Phytoseiulus persimilis, depends on the mites, another is Neoseiulus californicus. Some require higher humidity than others. Forgot the link/site but there are suppliers in the US that send out cocktails of three different predators for less $ than most products. The predators will eat each other once they cannot find any mites anymore.
Good luck killing these disgusting suckers. Before you start your next run, Lysol your growspace else you risk getting them again the next time you run too hot and dry.
Sativied
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing that "advice" 
Reminds me too add, spider mites don't like light and will concentrate on the bottom of the bottom leaves. They will come out when it's dark. And while you can spray or wipe off some mites, especially the runners, those that hook themselves into the leaf sucking out phloem sap and eggs in the creases under especially the main leaf veins do not come off as easily.
Oh and canola oil (mine anyway) unlike neem smells pretty good.
(amnesia wite from white label)
The oil also blocks stomata. Washed it off with a pyrethrin solution, haven't found a living mite since.
Reminds me too add, spider mites don't like light and will concentrate on the bottom of the bottom leaves. They will come out when it's dark. And while you can spray or wipe off some mites, especially the runners, those that hook themselves into the leaf sucking out phloem sap and eggs in the creases under especially the main leaf veins do not come off as easily.
Oh and canola oil (mine anyway) unlike neem smells pretty good.
(amnesia wite from white label)
The oil also blocks stomata. Washed it off with a pyrethrin solution, haven't found a living mite since.
Nullis
Moderator
If there's only a few I'd say a pyrethrin bomb is unnecessary (until after harvest). Just get on top of them with something and apply multiple times, about every 5 days to get any newly hatched eggs.
If you ARE going to use a bomb, you need to keep some distance between it and the plants. In other words don't put it directly beneath or next to the bomb. If you put it too close to the plants it can seriously dry them out because there is a propellant and other ingredients in it.
And no soil doesn't come included with spider mites. They can exist in soil but you're more likely to find them on plants than in soil. Plus, good soil has predators that will eat spider mite eggs.
If you ARE going to use a bomb, you need to keep some distance between it and the plants. In other words don't put it directly beneath or next to the bomb. If you put it too close to the plants it can seriously dry them out because there is a propellant and other ingredients in it.
And no soil doesn't come included with spider mites. They can exist in soil but you're more likely to find them on plants than in soil. Plus, good soil has predators that will eat spider mite eggs.
skunkd0c
Well-Known Member
i have not seen a spidermite on my hydro plants since last century , when i first started growing cannabis
the first soil plant i grew in many years had spider mites by week 2 of flower
i know spidermites can climb up the branch, but i had my soil plant downstairs there was no way those spider mites could climb up all those stairs
i was still concerned that my hydro plants would get contaminated, because spidermites can travel in air currents and on clothes
so i threw the dirty girl away , would never mess with a dirty girl like that again. too much risk
Sativied
Well-Known Member
My soil comes with free bonus gnats. I got the spider mites from buying soil and pots from a local gardening center nonetheless. That combined with adding a second closet in my room preventing temps from dropping at night...
It's in NL the main difference between soil from a regular garden center and soil at a growshop. Gold label, Canna, Plagron and other brands that target cannabis growers tend to be cleaner. But then going to a growshop here is already a good way to get mites, especially the kind made resistant by sloppy cannabis growers. They can sail on a breeze of wind and get into clothes/hair etc.
Definitely my own fault, by growing on soil again. That's a simple historical fact lol. While soil does not necessarily come with spider mites directly, soil is an effective way to attract pests including mites, and would not have happened if I had stuck with hydro (cause I need neither a growcenter or garden center for that).
They tend to attack the less vigorous plants and it differs per strain too.
"Adult female spruce spider mite,Oligonychus ununguis (Jacobi), were exposed to various concentrations of four host conifer monoterpene vapors (limonene,β-pinene,α-pinene, and Δ3-carene) for 24 hr to determine the lethal and sublethal effects. All four compounds were toxic to the mites."
This is how far they got on my P cross, which is high on pinene during veg already. And yes that part is where it touched another (amnesia white) plant that seems more susceptible.
skunkd0c
Well-Known Member
if i do not cover up the NFT its is effectively lots of little indoor ponds or streams, so they attract those tiny little flies you would see near a pond or running water
never anything harmful to the plants or any spidermites, they want the water/pond like environment not the plants, covering up the top plate stops this, but i would do that anyway to stop algae
i was thinking at some point along the stage of processing the soil
bugs could get into it from humans handling it or whatever ,will all the eggs be killed or will some lay dormant in the soil
if they sterilize it to kill all the bad bugs in the soil will this kill all the good bugs too
Tim Fox
Well-Known Member
I have maybe three leaves that are slightly more spotted than that, I saw the spots a few days ago but everything else is so healthy looking, finally a buddy convinced me to look at aa leaf under a loupe, and I found one mite, I then sprayed the shit out of the plants with the soap spray I bought from the hardware store
I am four weeks into flower
Tim Fox
Well-Known Member
I was wondering about baking the soil at the start?