Spider mites 2 weeks from harvest

[keith1975]

I got some iso! Not easy to get! Im going 4-1, with 1 part iso, 4 parts water. So my 5 liter sprayer is going to get 1 liter of iso, and 4 liters of water. That sound good?

Also, if i make 5 liters, i can let it stand there and then use it over and over, right?

 

[keith1975]

Not really
Every plant I harvest I wash the plant first. Every branch gets submerged in water and shaken around. This does not affect the trichomes, oils or potency whatsoever. I have never once gotten mildew or mold either. A little bit of circulation until it drives out and your golden. I've never had spider mites but I wash all of my plants because even on indoor grows you would be shocked to see the amount of dust and dirt that comes off of our plants.

How do you wash it before harvesting? Just hose it down with water?

 

[keith1975]

so here’s my final gameplan:

1. Use my 2 liter sprayer, mixed 1 part iso, 9 parts water, to spray all plants, including leaves, under leaves, colas, everything. Even my seedling thats only days old.

2. Throw Diatomaceous earth on the soil of all plants, but also sprinkle it all over the plant.

3. Let my more powerful fan blow on each plant for a few mins.

That all sound good? Particularly point 1?

 

[nivek]

Make sure you dilute the iso 1:10 with water or you'll melt your trichomes.

where did this info come from???

iso and water,, a 50/50 mix. and that is if starting with 91%alcohol,,

one wants half of the mix to be iso alc.

some iso comes 50% already,, use straight outa da bottle,,

cheers

 

[InTheShed]

I got some iso! Not easy to get! Im going 4-1, with 1 part iso, 4 parts water. So my 5 liter sprayer is going to get 1 liter of iso, and 4 liters of water. That sound good?
Also, if i make 5 liters, i can let it stand there and then use it over and over, right?

You can use it over and over. Not 1:4, 1:10.

Throw Diatomaceous earth on the soil of all plants, but also sprinkle it all over the plant.

Not on the plant. You don't want DE on your buds at all.

where did this info come from???
iso and water,, a 50/50 mix. and that is if starting with 91%alcohol,,
one wants half of the mix to be iso alc.
some iso comes 50% already,, use straight outa da bottle,,
cheers

99% iso alcohol will completely melt your trichomes. Unless someone has done study to demonstrate the highest dilution that won't melt your trichomes, why are you risking it for some bugs. An approximate 10% solution will kill the mites.

 

[nivek]

99% iso alcohol will completely melt your trichomes. Unless someone has done study to demonstrate the highest dilution that won't melt your trichomes, why are you risking it for some bugs. An approximate 10% solution will kill the mites.

i could not disagree more,, i may only call myself a scientist, because i like to pretend,, but, if you read my thread, i did do a test,,

and another,, and another.

10% will not kill the buggers,, not even close,, maybe one, one with a reduced immune deficiency , but not many more

and a 50% mix does not melt the trichomes,, not one bit,, and if there is the teeniest bit of melting, which there is not,, but if there was,, the good stuff would stay behind after the alcohol evaporated,, and most likely be even way more powerful,, haha,, kidding about that part

these bugs are basically impossible to eradicate,, under less than ultimate ideal conditions,, so don't waste time trying to kill em all,, never will,,

instead,, find a healthy balance,, persistence is the only way to keep em under control,, and unless you wear booties and a mask every time you go in there,, oh, and have a shower first,,

 

[InTheShed]

I know that newty and Van Stank both successfully use a 1:10 iso mix, and I also know that if you theoretically melted the trichome heads they would drip off the plant.

1:9 or 1:10 is what is recommended on gardening sites for bugs and they don't even have trichomes to consider!
Does Rubbing Alcohol Hurt Plants When Used for Pests?

 

[nivek]

well,, @InTheShed ,,you are much too nice a person to have even the slightest disagreement with,, no question shedster,, cheers,

however,, just the quickest search about using iso alc to kill bugs,, just reading the headlines,, i see near nothing but a one to one mixture suggested

and several for even stronger

i will use my experience tho,, i did all the research first, and made up my own mind,, 50/50 works

cheers

 

[InTheShed]

LOL! Thanks nivek . I just wanted to stay on the safe side and since it worked for newty and Van I figured it would work for keith. I did see some 50/50 mix recommendations...but the trichomes! Think of the trichomes!

Some day I'll take some "spare" buds and do a test dunk in various dilutions...for science!

 

[nivek]

i hear ya,, some possible damage, no question,, no guarantees in this world,,

never would i suggest spraying to the point of dripping all over,, makes much too much of a mess

use a good sprayer, a fine mist,, spray on,, leave a few minutes then turn on the fans

my method,, and i am not winning,, it's a tie

 

[InTheShed]

LOLOL!

