SoilGirl's Indoor Organic Soil Medical Grow Journal - Mars II 1600 & Other LEDs

[SoilGirl]

I just looked them up ... definitely!! Definitely predator mites. Hahaha aren't I the lucky grower (I probably just created such pest friendly conditions that whenever a predator was brought in it was like a buffet table - but hey, it worked out, didn't it?)

Thanks for the info doc, yeah you're right, I just had to think for a second because I've never seen them side by side, I know both are tiny, but yeah those spider mites are like itty bitty specks. These ones are pretty big and fast. And yeah, no telltale damage on my leaves, hardly any damage at all (a few gnat salads can be found, holes in my leaves, but not much).... So cool. lol. I feel like dancing, I was stressing over pest control pretty hard after that IPM video lol.


So anyways guys - I'm preparing my first No-Till LOS 10 Gallon pot of soil (kinda on accident. I was mixing seedling soil, and worms fell in, so now I'm just going to go for a No-Till haha - hopefully with either a Blue Blood or a OG Kush PR topped clone flux- wouldn't that be something )
and I have living mulch (a clover and some other stuff mix) on the way, and I put in an order for some 8 pounds of crustacean meal that might take a while but it'll get here eventually.

 

[drcannabi]

Hey soilgirl, can you link the living mulch you bought. I think that's my next step

Thanks

 

[SoilGirl]

doc I don't think I'm allowed to put links up for non-sponsored sales-stuff. So I'll just tell you I got it at buildasoil dot com

 

[COorganics]

If you are going for the living organic soil that the guys who came up with it (not me!) designed,
You want approximately 1/3 OM, 1/3 aeration ammendments, and 1/3 peat (or leaf mold, which we are all working on)+ amendments and rock dusts.

Most everyone uses the CC mix as the accepted recipe. It is certainly the best way to get started.

Los notes - Blogs - 420 Magazine ®

It's also suggested to source things locally when you can, I'd suggest driving to the store in montrose someday. You could call Jeremy and ask him what he would do if he was you and transitioning into growing in a living organic soil, you should! He wouldn't mind! You can make substitutions with inputs to your soil mix, you just want to know what you're subbing for what, and why. This really is a master soil mix, and it has been tested and stood the test of time. Once people grow a run in LOS, they don't look back. It's also very important to note that this is a specific whole style of organic growing, and some say a lifestyle too. LOS shouldn't be confused with other methods of organic growing. It is what it is, and it's great.

 

[COorganics]

One thing you are certainly missing is the equal part mixture of neem/kelp/crab. This is more than fertilizer (which it is), it provides another function as pest control.

They talk a lot about chitin in the radio show, and how chitin is converted to chitinase and combats soil born insects. Bad ass mix for globally mixing into soil mix as well as top dressing a little a few times per cycle.

Check it out!

 

[Teddy Edwards]

I have living mulch (a clover and some other stuff mix) on the way, and I put in an order for some 8 pounds of crustacean meal .

I imagine your postman absolutely loves you.

 

[drcannabi]

Hi soilgirl,

Thanks,

I love that site. Bought my new microbeman AACT brewer from them. The more you look the more you realize just how small and intertwined the LOS community is.

 

[Gfcollective]

Predatory Mites - or Not?

So here are those red looking things! (they're surprisingly fast when you're chasing them around with a zoomed-in camera hahaha)

A verdict? Predator or problem? :S they sure look mean to me either way lol. I hope you guys can see the legs in the pics.

P.S. > OMG my floor is dirty. That cracks me up, in a guilty sort of way, because I was just laughing about Adam Dunn's show saying "A lot of people just think organic growing is dirty growing" >.< But I don't want to go sweep up predator mites! hmmm...

And actually. I was paying attention and, there's lots of other bugs in there too, not all good I'm sure, but they seem kept well in balance..

hey soilgirl! nice to see your excited! haha

yes they are extremely mean lookin. google a image of them and you may scream like i did hahaha

you would need a 50x micro pic to make sure they are predator mites, but from the looks and sounds it is indeed them

Predator mites are about 2-4 times the size of regular mites, they are almost fully red with a hint or look like they have a brown mixed in with them. they are very fast for their size, they dont populate as fast as spider mites, but they do populate fast like all spiders. just in a month you wont have your garage taken over by them unless you have a insane case of mites. i do believe they eat on other small pests like thirp eggs (check me on this please) so as long as they stay to your garden area they are your best friend. if they end up inside the house i would check your house plants for possible pests, as they tend to only go where a food source is.

i still remember when my grower buddy told me about predator mites, i looked em up online and was like "o no no" haha, but again, i live in a small house and my flower tent is 2 feet behind my couch ha

I&i

 

[SoilGirl]

If you are going for the living organic soil that the guys who came up with it (not me!) designed,
You want approximately 1/3 OM, 1/3 aeration ammendments, and 1/3 peat (or leaf mold, which we are all working on)+ amendments and rock dusts.

