I'd be happy to tell you!!!
I think part of my problem IS I have 3 dogs in the house. They go outside. Pick up mites from outside and then come in the house. Once in the house they get passed along from dog to human clothuing and get a free ride into my grow area. This is just my guess at why I'm getting them mind you.
I am starting new grow rooms and they will be sterilzed before any plants go into them. BUT, I do have a new attack plan to lessen my chance of getting mites. Before anyone starts up the stairs shoes have to come off. Second, I bought some thin tyvek suits and those will also have to be worn before anyone starts up the stairs into the grow areas. I'm hoping this lessens the chance of me getting mites in the first place.
How do I battle mites when I do have them?
I have 3 products I use. AzaMax, Liquid Ladybug and Mighty Wash. Since I like you have a good amount of plants I purchased an atomizer sprayer to hit all my plants with. Turns any liquid into a fine mist and I hit my plants with that.
First I use the AzaMax, wait a day Then I hit them with the liquid ladybug and wait a day. Then I hit them with the mighty wash and wait a day and then repeat the whole process again. This way the mites don't get use to any one product.
I also feed my plants AzaMax, I have been using one ounce of AzaMax per 55 gallons. Seems to help fend off the mites and makes the plants a little less tasty. DO NOT use any of these items past the 3rd week of flower.
Hope this helps you!
Thank you. We are both on similar pages in the same book. I didn't want to elaborate that much to start but here goes with what I currently do. Firstly, no one enters the building where the growing is, period! Especially other growers. I got an Atomizer sprayer too, that was the single best thing I did to combat them. Nothing comes close to these when trying to spray every sq. centimeter of a plant's surfaces. I incorporated a shoe wash system that is a simple flat baking pan with like a 3/4" lip to hold liquid. In this I have a mat made from synthetic steel wool like the green part of a "scrunge" sponge. I use a 25% bleach solution in there and wipe my shoes every time. This saves from having designated shoes. I also have a set of jeans and a shirt I change into before entering. My chemistry is the one I listed before: Habanero Peppers, Garlic, Tobacco, Coffee, Olive Oil, Geranium extract. After having tried everything I could get my hands on, this seems to be the most effective and doesn't have the immunity factors. Besides, it is really cheap, can be used up to harvest and the plants actually like it. I make 5 gallons at a time and I share with several growers I know. They buy the materials, I do the brewing and it ends up costing us approximately $6.00/gallon (me zero). I "atomize every 2 weeks or so but if any appear, I do a regime like yours but use only the one concoction. I also add "goGnats" into my reservoirs (55 gallon). This stuff looks like fat floating on the surface but eventually gets dissolved. I even have a mixing wand I made from a paint mixer with the shaft extended so I can reach the bottom of the barrel and be able to thoroughly mix. I am on a "preventative" schedule. No mites or traces of them at all, then all of a sudden, Wham! They're back...
I believe the eggs lie dormant until something triggers their awakening. I don't know how else to describe it. Recently I got about 12-15 cuttings of some unknown but killer strain a grower acquaintance I know had. He is an outdoor guy and his bushes were quite overgrown. Deal was to help thin out the plants and I could get all the cuttings I wanted. I wouldn't normally have anything to do with this but I have tasted this strain and I know its' greatness and I wanted some especially for 1/2 hour's work. I do know better and had them quarantined in another location while the cuttings rooted. They were already into flowering so it took about 25 days to root. Anyway, this
should be sufficient time for any mites to rear their ugly heads. I thought that I was safe and besides, I checked them out thoroughly. Well, I wasn't thorough enough because about 3 days after bringing them into my nursery, I came in and one cutting was completely wilted over...dead. Upon close inspection, the familiar web was covering that poor babies top. Sure as $hit I had freeking mites! The others had the familiar spots; just a matter of time. They are also in with my Veg'd ladies that are about 1 week from taking them into the flower area, so I freaked out, atomized the $hit out of the entire room and said a silent prayer. They are gone (no signs) but not forgotten. All my fears came up again, reliving those earlier days when I was first infested. I just can't stand it. I have way too much invested in my grow situation. Forget the money (not really) but all the time already spent on what I have going. I keep a perpetual system where I take cuttings from the Veg'ing cuttings so that I don't need to keep mothers and can propagate a strain for years, typically 2 to 3 or when I get totally sick of that strain. Hasn't happened yet because I typically have 5-6 strains going at any given time.
I guess I was just so freaked out upon seeing these little bastards after having not seen them in many months. Your post about how you are battling them all the time took me there as misery loves company, and I am battling them now, all the time. I truly believe that even if one did everything humanly possible to beat them, we'd loose eventually. I think they are Homogeneous to the air....
I guess I hoped that you had stumbled upon some fantastic, miraculous cure, but alas, we're like on a similar page in the same book...
cca