Control Spider Mites...ORGANICALLY

Here's a slick trick:

Buy a cat/dog flea collar. The organic kind that is only impregnated with volatile oils. Cut a few small pieces from it and hang them on your plant/s. You can connect what's left with the buckle on it around the stem and let it sit on the soil. I just tried this and it seems to work like a charm.


Link

Viagro said:

Seems Spider Mites don't much like Coriander (Cilantro). Make a tea and spray it, or use companion planting. I'm starting a bunch of this stuff.

Cheers!

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Cool. What gave you the idea to try it? I have used Azamax the one time I battled them, and it helped, but just had to clean my room after that grow, and get a better filter for my air intake. I have not had any issues since. Knock on wood. I am always keeping my eyes peeled for organic solutions in case those bastards break down my barriers. LOL.

hazorazo said:

Cool. What gave you the idea to try it? I have used Azamax the one time I battled them, and it helped, but just had to clean my room after that grow, and get a better filter for my air intake. I have not had any issues since. Knock on wood. I am always keeping my eyes peeled for organic solutions in case those bastards break down my barriers. LOL.

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The cilantro trick I read about on another thread.

The flea collar trick happened after I had ordered one for a pet, and I got to thinking about what someone said about the chemical in No-Pest Strips being the same as used in flea collars. But, I prefer to use these non-toxic, volatile oil flea collars. When I read the list of oils used in them, and saw many were the mite repellant scents, I thought "What the hell...I'll give it a whirl.

I also have chives in my garden outside, I'm planting some in each indoor pot that has mites. They don't like chives, either.

Viagro said:

The cilantro trick I read about on another thread.

The flea collar trick happened after I had ordered one for a pet, and I got to thinking about what someone said about the chemical in No-Pest Strips being the same as used in flea collars. But, I prefer to use these non-toxic, volatile oil flea collars. When I read the list of oils used in them, and saw many were the mite repellant scents, I thought "What the hell...I'll give it a whirl.

I also have chives in my garden outside, I'm planting some in each indoor pot that has mites. They don't like chives, either.

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Thanks for passing that along. Hopefully I never have to try them out....lol....we both know it will happen at some point, but you can always hope.

hazorazo said:

Thanks for passing that along. Hopefully I never have to try them out....lol....we both know it will happen at some point, but you can always hope.

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May you forever be mite free.

i like the dog collar idea! lol, seems like that would do the trick.

I have always been partial to the sulfur vap, I made a DIY and its work every time for mites and/or powdery mildew

mikelucid said:

i like the dog collar idea! lol, seems like that would do the trick.

I have always been partial to the sulfur vap, I made a DIY and its work every time for mites and/or powdery mildew

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Thanks Mike. Do you have a thread about your sulfur vap?

I wish i came up with this design! heres a link to the one i built:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=117056

I bought one of those clip metal reflectors($5 at hardware store) to house my bulb, put that in the two coffee cans, and i just set the soup can directly on the green bulb. Works like a charm. Run it for an hour and a day or two later EVERYTHING has cleared up.

Now i know sulfur is organic, but I am curious as to see if it it still would be considered after its is vaporized.. not sure

mikelucid said:

I wish i came up with this design! heres a link to the one i built:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=117056

I bought one of those clip metal reflectors($5 at hardware store) to house my bulb, put that in the two coffee cans, and i just set the soup can directly on the green bulb. Works like a charm. Run it for an hour and a day or two later EVERYTHING has cleared up.

Now i know sulfur is organic, but I am curious as to see if it it still would be considered after its is vaporized.. not sure

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Another one for the trick bag, thanks.

lady bugs are ineffective indoors, they are attracted to the heat of the HID and will get so close that they cook themselves.. add 1500 lady bugs and at the end of your cycle take the glass reflector cover off and find your lady bugs all bunched together cooked and dead.. done it many times before i learned/researched to confirm my findings..

i have used predatory mites pretty successfully to keep em relatively in check during flower.. add em as soon as u switch to 12/12 and they will keep em at bay thru your cycle.. not gone completely but u will be able to run the whole cycle without doing anything to control them..

i have however completely cleaned my veg room and soon to be the upcoming flower round.. i used azamax and drdorights concentrate.. add 5-8ml azamax per gallon of water with your regular nutes.. do this once a week... and add 5ml azamax and 30-40ml dr dorights concentrate to a 1liter spray bottle.. spray the plants down twice a week... do this for a month and they WILL be gone.. then just keep doing the water azamax only drench with the nutrients once a week as preventative. the way i kept it clean was when i cut my clones i sprayed em good on the undersides. then when they rooted and i went to transplant into the soil i sprayed em again... at that point u should be good and just drench watering will be fine.. this is of course depending on the fact that u sprayed em right during the cloning process and all were killed.

this combo works, i battled mites for years and this is the first time i have a completely clean veg room. its lovely. i look every day for early evidence of mites and just see beautiful green lush growth.

Thanks for that, Sidewing. That's good to know.

I use LEDs, but still might roast ladybugs, I reckon.

My organic flea collar trick is working well, and mites are abundant here. I'm using chives with some other plants, transplanted from my garden used as companion plants, they are contributing well and I'll soon use them with my herb.

I'm determined to find solutions without chemicals.

I can catch lacewings at night at my kitchen window, on occasion. A couple of those will keep a plant clean, if they don't toast.

I'll use Zero Tolerance as a last resort.

When I was using chem nutrients I got mites once a year and when they were bad I used Avid, it's a mite-aside and is safe to use up to 4 days before harvest on vegetables.

Since switching to 99% organic a few years ago I never have pests. I think it's 2 things helping to keep me pest free. Worm castings, I use 20% by volume and I spray with neem oil every two weeks.

My relative placed his plants upside down and immersed the whole top part of the plant in water for 3-4 hours and it worked for him
Has anybody else tried this ?