Most everyone uses the CC mix as the accepted recipe. It is certainly the best way to get started.

Los notes - Blogs - 420 Magazine ®

It's also suggested to source things locally when you can, I'd suggest driving to the store in montrose someday. You could call Jeremy and ask him what he would do if he was you and transitioning into growing in a living organic soil, you should! He wouldn't mind! You can make substitutions with inputs to your soil mix, you just want to know what you're subbing for what, and why. This really is a master soil mix, and it has been tested and stood the test of time. Once people grow a run in LOS, they don't look back. It's also very important to note that this is a specific whole style of organic growing, and some say a lifestyle too. LOS shouldn't be confused with other methods of organic growing. It is what it is, and it's great.

As far as Jeremy, I'd love to and I think I will thank you for reminding me!

One thing you are certainly missing is the equal part mixture of neem/kelp/crab. This is more than fertilizer (which it is), it provides another function as pest control.

They talk a lot about chitin in the radio show, and how chitin is converted to chitinase and combats soil born insects. Bad ass mix for globally mixing into soil mix as well as top dressing a little a few times per cycle.

Check it out!

Yeah thanks so much CO! I already saw that mix of CC's posted on your no-bottles-organics thread. So far whats in my little LOS pot is about a 5 gallon base of 3 parts SS#4, 1 part FFOF, 1 part perlite, a few small scoops of yum yum mix and excellerite/azomite, and then a layer above that of wet leaves and perlite I mixed together.... my thoughts were, as the new worms I added (I put more in today) ate the leaves and turned them to castings, they'd lose a lot of aeration and compact too much.

Yes - I Definitely need some neem cake and kelp meal. I was going to order some ahimsa neem cake but its just a little too much for me, it would overdraft my card lol. That's my next priority. But one thing at a time.

I imagine your postman absolutely loves you.

My post lady you mean and we actually are friends - in passing at least. She knows all our dogs' names, and comes to the door to ask for my help when its something heavy like dog food. (We order tons of stuff. my dad is in love with amazon haha, he hates shopping in stores. Its kinda crazy lol.) hahaha

Hi soilgirl,

Thanks,

I love that site. Bought my new microbeman AACT brewer from them. The more you look the more you realize just how small and intertwined the LOS community is.

Hahaha you're very welcome, that's funny you mention the small LOS world, because I found their sites through CO's links and I already knew they gave quality service and products from Sue's high praise

hey soilgirl! nice to see your excited! haha

yes they are extremely mean lookin. google a image of them and you may scream like i did hahaha

you would need a 50x micro pic to make sure they are predator mites, but from the looks and sounds it is indeed them

Predator mites are about 2-4 times the size of regular mites, they are almost fully red with a hint or look like they have a brown mixed in with them. they are very fast for their size, they dont populate as fast as spider mites, but they do populate fast like all spiders. just in a month you wont have your garage taken over by them unless you have a insane case of mites. i do believe they eat on other small pests like thirp eggs (check me on this please) so as long as they stay to your garden area they are your best friend. if they end up inside the house i would check your house plants for possible pests, as they tend to only go where a food source is.

i still remember when my grower buddy told me about predator mites, i looked em up online and was like "o no no" haha, but again, i live in a small house and my flower tent is 2 feet behind my couch ha

I&i

Lmao you rock Gfc. Yeah I googled them and found a really well-done video someone took of a predator mite attack on spider mites lol. It was crazy :O they remind me of ticks zoomed in. GROSS. Ticks are my worst nightmare. Them and those f***ing giant red wasps they have in texas. But thats another story lol.

I am 100% sure these are predator mites after seeing them in the video, I've been sitting in my veg room for like two hours today hahahaha, just watching them under my magnifying glass. Its honestly kind of fascinating. They DO go after the grey things I was talking about, and also gnats! I watched one group of predator mites storm into my mulch layer on Diesel and a couple adult gnats flew out; and then I looked closer, they were munching their eggs! These mites are probably entirely responsible for me not having a gnat infestation hahaha.

Hope today's been lovely for everyone here - as it has been for me

 

[COorganics]

I think the little red mites are totally awesome. When I had aphids all over the place I watched two of the red mites tearing into one aphid. It was like wolves vs wounded elk on the wild channel. Nature is beautiful, brutal, and amazing, all at the same time.

I bet you have quite the nat geo special going on under your magnifying glass.

