SliverMeMembers
Active Member
Well, I had the most beautiful, healthy plants (DNA Lemon Skunk and Paradise Seeds Nebula). Green, healthy and vigorous... then I started seeing a few problems.
Looking back, I'm pretty sure I had a combination of low humidy and/or some minor nute burn. I used General Hydroponic's Advanced schedule, and was using the full "Growth" program. I had just put my four biggest plants into the flower room, and had 5-6 other plants plus some clones growing in the veg room.
I decided, for some reason, that I had spider mites. Don't know why I thought that, I thought I just must have them. This was my first grow, and I have been spraying the plants pretty regularly with Neem Oil mixed with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap as a pre-emptive measure. The room was newly built-out, fresh paint, no reason to think bugs got in, I always go in clean... I just got it in my head I had a pest problem. Even looked at one of my wilting leaves with a microscope, I hate using those damn things, hard to see what's happening. I *thought* I saw spider mite eggs, didn't see any actual bugs or feces, but I was worried... I've read too many stories about how a spider mite infestation can ruin a crop. So, I decided to go on the offensive.
Oops.
I bought a nice, tall can of Pyrethrum (just like everyone recommends)... it was one of those industrial cans that's got tiny little print all over it... directions weren't really all that clear, I had never heard of anyone having a problem with it... I have used Sevin on my outside gardens before, they always say cover all the leaves, top and bottom, so I (naturally) assumed I should do the same thing with the Pyrethrum on my spider mite *problem*, so I coated every single fucking plant, top to bottom, every leaf, every stem, flowering plants, veggings plants AND my clones too (can't be too careful you know...).
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT SHIT SHIT!
I go back, oh, 4-5 hours later to check on my little babies.... SHIT! Every damn plant burned to shit! Holy cow! It looked like someone took a blowtorch to every damn one of them. Green leaves all wilted, brown. It even smelled like death in there. Oh no, my flowering plants! They were in the dark cycle now, shit, what do I do? Fuck it... I ripped off the plastic, fired up the HPS, and had a fucking heart attack.... BURNS! But wait... they weren't dead... YET. Get out the water bottle! Spray, spray and SPRAY SOME MORE! Pulling off dead an mutilated leaves left and right... but it seemed as though there was enough green on there that they might live. Maybe.
So, I went ahead and replaced the HPS with an MH bulb and went 24/0. Changed out the nutrients with really mild growth formula. Waited and waited... after three days, the damn things were still alive. Barely. About another 2-3 days later, after cleaning out dead leaves in, and changing out my nutrients, I started seeing some new growth... man, will they make it?
Well, it's been a week, and I have to say it's been a fucking miracle. My best Lemon Skunk is starting to grow with vigor again, and only one of my Nebula's is really hurt... but it's starting new growth too. Took some clones of the new growth a couple of days ago to try and keep my strains alive. So far, so good.
What a fucking mess.
Two lessons here folks... if you're a newbie, and everything seems to be going great, don't get all cocky and thinking you're the shit. Trust me, your first fuckup can be a real kick in the nads.
Second lesson? BE FUCKING CAREFUL WHEN SPRAYING PYRETHRUM! Use it spraingsly if you have to, better yet, don't use it at all. The Neem oil solution is probably all you need as a pre-emptive measure, just spread the word that Pyrethrum can seriously damage your plants! I haven't seen ANYONE warn about that. I can't believe in all the books and forums I've read in no one has done what I have. Maybe I'm a unique fuck-up that way!
Anyways, I think I'll be able to put these puppies back into flower in another week or two and salvage some bud. You know, the worst thing was that I felt really bad for the plants. Not for wasting my time or money, but I was genuinely sorry I hurt the plants. I apologize to them everytime I go into the grow room. Funny, I plan to cut them down and smoke them anyways, but I still feel bad. Weird huh?
SMM
Looking back, I'm pretty sure I had a combination of low humidy and/or some minor nute burn. I used General Hydroponic's Advanced schedule, and was using the full "Growth" program. I had just put my four biggest plants into the flower room, and had 5-6 other plants plus some clones growing in the veg room.
I decided, for some reason, that I had spider mites. Don't know why I thought that, I thought I just must have them. This was my first grow, and I have been spraying the plants pretty regularly with Neem Oil mixed with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap as a pre-emptive measure. The room was newly built-out, fresh paint, no reason to think bugs got in, I always go in clean... I just got it in my head I had a pest problem. Even looked at one of my wilting leaves with a microscope, I hate using those damn things, hard to see what's happening. I *thought* I saw spider mite eggs, didn't see any actual bugs or feces, but I was worried... I've read too many stories about how a spider mite infestation can ruin a crop. So, I decided to go on the offensive.
Oops.
I bought a nice, tall can of Pyrethrum (just like everyone recommends)... it was one of those industrial cans that's got tiny little print all over it... directions weren't really all that clear, I had never heard of anyone having a problem with it... I have used Sevin on my outside gardens before, they always say cover all the leaves, top and bottom, so I (naturally) assumed I should do the same thing with the Pyrethrum on my spider mite *problem*, so I coated every single fucking plant, top to bottom, every leaf, every stem, flowering plants, veggings plants AND my clones too (can't be too careful you know...).
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT SHIT SHIT!
I go back, oh, 4-5 hours later to check on my little babies.... SHIT! Every damn plant burned to shit! Holy cow! It looked like someone took a blowtorch to every damn one of them. Green leaves all wilted, brown. It even smelled like death in there. Oh no, my flowering plants! They were in the dark cycle now, shit, what do I do? Fuck it... I ripped off the plastic, fired up the HPS, and had a fucking heart attack.... BURNS! But wait... they weren't dead... YET. Get out the water bottle! Spray, spray and SPRAY SOME MORE! Pulling off dead an mutilated leaves left and right... but it seemed as though there was enough green on there that they might live. Maybe.
So, I went ahead and replaced the HPS with an MH bulb and went 24/0. Changed out the nutrients with really mild growth formula. Waited and waited... after three days, the damn things were still alive. Barely. About another 2-3 days later, after cleaning out dead leaves in, and changing out my nutrients, I started seeing some new growth... man, will they make it?
Well, it's been a week, and I have to say it's been a fucking miracle. My best Lemon Skunk is starting to grow with vigor again, and only one of my Nebula's is really hurt... but it's starting new growth too. Took some clones of the new growth a couple of days ago to try and keep my strains alive. So far, so good.
What a fucking mess.
Two lessons here folks... if you're a newbie, and everything seems to be going great, don't get all cocky and thinking you're the shit. Trust me, your first fuckup can be a real kick in the nads.
Second lesson? BE FUCKING CAREFUL WHEN SPRAYING PYRETHRUM! Use it spraingsly if you have to, better yet, don't use it at all. The Neem oil solution is probably all you need as a pre-emptive measure, just spread the word that Pyrethrum can seriously damage your plants! I haven't seen ANYONE warn about that. I can't believe in all the books and forums I've read in no one has done what I have. Maybe I'm a unique fuck-up that way!
Anyways, I think I'll be able to put these puppies back into flower in another week or two and salvage some bud. You know, the worst thing was that I felt really bad for the plants. Not for wasting my time or money, but I was genuinely sorry I hurt the plants. I apologize to them everytime I go into the grow room. Funny, I plan to cut them down and smoke them anyways, but I still feel bad. Weird huh?
SMM