Sound off on Spider Mite Prevention

[upinvapor]

Ok, so I have seen lots of threads on here and other forums about what to do once you get Spider Mites, but I was hoping to find out how to prevent them from ever getting into a crop. I am about to start my first grow. My veg and flower boxes will be in my spare bedroom. The flower chamber is 2' x 4' x 6' and the veg chamber is 2' x 2' x 4'. I would much rather take preventative measures than have to worry about getting rid of them after they have infested everything.

Anyone that has any info would be greatly appreciated. I am looking for the easiest most natural way to do it so I will not have to worry about hurting the crop. What does everyone around here use to help prevent spider mites and other bug infestations? Thanks ahead for your help!

 

[Droopy Dog]

Not growing at all is about the only sure fire way to prevent mites.

Do some on keeping a clean grow area, but nothing is going to be 100% in preventing mites.

DD

 

[Roseman]

This is a very important thread for all first time growers to see and I'm very glad to see it here.
On many grow sites I've seen a HELP I GOT SPIDER MITES new thread almost daily and very often when I see a new journal posted, I ask WHAT DID YOU DO TO PREVENT SPIDER MITES AND OTHER INSECTS, and most times they respond NOTHING.

I saw a new 1st timer here 3 weeks ago, he was asking for suggestions, and I asked him what did he do to prevent insects. He said he didn't need to do anything, he lived "the city" and had never had a bug in his house before. I asked him had he ever kept an area in his house warm and moist with high humidity and bright lights for 3 straight months before, and he replied NO. I also asked him did he wear the same shoes outdoors and then in his grow room. He got aggravated at me for urging him to do something. I unsubscribed. He'll learn the hard way.


We have lots of animals in our house, 2 cockitiels, a dozen finches, bearded dragons, geckos, turtles, a ferret, a dog and a cat. We asked our Vetanarian did he know what pesticide was safe for us to use in our house and he recommended Home Defense. He said he uses it and when it dries, it is safe for our pets but will kill any insect very fast.
It can be found at Lowes and Home Depot. I highly urge all growers to use a good safe pesticide on the doors, floor and walls of the grow area. I hear good and bad advice about No Pest Strips too, but I use one at the door of my grow room.

I also see new growers with soil grows (and unsterlized soil) and hydro grows in the same closet. I've seen hydro grow pics in the garage and they had shovels and the lawn mower and the garden tiller in the same pics.
When I bring in a screw driver or any necesary tools from my garage or barn, or outdoors to my closet, I wash them first before bringing them to the grow room. Larvae and bug eggs can be easily be brought to the grow room from outdoors and normally they would die but with the added extra Light, heat and humidity, they can thrive.

Shoes...........I never wear my outdoor shoes in the grow room. Shoes bring in pests and larvae too.

And last..... animals like dogs and cats can bring in larvae and pests, especially mites, from outdoors to the grow area and they should not be allowed in the area of the plants.

Pests have to be brought in someway, some how.

An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure..................and cheaper and easier too.

 

[ledtester]

Ok, so I have seen lots of threads on here and other forums about what to do once you get Spider Mites, but I was hoping to find out how to prevent them from ever getting into a crop. I am about to start my first grow. My veg and flower boxes will be in my spare bedroom. The flower chamber is 2' x 4' x 6' and the veg chamber is 2' x 2' x 4'. I would much rather take preventative measures than have to worry about getting rid of them after they have infested everything.

Anyone that has any info would be greatly appreciated. I am looking for the easiest most natural way to do it so I will not have to worry about hurting the crop. What does everyone around here use to help prevent spider mites and other bug infestations? Thanks ahead for your help!

upinvapor as you can see, lot's of preventative measures and advice to keep them out in the first place. probably the easiest way to get them is through unsterilized soil, so if your going to get clones from somewhere make sure they are not in soil. The other thing I would do before you start, make sure your grow area is clean and empty and then spray it down with some dish soap with water or neem oil and water, just to make sure you have notheing there to begin with.Then make sure everything that comes in is clean. If you really want to go all the way have clothes and footwear exclusively for your grow area. BTW if you do get clones in soil what you can do is spray them every 5 days for the first few weeks to try and kill them if they are there all ready.

 

[Tyrone Hamilton]

Good advice Roseman and ledtester,

I never had mites before I took a dirt plant mom from another grower. I think hydro might have a lower infection rate, especially DWC since it's so easy to completely clean the res.

Make sure you have neem oil on hand - that was the one thing I did right so I didn't let them get established on the plants.

One other thing that might be worth a thought - be careful if another grower looks at your grow - they would be the ones most likely to contaminate your area from something that has affected their plants.

 

[upinvapor]

Thank you very much everyone for the advice. I have read somewhere else that it can help prevent pests to plant other types of plants near or with your grow. I read that onion and garlic help keep spider mites away and basil is good for thrils. What do you guys think about that? Seems like a nice unobtrusive method..

Also, I found what you guys said about sterilizing soil to be very interesting and a good point. I am going to be growing with Foxfarm Ocean Forest that I bought a long time ago(About 3 years ago I bought seeds, lights and soil and foxfarm nutes- Grow Big, Big Bloom, and Tiger Bloom but never got around to growing with it) I have decided to go ahead and grow now and am planning to use the stuff I bought 3 years ago. I think I read that Foxfarm soil does not need to be sterilized. Do you guys think that it sitting in the unopened bag for 3 years will cause problems for me? Thanks again for your advice.