Spider Mites Week 5 Of Flower Outdoor Blue Dream Please Help

As the title says I have a Blue Dream I let get spider mites down in the lower and now middle of the plant. It has gotten way worse than it should have and the little bastards are setting up shop. What can I use besides Neem that won't mess up my really nice sticky buds. This is my first outdoor grow. It's in ocean forrest with Dr Earth Bloom in a 15 gallon fabric pot as it went out really late in mid July .I stripped out the lower larf that was the worst with the mites as it wasn't going to yield much anyway but would really like to save the main branches if possible. Thanks for any help you can offer. I have peroxide and ISO alcohol as well as Spinosad on hand if that helps with any advice. Here's a bad pic to show size and structure, my camera is bad and my hands shake really bad so pictures are always iffy with me, sorry.

I would try citric acid. I can't find my notes with the amount written down, so I'd just search and see how much others are using. Totally harmless and totally effective. I wouldn't use spinosad once buds are forming, it's pretty gnarly stuff even if "organic."

Thanks, I bought it before knowing it killed bees and I used it once early in flower. I still have it in the cupboard since I haven't been to the dump that takes chemicals. I live out in the boonies. I'll check on citric acid, I think that's what I use to adjust PH if I am not mistaken.

This is xtsho's citric acid mix.

xtsho said:

Mix 2.5-3 tsp with a quart of water. Spray the entire plant especially the undersides of the leaves.

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Spinosad is safe as long as the bees aren't active when you spray.

curious2garden said:

This is xtsho's citric acid mix.

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I’ll go with two to start I did 3 and burned the test leaves I tried

Cboat38 said:

I’ll go with two to start I did 3 and burned the test leaves I tried

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What about the trichomes and pistils? Or do you try to avoid the buds which is next to impossible in my case as it's so late in flower. I really dropped the ball on this as I have a hard time getting down low to do inspections due to medical issues but I still knew I had to be doing it. As soon as I saw how advanced it was I wanted to kick myself. The buds are just starting to stack and put on some trichomes and density. I had some hiccups with my first couple indoor grows in the beginning so it's not like I should expect outdoors to be any easier, in fact it's way harder. I'm going to the garden center tomorrow to grab some soil for this winters grow since I was going to try to do an organic grow I wanted to get it cooking now and I am going to get some citric acid in the hydro section and give it a try on the lower buds. Thanks for the help with this, it's medicine for me and my wife so it's important I don't screw it up.

Cboat38 said:

I’ll go with two to start I did 3 and burned the test leaves I tried

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Did you ph your mix? It sounds stupid to ask that since the citric acid is for ph adjustment, but a really acidic spray will burn the leaves. I usually try for 6-6.5 ph for sprays.

Ok , I picked up a much better pump sprayer for misting and while I was there I got this stuff called Safer 3 in 1 which is Potassium salts of fatty acids and sulfur along with other ingredients. It's supposed to be for mites, insects and fungus. Safe to use up to the day of harvest according to the label. As I'm dealing with leaf spot on two plants as well as the spider mites on this plant would I be better off just using the 3 in 1 on all of them. Also, is the sulfur safe for the trichomes and pistils? I have the citric acid and I'm ready to spray them down once the sun is low enough tonight. Thanks again for all your help.

Since "spider mites"are invisible to the naked eye, how do you know you have them ?

The reason I ask is typically a plant left outdoors gains enough predators to make that a non-issue outdoors

Only time I have seen different is moving indoor to outdoor or in a green house

I saw the mites under a scope while checking my plants. The plant is tall enough to hit my gutter and I'm guessing the sloppiness I showed moving it around to try to keep it in the sun is responsible. My gutters are growing their own plants in places.

Just to update those that might come across this while researching. I used the 3 in 1 product at full strength and checked today after spraying to run off yesterday. I can't find any living mites, every one of them is dead and burnt. My trichomes are fine but most of the pistils are mildly to medium browned/ burned. I'd say it was a success but I don't know enough about plant biology to say for sure which was worse the burnt pistils or mites for 3-4 weeks more. I'm just happy there's no more mites laying eggs. I'll update the thread as I continue the grow and keep up with inspection and retreatments as I don't think all the mites are gone after one shot.

Blast them off with a hose

OneMoreRip said:

Blast them off with a hose

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Sometimes that's not a bad idea. If I were to do that, I'd do it in the morning on a day that is predicted to be sunny and maybe some breeze so they'll dry out. Still a bit of a gamble.

I would not do it on a cloudy, drizzly or rainy day.
Don't want to solve the mite problem, but create the mold problem.

Under the leaves is where the fuckers hide!

So far so good, no more sightings with daily inspections. The biggest concern I have now is mold and or bud rot with all the rain we have been getting. I don't have anything tall enough to put it under for the rainstorms My other two can fit under the tarp I have rigged up. I'm running fans 24/7 as long as it's not raining on them and I thinned out some more of the really huge fans in the middle of the plant. If I use that spray again I'll mix it up at a milder rate for sure as it torched my pistils pretty bad and laid waste to every mite and egg to a crisp. I'm betting cutting it down some will ease up on the pistils some and still keep the efficacy.

i wouldnt have used the 3 in 1, yes in veg. pure crop 1, trifecta or mite massacre. and yes you can see mites with a naked eye. never use an oil spray after sulfur. ive been battling mites all season it is not the end of the world. they will all go to the top of the stalk when you hang it like rats on a sinking ship and them burn their asses with a torch. just be careful not to winter them over in your house and then have the same problem indoors or next season.