 

[SoilGirl]

CO, my back hurts from bending over to watch the show. It really is cool. My predator mites are pretty darn predatory, they really do work like wolves. The grey things I was talking about are like 4-5 times bigger than the mites, but 2-3 mites usually just chase them through my straw or over the floor until one bites on, and slows it down, then the others get it too, and like you said! Brutal! I even saw a young gnat just opening up its wings - then wham! a mite just zooms across a whole length of straw (which looked like a real stretch under the glass!) and starts tearing in. I was happy lol. Gnats, I really don't like.

Hahahaha I definitely created a gnat breeding ground - so maybe using leaf-straw mulch that's always wet won't work for everyone, but sometimes, not always, sometimes... bringing the outdoors indoors can work out.

 

[B A R]

Congrats on the Red Predatory Mites SoulGirl...

 

[SBG]

Lots of great info on here as usual.

Thanks for the info on the mites. I'm hoping my mites are behind me now. just wondering if anyone has used a product called spotless from a Australian company called CX hydroponics it came with a recommendation from the grow store I go to.

 

[SoilGirl]

Congrats on the Red Predatory Mites SoulGirl...

Hahaha its a party in the veg room Reg. Thank you!

Lots of great info on here as usual.

Thanks for the info on the mites. I'm hoping my mites are behind me now. just wondering if anyone has used a product called spotless from a Australian company called CX hydroponics it came with a recommendation from the grow store I go to.

Not me SBG, never heard of that one. Sorry. Maybe someone else who has will come along though.

Thanks for coming by!

 

[drcannabi]

Lots of great info on here as usual.

Thanks for the info on the mites. I'm hoping my mites are behind me now. just wondering if anyone has used a product called spotless from a Australian company called CX hydroponics it came with a recommendation from the grow store I go to.

Hi SBG,

I had spider mites my first and second grow. I tried every product the grow shop had but they kept coming back.

The product that killed them permanently in 2 applications (never had then since) was Mite-Rid. The bottle is at home so I'm not sure about the company. But they are an Australian company. 34 bucks is what I paid for just a couple ounces from amazon.

I killed my mites, my buddies mites, and still have a 3/4 of the bottle. There is NOTHING that I've found that can hold a candle to Mite-Rid.

Do yourself a favor and just get it.

 

[Gfcollective]

there should be a predator mite emoticon haha.

maybe not, could be scary!

I&i

 

[SBG]

there should be a predator mite emoticon haha.

maybe not, could be scary!

I&i

I've seen enough already don't need them on here as well.

 

[SoilGirl]

there should be a predator mite emoticon haha.

maybe not, could be scary!

I&i

I've seen enough already don't need them on here as well.

Lol nuh uh! you've seen lots of Spider Mites. Not Predator Mites! Or you wouldn't be having any problems

LOL. an emoticon of a couple red dots with eyes on a sick pot leaf, then a bigger red dot with teeth comes and eats them, and the leaf turns green; ehem, emoticon department, are you listening? this is gold!

 

[SoilGirl]

Hi SBG,

I had spider mites my first and second grow. I tried every product the grow shop had but they kept coming back.

The product that killed them permanently in 2 applications (never had then since) was Mite-Rid. The bottle is at home so I'm not sure about the company. But they are an Australian company. 34 bucks is what I paid for just a couple ounces from amazon.

I killed my mites, my buddies mites, and still have a 3/4 of the bottle. There is NOTHING that I've found that can hold a candle to Mite-Rid.

Do yourself a favor and just get it.

Thanks for speaking up doc! Sounds like a good mite killer. Seems like all of us have our mite remedies. I'm excited to start trying some organic IPM with neem, kelp, and crustacean meals in the future, if you didn't listen to that organic IPM talk CO posted here the other day I highly recommend it!

 

[SoilGirl]

So... I think I'm having an issue in my ghetto-fab clone dome. I think I have some algae growing in there that aren't good for my clones. I think I need to clorox the thing. Might help. we'll see.... I'll do a clone update tomorrow... for now I'll be back with some veg plant pics in a few.

I also found some mealy bugs on the spearmint and on the thyme, which were making their way onto OG Kush PR's new growth up top. I took the OG out from under the t5 and drenched the new growth in neem oil, they were teeny tiny, but I found them with my magnifying glass after finding some deformed tiny new leaves. now she's all dry and looks very pest-less. I'm not worried anymore, I took the spearmint and the big long box planter with the thyme, parsley and whatever else out of my grow room haha, back to the window sill they go. I also inspected all my other plants, there were a few on little Ghost OG #2, got them, and that was it. - I think my predatory mites couldn't find all of them haha, they were killing them on some tips and leaving them on others, these mealybugs were so teeny tiny they were able to crawl inside the tiniest budlets of the new growth.

Alright I'll be back with some pics in a sec.