Spider mite prevention. Your organic method?

[mad librettist]

Geez. So is lavender OK to use or not? Jay and others say it's great and doesn't kill everything indiscriminately. MadL feels it is an added risk...

No, I trust Jay. He did not recommend lavender oil, he recommended lavender FPE. He gave a list of beneficials that seemed to suffer no harm, and anyone who talks to Jay about anything knows the guy can observe.

ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, and the larvae to all of those. wolf spiders, jumping spiders, crab spiders, predatory wasps, all sorts of native and honey bees, predatory mites (yes i use it as a soil drench too) and more. never saw any die from it.

I would have no problem using the oil either, as long as I know what I am doing FIRST, and of course I should follow Jay's advice literally before I start branching off. So if the FPE fails in other words, I consider the oil. Or maybe just stick with neem. Depends on the facts on the ground.

I also use tobacco, which is similar but more toxic in lower doses, and I really push the IPM fence a bit when I do. Nobody's perfect.

I have a package of lavender buds for tea, just waiting for a mite invasion. I'm really not so eager I am hoping for the chance to experiment, Mites, mites, go away, come back here some other day.

.

 

[jaykush]

its completely safe, just follow the directions i wrote out.

read the thread, mad has been trying to make his point to others this whole time.

 

[heady blunts]

lavender FPE is what jay (and i) have personal experience with.

it is not the same as lavender oil, an essential oil.

mad's argument is hypothetical, but logical. he's doing us a good service to raise this topic of discussion.

in an ideal, closed-loop, living soil ecosystem spraying any -icide, be it plant derived or synthetic, disrupts the natural defenses of the plant and its ecosystem.

using lavender FPE is an good solution for an imperfect situation. since i, the gardener, am still playing a major role in my indoor (incomplete) ecosystem, i use lavender FPE as a tool to discourage infestations of sap-sucking mites.

i hope in the long run to give a leg up to the beneficial predatory critters in my cab. however, this is only possible if the lavender FPE is indeed benign to beneficials, and if i am careful to not entirely eradicate the food sources of those predatory critters.

 

[mad librettist]

here is what I recommended:

1)avoid hot. dry conditions in the indoor garden when the weather is going from warm to cool. this is the time when bugs look for warm places to overwinter. I spray my plants with water during this time.
2)living mulch so your cannabis is not the only food around, and so that you can keep a good predator population around (unproven)
3)inspect, inspect, inspect
__________________

here is Jay's rec:

for prevention, healthy plants, and a diverse micro-ecosystem. everyone around here gets the bad mites, i just see the decomposing/predatory mites.

if you do get them, the lavender spray works excellent for about 95% of the people who use it.

There is really no conflict here. I do like to dig a little to be sure about things, and it either stimulates others to get and give more info or at the very least does not stop the flow. If we don't ask tough questions we don't have strong answers.

 

[jaykush]

2)living mulch so your cannabis is not the only food around, and so that you can keep a good predator population around (unproven)

i saw a good example of this the other day not with cannabis but near a squash plant. perfectly healthy. no pests, no disease. yet 6 inches over between two of the squash leaves we have a sow thistle ( pretty much considered a common weed for those who don't know) and this thing is covered in aphids, ants sucking aphid ass juice, PM, looks sick as hell. not a touch on the value crop. in a sprayed, controlled garden it would have been the other way around.

healthy plants resist shit, plain and simple. if your plants look good but pests are out of control, somethings still wrong.

 

[rrog]

i use fresh french lavender.

chop it up, put it in a container, fill with 2x as much water, leave extra space for expansion, leave the lid on loosely.

then it does its thing for a week or two.

strain out the plant material, collect the serum, store in a cool, dark, dry place.

when i'm ready to use it i dilute it a lot, then i apply it as a foliar. sometimes i spray the walls and floors of my cab with it too.

OK I see where I'm confused. As MadL said earlier, the Lavender OIL is a potential unknown, while the Lavender FPE (above) is not as strong and not as indiscriminate. I was balling up all Lavendar (oil and FPE) as one.

By the way, what does FPE stand for? Foliar Plant Extract, maybe?

 

[rrog]

Heady, quick question: How long does your concentrated FPE last in its cool, dry, dark place?

 

[mad librettist]

Fermented Plant Extract

 

[rrog]

i saw a good example of this the other day not with cannabis but near a squash plant. perfectly healthy. no pests, no disease. yet 6 inches over between two of the squash leaves we have a sow thistle ( pretty much considered a common weed for those who don't know) and this thing is covered in aphids, ants sucking aphid ass juice, PM, looks sick as hell. not a touch on the value crop. in a sprayed, controlled garden it would have been the other way around.

healthy plants resist shit, plain and simple. if your plants look good but pests are out of control, somethings still wrong.

This is what I mentioned a few posts ago. A real eye-opener for me. JayKush's comment above should be on everyone's growroom door.

I think the same is true for humans and animals. Bullshit chemicals in our environment and diet is handicapping immune systems, opening us up for infection

 

[mad librettist]

OK I see where I'm confused. As MadL said earlier, the Lavender OIL is a potential unknown, while the Lavender FPE (above) is not as strong and not as indiscriminate. I was balling up all Lavendar (oil and FPE) as one.

By the way, what does FPE stand for? Foliar Plant Extract, maybe?

that's something I learned right here along with you. This is the process working. We are using this forum to advance the craft. Pretty cool if you ask me.

 

[mad librettist]

This is what I mentioned a few posts ago. A real eye-opener for me. JayKush's comment above should be on everyone's growroom door.

I think the same is true for humans and animals. Bullshit chemicals in our environment and diet is handicapping immune systems, opening us up for infection

Jay is also pointing out that the "bad guys" actually would prefer something other than your valuable crops. Those aphids prefer the sow thistle in the first place.

Pests on your weeds is a GOOD thing. Think about it - you are putting the pests to work for you!

 

[rrog]

Fermented Plant Extract

 

[jaykush]

Heady, quick question: How long does your concentrated FPE last in its cool, dry, dark place?

after straining out the solid material, you can store the extracts for months. ive used some that were 10+ months old. though i prefer to use fresh extracts. the crazy thing about the older ones is the liquid goes from foggy to clear, and the rancid smell goes away completely.

 

[rrog]

Amazingly interesting Jay. Seriously. Thanks for your patience

 

[jaykush]

like headband 707 said, you never know until you try.

and i will ad to that, try and fail.

 

[rrog]

healthy plants resist shit, plain and simple. if your plants look good but pests are out of control, somethings still wrong.

I feed my dog what I believe to be the best available diet. Mostly raw meats, raw eggs, etc. He's never had a flea or tick. Mosquitoes and flies don't bite his ears. I live in the country, so we have plenty of all of these things

 

[mad librettist]

i recently (5 months ago) switched to a raw diet for my dog. It has taken years off.


he eats plenty of bone, and it comes out powder.

 

[rrog]

Isn't it wild?

 

[headband 707]

pretty much, ive tried so many random things its not even funny. but its still important to know the materials your dealing with, and the properties they have. so really you can know sometimes even without trying.

that said the best teacher is failure.

LOL me too I have burned too many plants and seen some crazy shit lol . But yeah I would read the info and give it a try and see for myself lol..
I was going to ask you about Lavander? Does it leave a smell when it's done ? can you taste it on the bud? thanks bro peace out Headband707

 

[jaykush]

Does it leave a smell when it's done ? can you taste it on the bud?

yea it smells good like lavender, and no it doesn't stay on the buds