mikeykrinshaw12
Well-Known Member
Hello all outdoor growers!
I have been researching the onset of what is becoming a Mite epidemic in Central and Northern California. This is not something new! This has been coming on over the last 5 years and will get worse before it gets better- especially in the central California valley and surrounding foothills.
There are several contributing factors- Agriculture, drought, acclimatization, and colonization
.
Broad mites and russet mites in particular are spreading rapidly due to warmer weather during the winter, lack of snow fall, and lack of hard frosts lasting for a duration of more than 1 month (exceeding incubation period for eggs).
They hit the agricultural crops hard 3 years ago, it made the news and headlines of local farmers. They switched their pesticide regime- forcing the mite populations to move on (cinnamon oil concentrate) to more habitable crops. The size of cannabis crops increasing, and the amount of residual soils left after the harvest season has provided places for the mites to collonize and wait over the wintertime to spread slowly out during the spring months and colonize elsewhere (like freshly planted crops and their cuttings/offspring).
These colonies started in much lesser numbers, and are rapidly spreading and increasing in population densities where not treated.
Colonies are now reaching elevations upwards of 3200 feet, as monitored by resource management specialists in the US forest service and other ecological monitoring agencies. Please Take precautions when getting your gardens going this year. Many growers already have them and just are not aware of it until too late. take the precautions now. Mite activity slows during the hot summer outside, they are most active from now until mid June outdoors.
Recommended preparations and ongoing treatment.
1. diatomaceous earth- Use the food grade kind. Mix it into your soil, and top dress your pots/boxes etc with a thin layer of it. Spread/dust the diatomaceous earth EVERYWHERE around your grow site- a fine coat on all surfaces for a few weeks at the very least on all exposed surfaces. Do this NOW- reapply after wet weather- it works. If you have plants that are infected, you can dust the plants with a nice layer and it will work also.
2. Spray- Your choice of spray- this is for prevention. I recommend a cinamite like product that uses primarily cinnamon oil as its active ingredient. Spray this Everywhere, not just on your plants- outside on your fences and wood structures that mites can colonize and wait in- surrounding soil- surrounding plants. I would also recommend planting cinamon and White Sage around the proximity of your garden area to help deter them along the perimeter. I recommend switching to a regular Neem oil for regular weekly spraying of plants during grow season until onset of flower.
3. Spray- Pyrethrin- As the veg season comes to a close I would recommend applying a pyrethrin spray (natural organic compounds normally derived from Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium) for the first 3-5 weeks of flower. In California the same optimal conditions that begin for these Mites in the late winter going into spring months, is also present in the months of Late Aug/Early September until beginning to mid October, (depending on location, altitude, etc.) I would also reapply a nice layer of DE at this time. I don't recommend using DE on plants in flower.
Please take these precautions! Even if you dont have them, save yourself the trouble! Mite colonies are now infesting soil batches ALL over California- you can steam clean, then mix in DE. It is not just Fox Farms, batches from several other companies are turning them out as well.
This is becoming a serious issue. It's getting worse, and we are providing the way for it to happen, protect yourself and protect your neighbors. The methods and schedule above is based on the same cycles that agricultural farmers are using on organic crops- the ones driving the colonies out and away to our crops.
A very well respected horticulturalist/naturalist/botanist I know commented that fire is also one of the Best deterants and erradication methods for severe outdoor infestations- Flames/heat kill, ash suffocates and causes imobility (similar to DE) and coal is not habitable for them. Reforestation projects in the lower foot hills of california included control burning to mitigate the effects of these mites and other non indigenous pests causing harm to local ecologies, the drought and warm weather got them canceled. He commented that in the past, fire would rage through the valley during the hot season of drought periods like this and control their populations and spread.
Please also Note- I have seen these pests go unnoticed on a regular basis in MOST gardens, if you do not have experience in finding and treating them- Definitely take these precautions seriously. These tips and advice also apply to indoor growing, but unfortunately indoor grows require quite a bit more work to be effective. Thanks for reading- Best of seasons to you all and- Happy Growing
I have been researching the onset of what is becoming a Mite epidemic in Central and Northern California. This is not something new! This has been coming on over the last 5 years and will get worse before it gets better- especially in the central California valley and surrounding foothills.
