under attack, too chop or not?

[DU420]

Hey all, I'm 7 weeks into a 9 week strain and I've just noticed minor stipling on some fan leaves of a few plants and spider mites under the leaves. I dont want to go spraying my meds with chemicals so close to harvest. I've chucked in a handful of ladybugs but am unshore as to whether its worth waiting the extra 2 weeks or just chopping early and going nuclear on the grow tent now whilst the infestation is minor. All thoughts are appreciated. Thanks

 

[Fly by Night]

How about plain water and just shpritzing them off homie? Peace

 

[Buddler]

If they arent too bad this late, i would pluck off all affected leaves and try to finish off plants,then deal with the cleaning of all grow gear. good luck ,Bud

 

[DU420]

Thanks guys, I was thinking of just defoiliating all plants and letting them go but thought if they had no leaves to rasp they would go for the buds... Any thoughts

 

[Desert Hydro]

1500 lady bugs are pretty cheap on the internet. im lucky to have not ever had them before. plenty of whiteflies which fuck shit up as well, just not quite as bad. i would look into some preadators but idk how long they take to get things under control. sorry i cant help more.

 

[MedicalGrower]

Thanks guys, I was thinking of just defoiliating all plants and letting them go but thought if they had no leaves to rasp they would go for the buds... Any thoughts

Neem Oil?

If your not too close to harvest I think you might get away with Neem without it affecting taste of buds, I'd try to target the leaves if possible.
Any One Else have thoughts on Neem at this stage?
mg

 

[MIway]

Dust buster

 

[mowood3479]

spend a day squishing them... dust buster idea could work.. never tried it myself but bet it works

 

[DU420]

Dust buster

Brilliant didn't even think of that... Cheers

 

[whiteberrieS]

Spinosad...it breaks down in 3-4 days and it will stop those little fuckers in their tracks.
"Monterrey Garden Insect Spray," exact name, has the spinosad. It's an organic compound that breaks down fairly quickly in the grow environment. Spray around your room week 8 and leave it alone for week 9 you should be A-OK. Monterrey has like 30 different insect sprays so be sure you got the "Monterrey Garden Insect Spray." If you're at the shop it's not hard to tell, says "contains Spinosad" on the front.

 

[idiit]

i've solved this problem several times during flowering with raid flea killer plus.

i'm an od grower that brings in stuff from od all the time. i get all kinds of stuff on my indoor from od contamination.



i know! .

listen, raid flea killer plus is pyrethrins ( real, synthetic) delivered via aerosol can method. this is not an organic thread this time!

i'm organic for practical reasons. i use non-organic methods if i feel they are the best solution available to me that i know works.

it works.

it does not hurt the plants if used with the lights off and fans dry out before turning on the lights again. it does kill the pistils ( go from white to brown).

i'm not recommending it. i am sayin' it works.

 

[yerboyblue]

Hot Shot No Pest strips for a few days? I wouldn't consider it spraying with harmful pesticides, as much as I would say I am adding it to the environment. I'm sure plenty will disagree. Anyone know if Dichlorvis breaks down fast with water? You could always spray the leaves a few times after if you are paranoid about it.

 

[SeaMaiden]

Hey all, I'm 7 weeks into a 9 week strain and I've just noticed minor stipling on some fan leaves of a few plants and spider mites under the leaves. I dont want to go spraying my meds with chemicals so close to harvest. I've chucked in a handful of ladybugs but am unshore as to whether its worth waiting the extra 2 weeks or just chopping early and going nuclear on the grow tent now whilst the infestation is minor. All thoughts are appreciated. Thanks

1:1 mix of isopropyl alcohol:water, spray every three days. Be thorough. It'll evaporate off quickly, while also desiccating their little bodies. Gotta do it every three days to be sure you get the hatchlings.

 

[Granger2]

I would definitely NOT harvest prematurely. Spinosad will work fine, breaks down fast, no smell, labeled for use ON the day of harvest, OMRI labeled. For mites it's very important to use a surfactant, like Coco Wet. I'd use a 1/2 dose.

I prefer to cover the top of the medium and dunk the entire foliage cuz this washes away many mites and eggs. This may not be feasible with large plants. Soapy water would be a good dunk also to get you thru for 2 weeks. You only need to keep their numbers low, not eliminate them. Thoroughly spraying with Spinosad/Coco Wet should at least keep their numbers low till harvest. So would insecticide soap or alcohol/H2O. Good luck. -granger

 

[DU420]

@ seamaiden: thanks for the idea I'll add that to my current regime

@granger2: thanks mate I didn't chop I just did a heavy defoil of large fans and anything that was obviously infected leaving the stems for the plants to absorb. I'll just keep vacuuming and spraying and hope for the best.

Cheers

 

[MedicalGrower]

1:1 mix of isopropyl alcohol:water, spray every three days. Be thorough. It'll evaporate off quickly, while also desiccating their little bodies. Gotta do it every three days to be sure you get the hatchlings.

SeaMaiden
What percentage of isopropyl are you using?
Like these simple solutions!

Thanks
mg

 

[SeaMaiden]

71%, but only because that's pretty much all I can find locally. Otherwise I'd be using the 90%.

Preventatively, or earlier in the season, I use plant essential oils.

 

[sheik_yerbouti]

Mighty Wash. No chemicals and works amazing. Check it out, I had an absolute infestation and mighty wash almost wiped them out. This close to harvest I'd say its your best bet

 

[Botanist Prime]

I had red spider mites during flower on my last grow... This is what I did.
I mad a dish soap water solution with a little neem oil in a spray bottle, I concentrated the mist on the underside of the leaves being careful not to overspray onto the buds. Then with my index finger and thumb, I wiped the leaves clean of mites and eggs leaf blade by leafs blade. Not sure if the neem oil affects the taste of the buds if sprayed all over you flowering plant, although I don't think it would harm you, it IS an OIL and would have to leave some kind of not so tasty residue...

 

[El Bandito]

under attack, too chop or not?

You are way too close to harvest to be putting anything poisonous, oily, or chemical-based in that tent imo. With minor symptoms and two weeks left you should be vacuuming and maybe spraying with water and a surfactant. They can't do enough damage between now and harvest to justify any nuclear treatment options.

As for them eating your buds- they won't because the resin is too sticky for them. They will stay away from the buds and sugar leaves. Keep calm and carry on!