This sucks!!!

I'm in the home stretch and now i get a spider mite infestation. This really sucks ass. I just have a few questions i haven't found answers too.

I'm using neem oil made by GROTEK (100% organic). No webs yet but i could see them crawling on leaves before the last neem spraying.

1. When i got the neem oil at the hydro store, the guy said 20 drops per liter and a few drops of liquid dish soap. The bottle says 5-10 mls per liter of water. This isn't preventative, i've got the buggers so how much neem should i add to 1 liter.

2. I have less than three weeks until finish (approx). I'm planning to stop using neem oil and flush about one week before finish. Will misting them down with straight water every few days help to eliminate the neem oil taste?

3. For odor control reasons, i need to dry in the grow room. If i do manage to get rid of the buggers, do i need to worry about them comming back while the girls dry? I guess you either get rid of them before finish or you're pretty much screwed.

Thanks in advance

If your grow is in a closed room?..

you should consider getting "PEST STRIPS" ... these are not the yellow sticky sheets but rather thay are a plastic thin box you hang in the room.. they will kill all the mites without effecting your buds... they may only be effective against the mites for a couple weeks..

cheers

Hot Shot No Pest Strips at Epinions.com

Garden Knowm said:

If your grow is in a closed room?..

you should consider getting "PEST STRIPS" ... these are not the yellow sticky sheets but rather thay are a plastic thin box you hang in the room.. they will kill all the mites without effecting your buds... they may only be effective against the mites for a couple weeks..

cheers

Hot Shot No Pest Strips at Epinions.com

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Thank you for the quick reply. I actually have one of those but it's just sitting on the ground. I hung it for awhile but the fans blew it around alot and i never saw much on it. Ok, i just have a few last quick questions for you.

1. How many strips should i get for a 10x12x8 room? (i'll get as many as you say to)

2. What level should i hang them at to be most effective?

3. Will the oscillating fan blowing on them be a problem?

Thanks in advance

i hang mine below my plant canopy, i have 2 in a 10x10 700 cubic foot, they dont prevent only help to supress. bombing wiping spraying and praying. thats what you got to look foward to.

On the other side of the coin, if you like no spray and no harmful chemicals,

EAT THEM UP !

try spidex by WWW.Koppert.com

If i had 3 or 4 of those "no pest strips" hanging right under the canopy, i could still spray lightly with neem oil a couple more times. Mabye that combination would eradicate the problem. I'm definatly getting some pest strips though. I'm just hesitant to use foggers or strong sprays for fear of ruining taste.

I'm reading about Spidex.
Edit: I like the predator mite idea but the little lady would never go for it.

Tonight i'm gonna post some pics.

Thanks for the advice all.

You're doing just fine with the Neem Oil. I use 5 ml/liter. Spray 3 times, every 5 days, and then right before harvest spray well with water.

I guess you won't be growing in the room while they are drying, so when you remove them bomb and spray the room a couple of times before starting new plants.

HTH

3 weeks from harvest you have plenty of time to spray without affecting the taste of the bud. Neem oil is a topical application. It goes on your plants not in your plants. I want to trade eyes with you, I had to use a magnifying glass to see the little buggers. VV

Chuck, I'm in a very similar situation to you except I'm about 1 week from harvest. I noticed my infestation last Saturday. I sprayed them then and it seemed to take care of them. Until yesterday, when I noticed a few reappearing on my taller plant. I sprayed again, avoiding direct contact with the buds. When I took a clipping to look at the trichs about 2 hours later, lo and behold, I saw a little fucker under the microscope on the leaf clipping! It scared the shit out of me at first. The alarming thing was that I could not see it with my naked eye. The leaf appeared to be insect free when I clipped it. This tells me it was a recent hatchling. The trichs tell me that I have at most one more week and probably less than that. I guess if I can keep them at bay, allowing a few to escape, for the next few days I should be ok. I am guess once I harvest and the plant starts drying, the few remaining mites will starve and die.

Thanks for the replys. It always makes me feel better chating with people that know exactly what i'm going threw.

Potroast, i'm going to start using 5ml of neem per liter of water from now on. Thats what it says on the bottle too. I was slightly hesitant to use a stronger solution so thanks for the conformation. I'm gonna bomb in between grows too. Thanks for all the comments and advice from everyone.