There are several contributing factors- Agriculture, drought, acclimatization, and colonization
.Broad mites and russet mites in particular are spreading rapidly due to warmer weather during the winter, lack of snow fall, and lack of hard frosts lasting for a duration of more than 1 month (exceeding incubation period for eggs).
They hit the agricultural crops hard 3 years ago, it made the news and headlines of local farmers. They switched their pesticide regime- forcing the mite populations to move on (cinnamon oil concentrate) to more habitable crops. The size of cannabis crops increasing, and the amount of residual soils left after the harvest season has provided places for the mites to collonize and wait over the wintertime to spread slowly out during the spring months and colonize
elsewhere (like freshly planted crops and their cuttings/offspring).These colonies started in much lesser numbers, and are rapidly spreading and increasing in population densities where not treated.
Colonies are now reaching elevations upwards of 3200 feet, as monitored by resource management specialists in the US forest service and other ecological monitoring agencies. Please Take precautions when getting your gardens going this year. Many growers already have them and just are not aware of it until too late. take the precautions now. Mite activity slows
during the hot summer outside, they are most active from now until mid June outdoors.Recommended preparations and ongoing treatment.
1. diatomaceous earth- Use the food grade kind. Mix it into your soil, and top dress your pots/boxes etc with a thin layer of it. Spread/dust the diatomaceous earth EVERYWHERE around your grow site- a fine coat on all surfaces for a few weeks at the very least on all exposed surfaces. Do this NOW- reapply after wet weather- it works. If you have plants that are infected, you can dust the plants with a nice layer and it will work also.
2. Spray- Your choice of spray- this is for prevention. I recommend a cinamite like product that uses primarily cinnamon oil as its active ingredient. Spray this Everywhere, not just on your plants- outside on your fences and wood structures that mites can colonize and wait in- surrounding soil- surrounding plants. I would also recommend planting cinamon and White Sage around the proximity of your garden area to help deter them along the perimeter. I recommend switching to a regular Neem oil for regular weekly spraying of plants during grow season until onset of flower.
3. Spray- Pyrethrin- As the veg season comes to a close I would recommend applying a pyrethrin spray (natural organic compounds normally derived from Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium) for the first 3-5 weeks of flower. In California the same optimal conditions that begin for these Mites in the late winter going into spring months, is also present in the months of Late Aug/Early September until beginning to mid October, (depending on location, altitude, etc.) I would also reapply a nice layer of DE at this time. I don't recommend using DE on plants in flower.
Please take these precautions! Even if you dont have them, save yourself the trouble! Mite colonies are now infesting soil batches ALL over California- you can steam clean, then mix in DE. It is not just Fox Farms, batches from several other companies are turning them out as well.
This is becoming a serious issue. It's getting worse, and we are providing the way for it to happen, protect yourself and protect your neighbors. The methods and schedule above is based on the same cycles that agricultural farmers are using on organic crops- the ones driving the colonies out and away to our crops.
A very well respected horticulturalist/naturalist/botanist I know commented that fire is also one of the Best deterants and erradication methods for severe outdoor infestations- Flames/heat kill, ash suffocates and causes imobility (similar to DE) and coal is not habitable for them. Reforestation projects in the lower foot hills of california included control burning to mitigate the effects of these mites and other non indigenous pests causing harm to local ecologies, the drought and warm weather got them canceled. He commented that in the past, fire would rage through the valley during the hot season of drought periods like this and control their populations and spread.
Please also Note- I have seen these pests go unnoticed on a regular basis in MOST gardens, if you do not have experience in finding and treating them- Definitely take these precautions seriously. These tips and advice also apply to indoor growing, but unfortunately indoor grows require quite a bit more work to be effective. Thanks for reading- Best of seasons to you all and- Happy Growing
I know that the one plant that I was watching die in front of me made me go home and hug my plants!