 

[Growingasmile]

I literally just saw it now. I noticed the buds looked great, but smelled a bit off. Some were great, but not this one specific plant. I'll send pics in a bit, but with two weeks from harvest, break it to me easy:

1. Can I salvage this plant or is it time to chuck it?
2. I've got an insecticide and neem oil. Will post exactly what I have in a sec, but any advice on how to act fast, please let me know!

(from a very sad first time grower...)

p.s. I know this has probably got to do with my humidity etc...

I have seen people wash their plants in the tub to attempt to save them and it worked but you've got to be careful water+buds=mildew

 

[keith1975]

I am using stuff that smells like a hospital. I think it's 99% if not 100%. No jokes. So I started with 9-1. Going to go check it out in a bit and report back. If the bugs are there, and no melted colas, I will have to follow @nivek's footsteps and slowly up the ante.

Also, I just read that Rosemary is a good companion plant to fight mites. Dill and Coriander as well. So I might add a few of those plants.

But what was very interesting, that I have not read anywhere else before, is that people use Rosemary with Water to create an organic spray. See here: Efficacy and persistence of rosemary oil as an acaricide against twospotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) on greenhouse tomato. - PubMed - NCBI ... I'm thinking that might be worth a shot too!

And if this all works out, I'm thinking of creating my own "Keith's Nukem".... or maybe just name it "F'em Mites". Which would then be iso, water and some rosemary. And who knows, maybe it's the best anti-mite organic solution yet. (I'm only half serious about this part....)

 

[InTheShed]

You mix it and we'll see how you go!

 

[keith1975]

I'm also thinking of buying lady bugs and unleashing them in the grow room. Is that wise? Won't they all just end up flying away eventually? And how do you buy them without them flying away in the first place? Do they come in special lady bug container?

 

[InTheShed]

You build them a lady bug house with wood shavings or shredded newspaper, a damp sponge, and raisins, all in a cardboard box.

 

[keith1975]

So it's been 4 days and I didn't see any mites until today. I did the Isopropyl spray mixed 9-1. It seemed to work. I also added diatomaceous earth which also seems to be helping. Plus my climate has been 100% resolved using a mobile Aircon. It's going to cost me in electricity, but at least I know my climate is sorted.

Nevertheless, it bugged me that the little b*stards came back today. I only saw 3. But I immediately did another isopropyl spray followed by a brief fan blowing and then a DE spray. I'm pretty sure this will sort me out for at least another 4 days. I'm hoping it doesn't become something I need to do every 3 or 4 days. I'm hoping this was due to eggs under the leaves or something else I just missed. Which I then hopefully sorted out with the quick spray I did now. If I need to do this another 3 or 4 times, no problem, but I'm hoping eventually I can go months without mites.

I bought companion plants, but I haven't added them to the grow room. I'm thinking I'm going to do that tomorrow (rosemary and dill). Then wait and see how many days before I get mites again.

 

[InTheShed]

Reminder: no DE on any plants in flower.

 

[Aroxol]

So far, this is what i plan to do:
1. Consider buying PYRETHRINs. That a good idea to use for mites?
2. I removed my companian plants, which was mostly basil. Should i add that again or is there perhaps another plant that mites hate?
3. Use bioneem on non-flowering plants always, applied once every 14 days til flowering starts? (Would love to know if @InTheShed agrees?)
4. Focus on getting the heat down
5. And the humidity down
6. And add more and bigger fans. (I have 6 clip fans but they might be too small to move the air)
7. Ask the local hydroponics store of they have any suggestions for getting rid of mites.
8. Look for cannazyme equivelant.
9. Look at buying a small vacuum specifically to suck up mites.
10. Add worm casting as part of my feeding ritual.

Anything else i can do?

Hey man throw some garlic in your tent (maybe at base on plant in the immediate term) as mites don’t like garlic. If you have a bulb, you can take a couple of cloves off, put them pointy side up in solo cup with a small amount of water, Saran wrap top and put them next to a window - should produce roots in a day or two. Put that in a little soil and you’ll have a garlic plant growing. I keep 3 or 4 in my tent just in case. Not promising an end all be all fix, but may help. Good luck!

 

[bobrown14]

It's made by flying skull and it's available on Amazon. I know a grower who swears by it but it's too pricey for me.

I use Monterey Garden Spray - 1tbs to gal water no bugs. 2-3tbs/gal water every other day with bugs. It's organic (a bacterium) and breaks down in about 15 minutes in light. Can spray the day before harvest.

Pyrethrin is last ditch for me in flower. Need to bud wash if you use that stuff.


Do not recommend.

The pics it looks like mold to me... and not very much at that.

Over thinking this??