Severe mite infestation

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Finished tucking & cutting out the ugliest leaves. Depressing, looking @ the ugly leaves, the bare spots under the net, the lack of density & rampant vigor. Flowers starting to pop. Fed them a transitional diet, rather than full on bloom nutes. Unsure if I can squeeze anymore leaf growth out of the next week or so. I have the roots, stems & branch network to support abundant transport of nutrients, but I’m worried about the hit to my leaves. I got ahead of myself & washed plants off with ph’d h2o, & after they’d dried, & could consider breathing again, I hosed them down with Neem oil again. Should have waited another day or two, but I was apparently awash n ambition. Keeping lots of air movement under the canopy. Going to leave them alone for 3 days & evaluate how the plants look. Am I growing any more leaves? Do they look vibrant? Everything growing up toward the single 1000w? Still need to pull any remaining ugly leaves from under the canopy. 41139C3E-77E4-4528-8B7B-2D3AB57B9AD6.jpeg41139C3E-77E4-4528-8B7B-2D3AB57B9AD6.jpeg2244EB38-89FC-452B-B207-499C5F9022A5.jpegB9BBA13D-F131-464E-9CE9-0FBD8A296E67.jpegD70D28ED-6186-462C-AB3D-7E2D3EF24CA1.jpegBE0C050A-2CC0-4E69-A891-8F9C2982D0F0.jpeg41139C3E-77E4-4528-8B7B-2D3AB57B9AD6.jpeg2244EB38-89FC-452B-B207-499C5F9022A5.jpegB9BBA13D-F131-464E-9CE9-0FBD8A296E67.jpegD70D28ED-6186-462C-AB3D-7E2D3EF24CA1.jpegBE0C050A-2CC0-4E69-A891-8F9C2982D0F0.jpeg41139C3E-77E4-4528-8B7B-2D3AB57B9AD6.jpeg2244EB38-89FC-452B-B207-499C5F9022A5.jpegB9BBA13D-F131-464E-9CE9-0FBD8A296E67.jpegD70D28ED-6186-462C-AB3D-7E2D3EF24CA1.jpegBE0C050A-2CC0-4E69-A891-8F9C2982D0F0.jpeg41139C3E-77E4-4528-8B7B-2D3AB57B9AD6.jpeg2244EB38-89FC-452B-B207-499C5F9022A5.jpegB9BBA13D-F131-464E-9CE9-0FBD8A296E67.jpegD70D28ED-6186-462C-AB3D-7E2D3EF24CA1.jpegBE0C050A-2CC0-4E69-A891-8F9C2982D0F0.jpeg
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
I loaded 5 pix. No idea why they multiplied. When I go into Edit, it shows only 5 pix. Apologies for being an idiot.
 

getogrow

Well-Known Member
they look a lot better then they would with a bunch of webs. They'll still be fine , prolly hurt the yield a tad but everything looks good.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Bathed them all in ph’d h2o & let them dry off. Pyganic-1/4 fluid oz to 1/4 gallon h2o, top n bottom. Tried to avoid drenching them to runoff (per label instructions) while thoroughly coating all surfaces. Sprayed the #30 fabric pots, the 2x4 frame, the soil. As is my new-found custom, all fans, inc ac & dehui, are turned off while spraying, then back on upon completion. High Temp remains 74F, RH very high now, but will quickly (~30 minutes) settle back down to 60. Cleaned all gear. I need to spray the FastBuds GSCs outdoors this afternoon, but they’re maybe 2 weeks from harvest, so no pyganic or Azamax. I’ve begun seeking out essential oil recipes & when research is complete, expect to make my own Mighty Wash or whatever. I dug up some great (IMO) scientific white papers / studies, which in some cases list the ingredients in most miticides. I will likely invest in Greencleaner or Mightywash for the soon-to-harvest autoflowers. Make my own when I’m not already in the heat of battle. I’m lucky these are not the West Coast Borg. I’m Midwest US, & legal weed is still new to us. I absolutely did import these 2-spotted spider mites to my garden on clones & I bear responsibility for failing to properly sanitize n isolate those clones. I fucked myself, without the usual accompanying pleasure.

Im about week 4 of Flower, but I believe I lost 1-2 weeks of progress fucking around with bugs n ph. (Bad pen). Buds just starting to form. As I run ~1200 ppm of co2, I would normally maintain high temps of about 79-80. In order to slow the fuckers down a little, I’m running only 75F. I might slow the co2 to 800 or so as I’m not running full bore.
 

