UK growers - mite treatments?

Hi,

Been growing for over 12 years and time to time those spider mites come back with a vengence! Now I have read SO MANY threads around the forums on this issue and I know that a lot of the US growers use 'No Pest Strips' to eradicate mites. I have used pure Neem Oil in the past and I'm trying currently SMC (spider mite control) ... but it does not control them!

My question to fellow uk growers is this:

Whats on the market here and readily available as a treatment for mites in veg and early flowering? What actually WORKS? I know about the cycle of mites and the timings of treatments etc but I wonder if any of you have personally been succesful with a commercial mite product?

I used to use those sticky fly strip things a few years ago to trap fungas gnats and I never had mites when using them BUT they are just sticky strips so it must have been coincidence!

Any input most welcome, and thanks in advance

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Couple of products links, anyone tried them?

canadianexpressmite control

Spidermitecontrol SMC. This is the one I'm using atm. Smells of coriander oil but has little impact so far....anyone else?

Spray Safe works well. Kills mites on contact and does not hurt your leaves. Can respray a few times to catch any new lavae from eggs. Spray everything in the grow space with it, soil as well, walls etc.

man ive been thinking the same thing n ive tried the lot from no pest strips to sprays to predators and nowts shifted them. im going to shut down my perpetual and scrub down with bleach but i know its a matter of time before the little b@sterds are back

good luck.

Cheers for input Jonus, I'll have a search for spray safe and see what it says. I really thought that the SMC would do the job, but its no more effective than neem oil once they take hold. G&T, I'm currently working with a small long brush, every day to remove the little fu**ers, luckily I only have a couple of plants but like you say with a perpetual style grow its hard to break that cycle. I'm keeping them at bay, no webbing on the buds etc but there must be an easier way!!

The link you had above to the canadian express mite control is spray safe. Spray safe will kill them on contact. I sprayed mine once a week for 3 weeks and ended their little charade. Important to pull the plants out and put them up high so you can spray under every leaf, the stem and the top of the soil. Dont dilute it, just spray it straight from the bottle. Everything needs to be wiped down with spray safe, including spraying some on a clean rag and wiping down lightshades, the walls, pots, under the pot rims etc. Those suckers just love to hide in dark places.

Then repeat that once a week until there are no new eggs found. Good luck.

im close to napalm fella.

Jonus said:

The link you had above to the canadian express mite control is spray safe. Spray safe will kill them on contact. I sprayed mine once a week for 3 weeks and ended their little charade. Important to pull the plants out and put them up high so you can spray under every leaf, the stem and the top of the soil. Dont dilute it, just spray it straight from the bottle. Everything needs to be wiped down with spray safe, including spraying some on a clean rag and wiping down lightshades, the walls, pots, under the pot rims etc. Those suckers just love to hide in dark places.

Then repeat that once a week until there are no new eggs found. Good luck.

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Sorry, didnt realise you were refering to that! I ALMOST went for that before but decided to try the SMC as it was a bit cheaper! Well, it has to ge worth a shot then if you have used it and you're happy. I know its almost impossible to totally get rid once you have them but anything that helps keep them under control is good.

Whats the latest into flowering you have sprayed? I gave a treatment of SMC last week at 5 weeks 12/12, took it outdoors so they dried fast. No harm done at all to the buds but I still got those mites and I just dont want to risk keep spraying buds as they grow.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

G&T, they get to you like that Mrs came home and found me leaning over the plant, mag glass in one hand and paintbrush in the other I think it might be a bit of an obsession.

Yeah you just need to miss a couple of them or their eggs and they come back with vengeance. Catching infestations early is probably the biggest thing. Once the plants get hit hard with mite, they must give off an odor that just attracts more mite even if you got rid of the last lot.

Er latest into flowering, I won't switch to flowering if I have mite but I believe you can spray up to whenever you want with spraysafe. Whatever you feel is the best not to affect flavor. Mite can be defeated at veg if you can catch it before switching. Once you switch, well that sticky stuff is like crack to them.

hahaha its waaaaay past obsession fella im actually allergic to most things that bite wasps bees etc and would you believe it spider mites, comes up like nettle rash. little f@ckers...

post back if the spray safe works out man ive got a similar one buzz off or something i forget the name of. just culled the numbers didnt finish them off

Jonus said:

Er latest into flowering, I won't switch to flowering if I have mite but I believe you can spray up to whenever you want with spraysafe. Whatever you feel is the best not to affect flavor. Mite can be defeated at veg if you can catch it before switching. Once you switch, well that sticky stuff is like crack to them.

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I got caught out, I always spray as a precaution during veg with neem and its been ok for some time but they're back again!

A lot of US guys use the pest strips and seem to swear by them in flowering but I wanted to try something organic or at least less agressive but theyre so damn hard to beat.

Anyway, cheers jonas and DonG&T, I'll let you know how it goes.