Well I have a didgital co2 meter that registers to 10000ppm, I got room to 10000 ppm and held it there for five hours, low and behold spider mites still alive like nothing even slowed them down. People say this works, but I am having trouble getting them to die. I can get to 10000ppm in 18 minutes then holding it is no problem. Should I try longer time?? Expensive equipment just was hoping for suceess and not the bug spray bottle. Thanks for any input.
CO2 to kill mites
- Thread starter highmark
- Start date
High Highmark
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You will find solution to your spidermite problems here at one of our sponsors, Sierra Natural Science
SNS 217 MITE SPRAY
Good luck
Bassplayer
to You will find solution to your spidermite problems here at one of our sponsors, Sierra Natural Science
SNS 217 MITE SPRAY
Good luck
Bassplayer
- Thread starter
- #3
Why do you not want to spray?
All Sierra Natural Science products are 100% natural
Bassplayer
All Sierra Natural Science products are 100% natural
Bassplayer
- Thread starter
- #5
hard to get around in room, more chance to miss a spot. co2 seamed easy and for sure not going to miss any, if it works.
OgreMeister
New Member
Using CO2 to kill spider mites and any other insects in your grow can be very cheap and effective!
Things to consider first:
Do you have an air-tight room, if not can you seal off all or part of it?
Can the room be vented to the outside?
You will have to have circulating fans because CO2 is heavier than air and will settle to the floor quite rapidly if not circulated.
You will need a PPM counter or use cubic foot math equations to figure out how much to use.
You will most likely have to do it 2-4 times for total kill.
I've heard PPM (parts per million) of 5000-20,000 for 1-4 hours will kill pests, I have no idea what PPM level is required for each type of pest we may encounter in our grows. I like to do things once and make sure things are dead so I go 50,000+ (See below Dangers of CO2)
What I have done:
Plants up to 48" tall, I enclose in large garbage bags squeeze out as much air as possible (without harming the plant inside) slide a 1/4" line from my CO2 regulator into the top and fill the bag like a balloon then tie it off tightly and let it sit for a couple hours. This raises the CO2 PPM level in the bag to 400,000-700,000 PPM (40-70% CO2!) this is unsurvivable and will kill any and I mean ANY insects trapped inside. I do not know or think this will kill unhatched eggs so I repeat every 2 days until I have passed the life cycle (Hatch, Mature, Lay Eggs) of the pests being eradicated.
I have opened four 42 gallon garbage bags full of this mix at one time in a 20x12x8 room and did not have any high level CO2 symptoms, my PPM meter maxes at 5000 PPM and didn't hit 5000 until I opened the 4th bag.
For larger plants or a room use plastic sheeting and a good tape such as Tyvek Tape to seal it off and flood with CO2, have a fan to recirculate confined area for a few hours and then vent out the CO2.
Make sure you are able to vent this to the outside!
CO2 is 100% non harmful to your plants and during light times it is greatly beneficial, although levels above 1500 PPM are not used by the plant.
DANGERS!!
Although CO2 is 100% non toxic it DOES displace oxygen and can SUFFOCATE you!
The MSDS for CO2 states that levels up to 30,000 PPM (3%) can be worked in for 15 minutes at a time
At 40,000 PPM (4%) it is immediately hazardous to you health or life.
If you inhale too much CO2, initial symptoms are- Headache, nausea, dizziness. If you encounter any one of these get to fresh air as soon as possible and the symptoms will dissipate rapidly.
CO2 is heavier than air and will settle in lower areas (especially basements) if they are not properly ventilated.
This should cost you between $20-$100 to accomplish, much cheaper than a bunch of Neem oil applications
.
CO2 can be purchased at just about any welding gas supply shop, you can always tell them it's for a Keg refrigerator in your man cave if you worry about being questioned
Hopefully this helps someone out there, I'm open to any suggestions or other findings as well!
Use caution, have a friend nearby and most of all use common sense and CO2 can be a very safe, non toxic and effective way of killing those nasty mites or any other insects in your grow
Things to consider first:
Do you have an air-tight room, if not can you seal off all or part of it?
Can the room be vented to the outside?
You will have to have circulating fans because CO2 is heavier than air and will settle to the floor quite rapidly if not circulated.
You will need a PPM counter or use cubic foot math equations to figure out how much to use.
You will most likely have to do it 2-4 times for total kill.
I've heard PPM (parts per million) of 5000-20,000 for 1-4 hours will kill pests, I have no idea what PPM level is required for each type of pest we may encounter in our grows. I like to do things once and make sure things are dead so I go 50,000+ (See below Dangers of CO2)
What I have done:
Plants up to 48" tall, I enclose in large garbage bags squeeze out as much air as possible (without harming the plant inside) slide a 1/4" line from my CO2 regulator into the top and fill the bag like a balloon then tie it off tightly and let it sit for a couple hours. This raises the CO2 PPM level in the bag to 400,000-700,000 PPM (40-70% CO2!) this is unsurvivable and will kill any and I mean ANY insects trapped inside. I do not know or think this will kill unhatched eggs so I repeat every 2 days until I have passed the life cycle (Hatch, Mature, Lay Eggs) of the pests being eradicated.
I have opened four 42 gallon garbage bags full of this mix at one time in a 20x12x8 room and did not have any high level CO2 symptoms, my PPM meter maxes at 5000 PPM and didn't hit 5000 until I opened the 4th bag.
For larger plants or a room use plastic sheeting and a good tape such as Tyvek Tape to seal it off and flood with CO2, have a fan to recirculate confined area for a few hours and then vent out the CO2.
Make sure you are able to vent this to the outside!
CO2 is 100% non harmful to your plants and during light times it is greatly beneficial, although levels above 1500 PPM are not used by the plant.