I like Einstein oil myself, I had better results with that than most other neem oil products as it's cold-pressed and not processed. It also incorporates other botanical oils that make it more effective. I also use Dutch-master Penetrator, allows the neem to dissolve and makes it much more effective than if you use dish soap or something else.
Also, you can get something called Messenger, it's a protein that essentially activates the plants natural immune system, I love it. It has the nice side effect of boosting overall growth and health. It's not the cheapest stuff in the world but I find it's worth it.
https://www.edenbio.com/garden/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=80

I would consider getting preditor mites to eat up all those SOB's and then when you are done flowering, remove the dryin yield from the room, bomb it with doktor doom one or two times, air it out and then let them try.. tell us how it goes.

Man this must be a bad time for mites i got a case too and thought thats it for the girls but i got sum spray that contains Pyrethrum and white oil and seems to have done the job i have seen any for a few days now . Do spider mites eat your budz or just infest them ?

joekikass said:

Man this must be a bad time for mites i got a case too and thought thats it for the girls but i got sum spray that contains Pyrethrum and white oil and seems to have done the job i have seen any for a few days now . Do spider mites eat your budz or just infest them ?

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I know they eat the leaves but i'm not sure if they eat the buds. I've seen pics of buds covered in spider mite webs so i guess they probably do if the infestation goes untreated.

I'm in the U.S. and it's almost summer here. I think the heat is causing the increase in spider mite activity. Glad to hear that you're keeping them in check.

chuck4bud said:

Thanks for the replys. It always makes me feel better chating with people that know exactly what i'm going threw.

Potroast, i'm going to start using 5ml of neem per liter of water from now on. Thats what it says on the bottle too. I was slightly hesitant to use a stronger solution so thanks for the conformation. I'm gonna bomb in between grows too. Thanks for all the comments and advice from everyone.

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Ditto. Thank You.
I am gonna get myself some Neem Oil after work tomorrow.

joekikass said:

Man this must be a bad time for mites i got a case too

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As the title of the thread suggests, "this sucks".

Greyskull said:

As the title of the thread suggests, "this sucks".

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Try Pyrethrum or Neem oil. Neem oil is working for me and i've heard that Pyrethrum kicks the crap out of spider mites also.

Now that i'm adding more neem (5ml per Ltr H20), i think i've wiped them out. I'm not seeing any new damage on leaves and they seem to be dying before they can lay new eggs. Praise the Lord!!!!!!!

hondaturbo said:

I would consider getting preditor mites to eat up all those SOB's and then when you are done flowering, remove the dryin yield from the room, bomb it with doktor doom one or two times, air it out and then let them try.. tell us how it goes.

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shit no need if these little buggers eat all the mites they die! predatory mites eat only mites!

joekikass said:

Man this must be a bad time for mites i got a case too and thought thats it for the girls but i got sum spray that contains Pyrethrum and white oil and seems to have done the job i have seen any for a few days now . Do spider mites eat your budz or just infest them ?

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they spin webs and kill your plant by sucking the sap up and folding up the growth.

heya chuck4bud..

Stay on top of this bro. Don't think for a second that they are completely gone.

If you have more plants that are up-and-coming in this space you will have to continue your attack with vigilance. I got these basta'ds on my first group of gifted clones MANY years ago...and they returned 4 times in 10 years with no other introduction of clones from outside sources. I'd THINK I had em dicked..then BAM...here they'd come again...

If you are cycling through and the room will be empty I would find some Avid or...if you really want em dead...some kelthane.

NOTE: DO NOT spray the kelthane on flowering plants!!

It's NASTY shit (a serious pesticide)...but it was what FINALLY knocked the fuckers outta my room. I tried pyritheums..bombs..Dr Bronners pepermint soap spray..tobacco mixes..garlics..milk and flour mixed/sprayed.. Organocide....geez...TOO MANY snake oils to remember...and one day outta frustration I saw the "Red Mite KILLER" w/kelthane and went for it. It was THEM..or my clones... and dammit..the CLONES won!

I was about the same stage as you...7 weeks into flower. I ended up takin the flowering plants early...then sprayed the veggers and the walls/floors/all surfaces of the room with the nasty shit and they were gone instantly. I then went in and sprayed the walls/etc with a mild bleach solution...

Again...THIS IS NASTY SHIT....but the BORG is nastier! DIE FUCKERS, DIE!

Whatever you do...keep a misting bottle handy from here on out. When you go into your space//lights on..spray a fine mist onto your garden...focusing on the stems especially...but letting the mist go all over the leaves also. If they are there...the fine mist will collect on the web and the light will expose it...

good luck

bt dt