Mag. Def & Neem Oil

smurfette

smurfette

New Member
My girls have developed a Magnesium deficiency over the last 2 or 3 days... evident by the leaves. I've tested the soil PH this morning & it's 7.25-7.3. I'm wondering whether this is a little on the high side & should really be 6.5 ish for optimum Mag absorption from Nutes? I have some PH down which I put into a feedd, usually just x2 drops for every 4 litres... maybe I need to double this...

Anyhow, in the meantime I'm going to pop up the road to my local chemist now & get some Epsom salts ready for a foliar spray after lights out later this evening. I was going to use 2 small teaspoons of Epsom for 0.5 litres of water for 3-4 days & then re-assess... how does this sound?


I also seem to have the beginnings of a spider mite problem... I've just got some pure Neem oil & have found some advice on the web via another community... I've tried to copy & past the link but 420 corrupts it! (Does 420 not allow you to post links???)


Does a mix of:

1 litre warm water
8ml cold-pressed Neem oil
5ml liquid soap

seem a good way to go? This is my first grow so any advice / guidance is much appreciated!!! :Namaste:
 
The Ph of your soil is high I would try and get it down to 6.5 to 7.0. Not sure on your foliar spray ratio for your Mg def. sounds like it would be too much to me.


As for the mites I would try SNS217
 
Hi HMG, thank you for your thoughts / advice. I didn't read your post last night until after I'd completed the foliar spray... I made a mix of 2 small tsp of Epsom in boiled water, then laet the water cool to look warm & PH tested before I sprayed them (PH was just under 7.0, probably 6.9.) I also dropped the lights down last night to about 1.5 ft over the tallest one. I've looked in on them tonight & some of the leaves are still showing what seems to be a Mag deficiency. A friend said I should do the Epsom foliar spray for 3-4 days concurrently & re-assess then... have you used Epsom salts before for a Mag deficiency?

I'm not sure how to get my PH down... I'm using an 'Essentials' Hydroponics PH down product every time I feed / water... maybe I need to increase the amount I'm using a little. Isn't there also something about lemon & vinegar... lemon increases acidity & vinegar increases alkalinity... so I guess I could try some fresh lemon juice next time I water, but this won't be for a few days now... can I use lemon juice as a foliar spray to increase acidity?

I've looked at the link you shared re spider mite treatment... have you had any experience of this? I'm a bit dubious... I haven't seen anywhere that Rosemary is an effective spider mite treatment. I got some pure Neem oil yesterday & I've ordered some Pink Sun plant oils gentle liquid horticultural soap which I thought I'd mix up with some chilli powder... not sure when to use this though as I've just given them one foliar spray for something else entirely... not sure whether to foliar spray with Epsom again tonight for the Mag defic or just plain water in preparation for a Neem spray in the next day or 2.

I've also noticed this eve, whilst removing some yellow curling crispy bottom leaves, that the stalks have fine purple lines running down the length of them & some of the leaf stems are purple... is this just the genetics of the plants (Strawberry Bubble)...???

So many Q's... I feel like a worried mother rushing home after work each day to see how my girls are doing!
 
smurfette said:
Hey HomeMed... I take that back about the SNS217... it's got some glowing reports on here! I like HogDaddy's description of his observations post SNS217 spray:
My Experience Using Sierra Natural Science Spider Mite Spray
I'll see how I get on with the Neem oil & the plant based liquid soap now that I've invested in it... SNS217 is always there as a back up now that you have enlightened me... thanks again... muchly!
Click to expand...

Having 3 dogs I deal with spider mites from time to time and they can be difficult to deal with. I've done my fair share of research on the mite matter lol

The product I use is AzaMax...it's liquid neem oil. Easier to work with I promise!

If your plants are bigger you'll want to tie the lower branches and pull them toward the middle of the plant. Once the plants is fully covered the leaves get heavy and weigh branches down A LOT!

I drench the plants from top to bottom. Make sure the under part of the leaves get hit with it as well. I put a plastic tarp on the floor and let the plants drip on the tarp instead of in the tent or on the carpet. Make sure you turn off your grow lights for a couple of hours. The neem oil will spot the leaves if the lights are left on. Once the neem oil has dried you can turn the lights back on. I also hit my carpeting with the neem oil infront of the door leading into the room..hey it can't hurt I figure.

After I have sprayed ALL the plants (any plant) in the house I set a bug bomb off in the growing room.

Spider Mites lay eggs of course. from what I have read and been told at 65 degrees those eggs will hatch in 5 to 7 days. at 70 to 73 they will hatch in 3 days. With that said.......hit the plants again in another two days. Hit them every two days for at least a week and keep a daily watch on them for at least two weeks to make sure they don't come back.

If your still in veg your're in good shape. If your in flower and you've been in flower for more then a few weeks you'll need a different product.

Hope this helps......god I hate spider mites!
 
RoyalQueenSeeds has recently become a sponsor. I wonder if we can link their website? They have a wonderful and descriptive write up on mixing Neem.

I use cold pressed and have for years with great success. 1 tsp Neem / 1 liter of water/ 6-12 drops of plant based surfactant.

For soap/surfactant, be sure it is plant based and free of dyes and perfumes. I use Ecos Free&Clear dish soap. It is the 1st soap i found that does not hurt my leaves with weekly applications.

We also have a sponsor @SierraNaturalScience that has a collection of pesticides if mixing seems to dicey to deal with. Their mix still needs to be mixed with water
 

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