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getogrow

Well-Known Member
They say a super high concentration of co2 will kill them. i have my doubts but would damn sure try to rule it out. I have been doing really good with 100% neem oil mixed with a lil soap. Its keeping everything clean except the most recent flower room. Nothing i can do as they are only 4 weeks to done. (then in 4 weeks , the room next to it will collect them all, a vicious cycle that i cant break) Im also in midwest and we have stronger mites then most!
Despite what most say about cleaning and seperating new clones.... its almost impossible to prevent mites without going full blown germ freak. (full suit, mask, shower room seperating the grow room, ect.....)
 

Oakiey

Well-Known Member
Fried lady bugs on the light in the morning smells like, ol damnit...

I sprayed every 4 days for 6 months...

Had a plant fresh out of veg covered... Hadn't had a sighn off them in the veg.

My bloom room is never empty feels like I'm loosing the battle...

Maybe the bugs are helping, the webbing has stopped. Still got tons of ladybugs, spraying hasn't killed them, started with predator mites.IMG_20200723_122857.jpg
 

getogrow

Well-Known Member
Fried lady bugs on the light in the morning smells like, ol damnit...

I sprayed every 4 days for 6 months...

Had a plant fresh out of veg covered... Hadn't had a sighn off them in the veg.

My bloom room is never empty feels like I'm loosing the battle...

Maybe the bugs are helping, the webbing has stopped. Still got tons of ladybugs, spraying hasn't killed them, started with predator mites.View attachment 4641244
ive never had any luck with ladybugs. They dont like mites and they HATE the grow room. Ive also never heard of them working for anyone.

The predetory mites are what im looking at now.... im thinking about grabbing the mite destoyers, its expensive, 100 for 100. Have you tried them yet ? thanks for your input sir !!!
Again , im doing great with neem oil but not when its flower time. im 100% losing the battle.
 

etruthfx

Well-Known Member
Bro you need to get a hudson atomizer/fogger and a big bottle of Plant Therapy and Mite Rid and knock those fuckers out big time. The real way.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Bro you need to get a hudson atomizer/fogger and a big bottle of Plant Therapy and Mite Rid and knock those fuckers out big time. The real way.
I’d like a fogger, & called a dude who rents electric trimmers but he doesn’t rent foggers, & looks like they run around two bills. Not in my budget right now. I’m not unhappy with the program I’m running currently, & whatever population is still there, is vastly smaller than it was. The program & the products used are definitely working, & after this cycle, I’ll sanitize the bejesus outa the room, which is covered completely in panda film. I’ve heard good things about plant therapy, but don’t know miterid.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
They say a super high concentration of co2 will kill them. i have my doubts but would damn sure try to rule it out. I have been doing really good with 100% neem oil mixed with a lil soap. Its keeping everything clean except the most recent flower room. Nothing i can do as they are only 4 weeks to done. (then in 4 weeks , the room next to it will collect them all, a vicious cycle that i cant break) Im also in midwest and we have stronger mites then most!
Despite what most say about cleaning and seperating new clones.... its almost impossible to prevent mites without going full blown germ freak. (full suit, mask, shower room seperating the grow room, ect.....)
Yeah, I found some pretty hard data on the high co2 plan, but haven’t gotten to converting some numbers. Volume of air, etc. I guess I better get off my ass, dig that up & do the math. My gut (trying to do the math in my head) says about 15,000 ppm & Im not sure how achievable that is, without lots of resulting headaches. I use a burner, so that’s a lot of moisture & heat I need to evacuate from the grow room. Very possibly beyond the capability of my ac & dehui. If u use bottled co2, you have neither problem of course.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
ive never had any luck with ladybugs. They dont like mites and they HATE the grow room. Ive also never heard of them working for anyone.

