Return of the borg aaagghhh!

[K.J]

Oh the borg..fun stuff. I too recommend neem sprays, early and often (even if you don't think you have mites...better safe than sorry, trust me).

One question this thread brought to mind is: what if you reuse your soil and you get a mite infestation. Should you chuck the soil, or can you still reuse? Do the mites survive in the soil when you sift out the roots and let it sit in a bin for a while?

 

[phattybudz]

You need to spray every leaf surface (and preferably the trays,) every 3 days. Rotate products every time... floramite, azamax, and safer's soap are what I'm rotating now. It is a lot of work and I don't think they will ever be gone (unless I move to a new site and start from seed or mite-free clones..) but they will be under control.

 

[draco]

You need to spray every leaf surface (and preferably the trays,) every 3 days. Rotate products every time... floramite, azamax, and safer's soap are what I'm rotating now. It is a lot of work and I don't think they will ever be gone (unless I move to a new site and start from seed or mite-free clones..) but they will be under control.

yeah i think i'm gonna be dealing with them... i hate to use the flormite but i plan on rotating the poisons so they don't get resistant. they are bad enough when you can kill them... i think i would give up growing altogether if they became resistant ug...

 

[wuzzenme]

I too think that once you have had them, the mites are very likely to recover or return. The floramite and neem worked great for me. Actually the floramite was better than neem for me. I also alternate the products and spray preventatively now. Also, around the grow, on floors, surfaces and such I nuke it with even more harsh products since I know it will not come into contact with my organic grow. So far, so good. No mites for about 6 weeks. Good luck.

 

[Stoned Crow]

yeah i guess i gotta get with the life cycle of little darlins... i know cold kills them but i suspect that the eggs are not so sensitive.

i'll set a pair of old slippers out in front of the growroom -check

filter the air going in - check

now i gotta learn how to reuse the soil - so much controversy around that. soil is expensive and a bitch to haul in and out... makes me want to try aeroponics...

much thanks

Yeah, once you've got em, you got to turn your grow room into a sterile operating room.

1. Block your intakes. I grow in a tent, and all of my intakes are 6 inch HVAC tubing covered on the end by a cut out HVAC filter ( I run the tubing into an old box, then cut out the end of the box and tape part of the HVAC filter to the inside of the box).

2. If certain plants or leaves are completely infested, get rid of them. I know that people swear by Neem, but if you have a real infestation, Neem won't touch it (and neither will an chemicle shit you can buy, your best to throw away the worst).

3. Treat monthly with neem, if you want to PREVENT the Borg, it's the best there is from an organics perspective.

People talk about changing their clothes before going into their grow room, to me that sound completly insane. I'm waaaaaay too lazy to even consider that. Always keep the spidermites on your mind, always keep in mind how your tempature and humidity are helping or hurting their life-cycle, and put your energy into preventing them instead of irradicating them, and they shouldn't be that big of a problem.

 

[Esskie]

Never heard of that,I wonder if the strains that claim to be mite resistant have this going for them? I do know of a garden of Lavender that has mites,not bad though.

I think it's one of those old tricks passed down through the generations?, vegetable growers have been doing it for years, do a search on google for 'companion growing'

a snippet:

Deterring pests
Simply by planting a row of strong-smelling plants next to a row of vulnerable vegetables, you can ward off many pests (such as carrot root fly, white fly and aphids). Carrot root fly can smell carrots from up to a mile away. But If you plant alliums (such as leeks, onions or garlic) near your carrots, this masks their sweet, carroty smell. Alliums also deter slugs. So try growing salad leaf crops (such as lettuce and rocket) amongst them. Further, alliums prevent fungal infections. So a row of onions planted near strawberries helps to prevent the strawberries from developing mould.

Basil and marigolds act as a natural insect repellent when planted amongst tomatoes, helping to ward off whitefly. Similarly, a row of nasturtiums planted amongst beans attracts aphids away from your crop. This is because nasturtiums are more appealing to aphids than beans, so the pests will always go for their favoured treat if there’s the option to do so.

The following plants help deter pests from your crop:

* Basil – wards off whitefly when planted amongst tomatoes
* Nasturtium – attracts aphids away from beans
* Alliums – confuse carrot fly and protect against slug damage
* Lavender – confuses pests
* Nettles – attract cabbage white butterflies, keeping them away from brassica crops

Beneficial insects
Planting brightly coloured flowers near your crops will attract a wide range of insects to the area. More bees visiting your plot will result in more pollination of your vegetable blooms and therefore lead to bigger yields. Attracting ladybirds and lacewings to your crop will also help reduce damage from aphids. The predators will lay their eggs on your crops. These will hatch into larvae which can each eat up to 150 aphids per day.

The following flowers and herbs are ideal for attracting beneficial insects to your crop:
* Candytuft
* Coriander
* Sunflower
* Lavender
* Echinacea

(from growveg.com)

misting garlic or onion water all over the plants was something we used to practice.....prepared by mashing up a clove or two in around 1.5-2L of regular water...leave it to sit for a couple of days and strain before use or it'll clog your sprayer

dunno if it ever actually made a difference other than making the growroom reek like a kebab shop

I agree with you guys 100% though & prevention is the best cure.

once had to trash 24 x white widow cuttings that were just days away from being put into flower due to fungus gnats

it was my own fault though to be honest, I'd a Maple Leaf Indica in soil which was placed outside everyday and back into the same tray as the WW at night
first the MLI died then they tore through the WW in a matter of days despite my best & most extreme efforts, ripping open a 3" grodan revealed a moving mass of them......we washed down everything with a strong bleach solution & rinsed before use after that

can I ask if any of you have used Fungus Gnat Off (is it by Essentials?) or Pest Off by the same company?......they make a Neem oil product too but never had to use em thankfully (touches wood)

 

[guest2012y]

Interesting.......sounds like something someone somewhere may have the time to experiment with. That would be cool if someone stumbled across a way to combat mites like that which was noticeably effective. After every crop I make a solution of bleach/water and spray the hell out of the room. I take the pots outside and wash them well,especially around that ring on the top of the pot. This is an endless battle,if you think you don't have them or won't ever get them....double check!