DANGERS!!
Although CO2 is 100% non toxic it DOES displace oxygen and can SUFFOCATE you!
The MSDS for CO2 states that levels up to 30,000 PPM (3%) can be worked in for 15 minutes at a time
At 40,000 PPM (4%) it is immediately hazardous to you health or life.
If you inhale too much CO2, initial symptoms are- Headache, nausea, dizziness. If you encounter any one of these get to fresh air as soon as possible and the symptoms will dissipate rapidly.
CO2 is heavier than air and will settle in lower areas (especially basements) if they are not properly ventilated.
This should cost you between $20-$100 to accomplish, much cheaper than a bunch of Neem oil applications
.
CO2 can be purchased at just about any welding gas supply shop, you can always tell them it's for a Keg refrigerator in your man cave if you worry about being questioned
Hopefully this helps someone out there, I'm open to any suggestions or other findings as well!
Use caution, have a friend nearby and most of all use common sense and CO2 can be a very safe, non toxic and effective way of killing those nasty mites or any other insects in your grow
Your numbers are wrong.
It takes 100,000...not 10,000PPM.
A human could breathe in 10,000-20,000ppm all day and not even notice it.
CDC - NIOSH 1988 OSHA PEL Project Documentation: List by Chemical Name: CARBON DIOXIDE
FIRST OF ALL.....***this is very dangerous, and breathing in these concentrations can be fatal!***
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PROPER VENTILATION!!!!
if you want to kill mites: 100,000ppm for 30 minutes.
David Bowman
New Member
I wouldn't even attempt that unless it was an hermetically sealed environment. There is a walk-in freezer at my wife's workplace and one night when it broke down, someone, stupidly, decided to keep it cold by puttin in some dry ice. After a while, people would enter for a bit and come out feeling light-headed. Finally someone went in and fainted not realizing the danger that existed. You can die of suffocation in a matter of minutes in such an environment.
I have used Monterey Garden Insect Spray with Spinosad and Monterey All Natural 3 in 1 Garden Insect Spray to kill spider mites. I add 3-5 drops per gallon of Ivory Liquid Soap as a surfactant to help the spray stick to leaves and stems better. I spray every 3 days alternating the 2 Monterey products for 2 weeks to kill adults and larvae as they hatch. Sierra Natural Sciences also makes 2 products to kill spider mites SNS-217C Concentrate and SNS-209 Systemic Insect Control.
https://ozbo.com Monterey Garden Insect Spray
https://ozbo.com All Natural 3 in 1 Garden Insect Spray
https://ozbo.com Monterey Garden Insect Spray
https://ozbo.com All Natural 3 in 1 Garden Insect Spray
OMRI Listed Spider Mite Control. SNS - 217c Spider Mite Control
Benefits of using our Spider Mite Control: Kills all mites and their eggs, ending the life cycle. OMRI Listed for Organic Gardening
sierranaturalscience.com
OMRI Listed - 209 Systemic Pest Control
OMRI Listed for Organic Gardening. 209 Systemic Pest Control is a preventative pest control for your plants. Creates a protective barrier around your plant.
sierranaturalscience.com
SoverignHuman
New Member
So a question to all, I could use some advice from an experienced individual! I have a broad-mite pest problem in an outdoor setup, my intention is to bag each individual bush with a large banana bag at sundown tight around the stock, compress as much as safely possible to remove air and pump the bags full of CO2 gassing the plants. I was first thinking of simply purchasing a lot of dry ice and placing it in a high trey within the bagged plants, though I foresee it not being cost effective and will likely end up getting a tank.
Is this even feasible with an outdoor setup? What might be the costs for treating 20 medium-large plants? Oh and most importantly I am well into flower and am concerned with ill effects on the buds.
Not too many folks speak on outdoor problems and solutions so any advice or referral would be much appreciated.
hi i have a sealed room infested with spider mite. Having read about co2 to rid them I tried with no luck . I started by dosing until I reached 10000ppm and held it at this level for an hr . I than doubled the amount I dosed for 2hrs . I than increased the volume again for 3hrs. (note I dont know what ppm this resulted in as my meter only goes to 10000). Finally I lollypopped the plants and defoliated the large shade leaves in an attempt to ensure I had maximum air flow and emptied a 10kg co2 cylinder into a 15ft *4 *7 over a period of 8 hrs and they still were alive. The plants themselves seemed ok, apart from the humidity spiking. I found an article where tests were done and the concentrations had to get to 30% before killing the mites unfortunately this also killed some of the plants. So im back to flea bombs, the co2 would have been great if it had worked as I wouldnt have to cover or remove some of my electrical appliances as the flea bombs damage sensors printed boards etc.
dmteears
New Member
Have in the past and currently using CO2 for pest eradication. First wash plant gently with water, rinsing away critters eggs saliva and debri .Use a sealable container,(trash can w/ lid or trash bag) put plant in can in the shade.(so you don't cook the plant) ,fill with CO2 (be careful not to spray CO2 stream directly at plant you will give it Frost bite) let it sit with lid on for hour with lid on gently add more. Easy lighter test if it won't light or goes out at top of can your good. Repeat fill 2_3 times leave over night top off again another over night. Everything animal in that can is dead by 48 hours. The plants love this they rise up and pray at the lights afterwards. do this for 2 or 3 weekends . Save money on CO2 use pieces plastic metal or paper and tape pipe and makeshift lid . The higher concentration and longer duration the better. Do this outside CO2 is a silent killer and takes you out without warning you won't get a headache or dizzy as a warning you go down and out on the ground where the highest concentration is. Be safe be smart this stuff suffocates bugs in hours and days but but can kill you in a couple minutes.
dmteears
New Member
I Have not observed any adverse affects of CO2 overdose on plants.
