Spider mites what should I use.

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jonnynobody

Well-Known Member
ukdave said:
I can't vouch for Citric Acid but I can for Neme oil at about one teaspoon per half a litre of warm tap water, it will dispersed into the water with a few drops of dish soap otherwise you are probably wasting your time. I spray it under all the leaves where they live, but basically everywhere even over the soil and it completely eradicates spider mites every time without negatively affecting the plant. You can even use it a little way into flower. That's my limited experience. I get them if I leave my cuttings in the garden at certain time of year. Neme oil is so effective at killing the mites we have in this area that they no longer bother me if they turn up for lunch, assuming I spot them early.
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I struggle on getting my neem oil to emulsify. The directions call for 1.5tsp neem oil to .5 tsp emulsifier. At that strength I burned the hell out of my plants and it took them 3 days to recover. I watered at lights off. I even used a blender, heated the neem bottle in hot water, and used hot water. At 1tsp/quart + 1/2 tsp dr bronner's and blended for 45 seconds on medium. Nothing but foamy layer of neem oil at the top. I stirred with a whisk and nothing. Add another 1/2 tsp dr bronners and I get a beautiful cloudy emulsification. I only sprayed once so far several weeks ago and no damage occurred on the day of spraying or the following day. Is the dr bronner's weak stuff or am I doing something wrong here? As long as no damage happens I'll keep rolling with the recipe I'm using, but it just bugs me that I'm following the same directions I see everywhere with the dr bronner's and my mix never emulsifies until I bump up the ratio of soap. I'm using the Dyna Grow brand 100% cold pressed neem oil if that makes any difference.
 
U

ukdave

Well-Known Member
jonnynobody said:
I struggle on getting my neem oil to emulsify. The directions call for 1.5tsp neem oil to .5 tsp emulsifier. At that strength I burned the hell out of my plants and it took them 3 days to recover. I watered at lights off. I even used a blender, heated the neem bottle in hot water, and used hot water. At 1tsp/quart + 1/2 tsp dr bronner's and blended for 45 seconds on medium. Nothing but foamy layer of neem oil at the top. I stirred with a whisk and nothing. Add another 1/2 tsp dr bronners and I get a beautiful cloudy emulsification. I only sprayed once so far several weeks ago and no damage occurred on the day of spraying or the following day. Is the dr bronner's weak stuff or am I doing something wrong here? As long as no damage happens I'll keep rolling with the recipe I'm using, but it just bugs me that I'm following the same directions I see everywhere with the dr bronner's and my mix never emulsifies until I bump up the ratio of soap. I'm using the Dyna Grow brand 100% cold pressed neem oil if that makes any difference.
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Neme oil I purchased on eBay came by itself without an emulsifier, just as well by the sound of it. Just use ordinary washing up liquid, its a doddle, add one drop at a time and stir it up until it goes cloudy. It will also help stick to the leaves. If that doesn't work maybe its not Neme oil you bought. It has an an unmistakeable aroma.
 
J

jonnynobody

Well-Known Member
ukdave said:
Neme oil I purchased on eBay came by itself without an emulsifier, just as well by the sound of it. Just use ordinary washing up liquid, its a doddle, add one drop at a time and stir it up until it goes cloudy. It will also help stick to the leaves. If that doesn't work maybe its not Neme oil you bought. It has an an unmistakeable aroma.
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It's neem oil. Stinks to high hell. Can't say it tastes very good either when breathing it in while spraying. It doesn't seem to harm anything doing a full tsp of dr bronner's with 1 tsp neem oil so I'll keep rolling with that. I was doing some reading on neem and I came across a recipe for a basic insecticide soap using castile soap. It called for 1.5 tsp soap to 1 qt water. Just a basic smother spray. I might give that one a whirl also. I've been using some lemon balm plants in my garden outside as lab rats testing all my sprays on them before spraying on my high value plants. Don't wanna fry my ladies, but I won't lose any sleep over frying some lemon balm :)
 
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ukdave

Well-Known Member
jonnynobody said:
It's neem oil. Stinks to high hell. Can't say it tastes very good either when breathing it in while spraying. It doesn't seem to harm anything doing a full tsp of dr bronner's with 1 tsp neem oil so I'll keep rolling with that. I was doing some reading on neem and I came across a recipe for a basic insecticide soap using castile soap. It called for 1.5 tsp soap to 1 qt water. Just a basic smother spray. I might give that one a whirl also. I've been using some lemon balm plants in my garden outside as lab rats testing all my sprays on them before spraying on my high value plants. Don't wanna fry my ladies, but I won't lose any sleep over frying some lemon balm :)
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I take it you are trying to avoid detergents altogether because its a chemical rather than natural product? I just use what works cheapest because I can't afford to be selective and know it does no harm from experience.
 
J

jonnynobody

Well-Known Member
ukdave said:
I take it you are trying to avoid detergents altogether because its a chemical rather than natural product? I just use what works cheapest because I can't afford to be selective and know it does no harm from experience.
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Not necessarily. I've been told to avoid detergents like dawn ultra because it can burn the leaves. The basic dawn or palmolive (or any brand) that's just soap is perfect. Gentle on the plants. Cheap too. Usually $1-$2 for a bottle. Detergents are said to have harsh chemicals and dyes that the plant doesn't like. I'm pretty sure I over spent on this bottle of dr. bronner's. $1 bottle of dawn it is next time :)
 
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