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Spider mites at early stage with mid flowering plants

zachrockbadenof

Well-known member
Veteran
It definitely works as long as you cover the whole plant. I grow entirely in Aeroponics so there is nowhere for anything to hide. If I run h202 at 8ml per litre in the aero and spray the plant completely with the starch solution, no pest or disease survives, at all. It’s pretty cheap and available in any supermarket, harmless to people plants and the environment.

i'll be out shopping this morning... just started a new grow... but b4 putting the plants in the tent, i bombed with dr doom, sprayed everything down with bleach n then avid, then left a no pest strip in the tent for 5days b4 finally bombing once again... this weekend i will treat my plants to a pasta water dinner....
 

Buddah Watcha

Active member
Veteran
i'll be out shopping this morning... just started a new grow... but b4 putting the plants in the tent, i bombed with dr doom, sprayed everything down with bleach n then avid, then left a no pest strip in the tent for 5days b4 finally bombing once again... this weekend i will treat my plants to a pasta water dinner....


Get some predator mites if you are still paranoid :)
 

chronic82

Member
The objective is to kill and eliminate the pest. I have been using NO PEST STRIPS since 2004. I visit the grow room a few minutes a day and then leave. I'm 70 and still here. And chronically smoking every day. If you need help getting NO PEST STRIPS look on ebay.
I smoke 4 packs of cigs a day and I’m 95. All kids these days need to start smoking
 

zachrockbadenof

Well-known member
Veteran
Get some predator mites if you are still paranoid :)

i mite - depending on how it goes once i go 12/12 - last grow i ordered lady bugs... they came, were alive, n the next morning after i put em in the tent, they were all dead - every one... since it was around xmas, the vendor could not send me more till after the new year- and by that time i was about to harvest- no webbing (a good thing) , but no doubt they were feasting on my ladies...
 

zachrockbadenof

Well-known member
Veteran
I smoke 4 packs of cigs a day and I’m 95. All kids these days need to start smoking

do u use em into flower , or just in veg??? - as said i bought one and hung it during the clean up for 5day, then back into the package, and seal-a-mealed it closed... just wondering if i should use it now during the last 7/10days of veg, or if it safe to use during flowering... at least till the plants start to bud (10/14days)
thanks
 

Wendull C.

Active member
Veteran
Bro, especially in veg there are much better options than no pest strips.

If in veg spray neem, then spray every 3 days with neem to break their life cycle and kill any residual eggs. Neem is not a trans laminar so you must cover the whole plant top and bottom of the leaves, but I'm sure you know that.

Get the 100 % neem if you can and add your own surfactant. I find it works much better than the hydrophobic neem sold at places such as home depot.

If you really want them gone in veg, spray with avid or forbid on the same 3 day intervals and take clones to restart your mothers.

As an example, I kept getting mites in a 4 light genetic preserve. I found they were coming in through an old window banger I never used anymore. ( had been in the house 16 years, I don't like window ac units unless no other choice is available) When I eradicated those outside, the mites not the bushes, the mites went away.

If you are not the vector find where they are coming from. I love my dogs like kids but they are vectors of the worst kind so watch them too.
 

chronic82

Member
I don’t see any harm in using no pest strips as a clean up when room is empty. I wouldn’t put them in a room with plants myself. For all you know they might kill the microbes in the soil too
 

popta

Member
Hi, sure. I bought a pest spray/leaf coat many years ago that actually worked. I told the hydroshop how pleased I was and was told that this gloopy stuff you mixed with water was just food grade starch.
The film it leaves it completely breathable so no problems for the plant.
The next time I went to buy some however, it was no longer available.
I tried making it with normal pasta but found it did not release that much gloop/starch.
Years later, my wife bought this healthier gluten free pasta to try and when she cooked it, I noticed that the water quickly turned milky with lots of starch being released. The pack said the pasta was made of maize. The water in the pan looked pretty much like the leaf coat did once diluted so I though I would try it.

Not only does it completely eradicate pests on the plant by glueing them up, it protects the plant from any subsequent attacks as the film makes it hard for pests to get to the plant.
Another use and feature is that it seems to prevent excess transpiration and help a dried out, underwater plant recover quickly. I found this out recently when a aero pump failed. The plants were in bad shape but a good spraying with the starch had them happy again in record time.

I have not tested any other sources of starch so I can only safely recommend the maize based pasta starch. Hth


"Maize" = corn right? Pure corn starch can be found in the baking aisle of the grocery store. Might save you some money/time vs cooking special corn based pasta to get the starch.