The predetory mites are what im looking at now.... im thinking about grabbing the mite destoyers, its expensive, 100 for 100. Have you tried them yet ? thanks for your input sir !!!
Again , im doing great with neem oil but not when its flower time. im 100% losing the battle.
I have no experience w/ predator mites, but if I were buying some, I’d get Feltiella Acarisuga or Stethorus Punctillum. I’ve read quite a few posts on the topic which suggest that many of the predators arrive DOA, so plan on a fraction of the labeled (living) content. I think 100 is a very small number of predators. I think most folks who go that route, start with 1000-2000. If you only grow a couple plants, possibly 100 might be helpful. It’s also my impression - not having first hand experience- that reapplications (more predators) are typical. Maybe someone with more 1st hand experience in this area will post. Not my intention to rain on your parade, but don’t want you to be surprised by any unexpected expense.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Fried lady bugs on the light in the morning smells like, ol damnit...

I sprayed every 4 days for 6 months...

Had a plant fresh out of veg covered... Hadn't had a sighn off them in the veg.

My bloom room is never empty feels like I'm loosing the battle...

Maybe the bugs are helping, the webbing has stopped. Still got tons of ladybugs, spraying hasn't killed them, started with predator mites.View attachment 4641244
Wow! Oakley, what have you been spraying for 6 months? I admire your dedication n effort! It’s a beautiful thing that many predators are unaffected by many of the miticides. Are you making any environmental changes, like temp decrease,RH increase, adding lots of wind / air movement?
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
ive never had any luck with ladybugs. They dont like mites and they HATE the grow room. Ive also never heard of them working for anyone.

The predetory mites are what im looking at now.... im thinking about grabbing the mite destoyers, its expensive, 100 for 100. Have you tried them yet ? thanks for your input sir !!!
Again , im doing great with neem oil but not when its flower time. im 100% losing the battle.
Rotate products every 3-4 days. I rotate Pyganic (Pyrethrin, trans-laminar direct contact killer, sodium inhibitor, jacks up the mite nervous system), Azamax (breeding n growth inhibitor), & Neem Oil (anti-feedant, hormone disruptor, also acts by smothering- they can’t breathe, prevents molting AND acts as a repellant). Next payday I’ll add Mighty Wash to the rotation & start to phase out the Pyganic, because it has a 2 week harvest interval. It needs time to break down & thus become harmless to humans. I plan to later make my own Mightywash with essential oils & other oils - such as Rosemary & Cottonseed oil.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Pest identification is your number one job. Figure out exactly what you are fighting. If it is hemp russet mites I would tear down and bug bomb with pyrethrin and wait a month to start over. Perpetual can be the worst to control them in since you have all stages of growth to attend to. Sorry.
Word.
 

etruthfx

Well-Known Member
I’d like a fogger, & called a dude who rents electric trimmers but he doesn’t rent foggers, & looks like they run around two bills. Not in my budget right now. I’m not unhappy with the program I’m running currently, & whatever population is still there, is vastly smaller than it was. The program & the products used are definitely working, & after this cycle, I’ll sanitize the bejesus outa the room, which is covered completely in panda film. I’ve heard good things about plant therapy, but don’t know miterid.
The fogger is here usually 280 but i got mine on sale for 220 from amazon.
1596406810848.png
https://shopbvv.com/products/hudson-portable-atomizer-indoor-outdoor?variant=32451932323936&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyJn5BRDrARIsADZ9ykHp7Jv2l9IFLG0c9uEwxlhLkOgG_6DiZRaI3X75zHDNJlS3qfKbGCgaArD2EALw_wcB
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Fried lady bugs on the light in the morning smells like, ol damnit...

I sprayed every 4 days for 6 months...

Had a plant fresh out of veg covered... Hadn't had a sighn off them in the veg.

My bloom room is never empty feels like I'm loosing the battle...

Maybe the bugs are helping, the webbing has stopped. Still got tons of ladybugs, spraying hasn't killed them, started with predator mites.View attachment 4641244
Pull off some leaves, especially those that show signs of hosting mites. Scope when with your loupe or microscope, & see what’s living under those leaves. Eggs only? Some dead mites? Or living, moving mites? You need this info to see whether your efforts are working. If those leaves still have active mites running around, fornicating, etc, something isn’t working, or your interval (between sprays) is too long.
 

downhill21

Well-Known Member
Washed all plants with clean water (dehui distillate). With the air movement, RH & temps, I expect them to be dry in 45 minutes. I have the sprayer loaded with diluted kelp for a happy treat. Tonight or tomorrow, they get another Azamax treatment. Flowers still way too small to worry me about foliar sprays n mold. I have UV T5s I was going to install, but the mites have kept me busy. Gonna have to resort to my CFL lizard lights, which have in the past helped trichome development.
 
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