A15MZ%2BQNcqL._SY450_.jpg
 

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Hey, All I can say is that I run a clean grow. All fucking insects must die.
A lot of people have issues with neem. I personally will never call a neem+cannabis grow clean. Sorry.

The key with mites is to break the breeding cycle. That's it. The labor is a lot, but the concept is ridiculously simple.

Kill every living mite, kill newly hatched mites before they can breed, continue until all eggs have hatched. They're done and gone. There is ZERO need for any oils, let alone neem, when a simple potassium based insecticidal soap will do this.

Thorough application, thorough rinse, zero residual issues. Why on earth would you use neem again?
 

soil margin

Active member
Veteran
Yeah I have to pass on the neem. I'd rather let spider mites eat 99% of my bud and smoke the last clean 1% then spray neem on my shit. Used that stuff once like 10 years ago and I will never again.
 

big315smooth

mama tried
Veteran
funny story my friend released bout 500 lady bugs in a infested room and the smell from them landing on the hoods smelled so bad burning bugs i was dry heaving
 

Max Q

Active member
No Pest Strips

No Pest Strips

I've been screwing around for a month and half trying to eradicate the 2-spotted mites I've got. Using Azamax, Trifecta, other "organic" pesticides and do it yourself mixes.

Sure it knocks em down, but they keep coming back. I tried to be thorough and follow directions, still not satisfied with merely suppressing the little bastards.... and I had the predator mites too, don't know where they came from, but they were there.... but obviously not keeping up with the 2 spots.

I just put two No Pest Strips in the unused bedroom closet where I have a small grow going. Shut off the exhaust fan. It's been 48 hours and I pulled a few leaves to inspect under Macro lens camera phone.... only spotted a couple of dead mites.

I will leave them in the closet for two weeks and inspect again. As many others have reported I expect they will be dead, dead, dead.

The nerve agent in NPS has a very short half life, breaks down to harmless with exposure to water/humidity. They feed it to cattle to kill parasites, mammals quickly metabolize and excrete the stuff harmlessly, does not accumulate in plants.....

I have taken the precaution of updating my will, but if I'm still standing up and taking nourishment in a couple of weeks I'll report back on my success or lack thereof, with the f'ing mites.
 

Wendull C.

Active member
Veteran
Just be sure you let folks know. Neem may not be enough to reach harvest from veg (I don't personally know), but I know aza extracts do.

My products are tested. It would show up. Azadachtrin I call neem crack, so it might show.

If it was to save prized mothers it would be neem, avid, and forbid 4f on a rotation. Then clone the mom's grow them into mothers and clone again to start new moms.

I don't spray in flower at all. There are better options to those that have the knowledge.
 

Wendull C.

Active member
Veteran
I'm in no way advocating spraying neem in flower or pre veg. My mind always goes to saving strains I have had for years and in some cases a decade plus.
 

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
I've been screwing around for a month and half trying to eradicate the 2-spotted mites I've got. Using Azamax, Trifecta, other "organic" pesticides and do it yourself mixes.

Sure it knocks em down, but they keep coming back.
As I explained earlier, mites are easily eliminated with potassium based, insecticidal soaps. The key is to break the breeding cycle.

If you're continually having issues with mites 'coming back,' you 're either not eliminating the source, or you're missing eggs somewhere and are not aware of it.
 

Max Q

Active member
No Pest Strips

No Pest Strips

As I explained earlier, mites are easily eliminated with potassium based, insecticidal soaps. The key is to break the breeding cycle.

If you're continually having issues with mites 'coming back,' you 're either not eliminating the source, or you're missing eggs somewhere and are not aware of it.

Absolutely, I acknowledge my failure to kill every mite and egg!

I Tried!.... they are driving me crazy, and for me it won't be a long trip!

At this point it is either gonna be ME or THEM!..... After reading much on the subject I am convinced that No Pest Strips will be 100% effective, and so much easier than pulling each plant and painstakingly spraying , wiping etc.... I've had it with that shit.

I will report back in couple of weeks with what happens...:biggrin:
 

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
I completely understand your frustration.

Anyone looking to increase their spraying coverage, I recommend getting a mondi sprayer, or a backpack model if you have more/larger plants. Cover the root zone and thoroughly drench. No wiping, but it is a lot of spraying. With the root zone covered you can spray all you want. Undersides, stalks, down into new growth clusters, pump them up and spray a solid and continuous mist. :)
 
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