DWC Stunted Growth...

Have I gone too far?

(See images)

Lol, little excessive but that'll do. Better more than not enough. Now just once a day give them a maintenance dusting. I might suggest a sprinkle on the hydroton, just a real light one, just to catch any stragglers.

Also, if you aren't keeping that other plant, get it out if there asap. No sense in keeping them about.

After a week, give them a good rinsing off and should be all clear, but keep an eye out just in case. In the mean time, sterilize everything you can in that room... Everything.

Haha will do!

Wow. Guys, DE has it's place but you're not going to solve your pest problem like that.

Foliar spray a 1.2mL/L solution of Avid and a sticker pH'd to 5.5, wait 2 weeks.
Foliar spray .7mL/L solution of Forbid 4F and a sticker pH'd to 5.5, wait 2 weeks.
Spray 1T/qt solution of Monteray Garden (spinosad) plus sticker, don't pH. Apply both foliar and root drench (if you have a medium), wait 2 weeks.
Do the entire cycle again and you will be clean.

If you want/need OMRI look into Grandevo and Venerate.

Good luck!

shimz said:

Wow. Guys, DE has it's place but you're not going to solve your pest problem like that.

Spray a 1.2mL/L solution of Avid and a sticker pH'd to 5.5 foliar, wait 2 weeks.
Spray .7mL/L solution of Forbid and a sticker pH'd to 5.5 foliar, wait 2 weeks.
Spray 1T/qt solution of Monteray Garden Spray (sponosad), don't pH plus sticker foliar and root drench (if you have a medium), wait 2 weeks.
Do the entire cycle again and you will be clean.

If you want/need OMRI look into Grandevo and Venerate.

Good luck!

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Why do you say the DE isn't going to work? I use it extensively with pests.

Did NOT say that. I said it has it's place. In my experience DE alone will not eradicate micro mites.

shimz said:

Did NOT say that. I said it has it's place. In my experience DE alone will not eradicate micro mites.

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My apologies, hard to read context and demeanor through text, no offense meant.

My experience has been different, but in the event that you are right, it's only a week lost and many mites dead as opposed to 12 weeks of treatment.

For what it's worth, I have yet to see anything survive that I've intended to kill with DE. Just my experience with it.

DE is a tool just like poisons. Used alone you might knock them down, but they will persist into flower. Then what, you gonna throw DE on your buds?

I hope I'm not coming off as an asshole. You're right, it is easy to read anger into an online post.

12 weeks of treatment is a lot, I know. No other way I've found for 100% eradication.

shimz said:

DE is a tool just like poisons. Used alone you might knock them down, but they will persist into flower. Then what, you gonna throw DE on your buds?

I hope I'm not coming off as an asshole. You're right, it is easy to read anger into an online post.

12 weeks of treatment is a lot, I know. No other way I've found for 100% eradication.

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Nope, no assholeishness at all lol. I prefer blunt.

Honestly, never had them go the distance. DE has killed everything I've used it on, and that's mostly outdoors. Aphids, mites, gnats (indoors), and even the leaf hoppers (though it doesn't kill them, just deters them) have met their demise at the sharp pricks of DE.

I don't EVER use chemicals, so DE is about the only option for me other than oils, but I don't care much for oils on foliage. It has never let me down.

That's not to say it can't I suppose, but going on 20 years... Hell of a track record. Don't know that I've battled very tiny, super microscopic little bastards, but if I did, they didn't survive either lol.

Like I said, it's a week. If somehow they do survive, then pursue an alternate course of treatment.

I've done a bit of research on these spider mites (as we all have) and it seems their strength lies in their quick ability to become immune to conventional pesticides and insecticides, sure, a multi-pronged approached attack may work, using different chemicals on rotation and what-not, but 12 weeks, jeez that's a long time.....

Now DE is a physical attack, literally slicing open the bugs as they crawl over the stuff causing severe damage and dehydration, a swift death surely. Just persist for a week or so to eliminate the hatching young until all eggs have hatched and all young have been killed. Seems simple enough.

And if they return weeks later, I will not hesitate in using DE again, they can't become immune.....

I'll see how it goes, in theory it sounds great, and also apparently in application according to 3rd Monkey.

Billy Lee said:

I've done a bit of research on these spider mites (as we all have) and it seems their strength lies in their quick ability to become immune to conventional pesticides and insecticides, sure, a multi-pronged approached attack may work, using different chemicals on rotation and what-not, but 12 weeks, jeez that's a long time.....

Now DE is a physical attack, literally slicing open the bugs as they crawl over the stuff causing severe damage and dehydration, a swift death surely. Just persist for a week or so to eliminate the hatching young until all eggs have hatched and all young have been killed. Seems simple enough.

And if they return weeks later, I will not hesitate in using DE again, they can't become immune.....

I'll see how it goes, in theory it sounds great, and also apparently in application according to 3rd Monkey.

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I preach it for a reason brother.

I want to clarify a point about the insects "becoming immune". What actually happens is when you spray a poison you're going kill all but the few who are good at either running and hiding or have a genetic disposition that is resistant to whatever poison you've sprayed. The next generation then as a whole tends to be better at hiding and more resistant. The next time you spray with a different poison it will wipe out the ones resistant to the last poison. By cycling the sprays you're getting the resistant ones, and by being persistent (over a 12 week period) you will get the good hiders too.

In other words, they don't "become immune", they are merely unnaturally selected to survive making the next generation more resistant to what you're doing to them.

Alrighty guys, it’s been a week since the application of the diatomaceous earth, 7 whole days!

Seems the little bastards are gone.... for now anyways, we’ll have too see what happens with time.

But more importantly, I think between the treatment of spider mites and the raising of the EC, the EC factor wins it.....

Growth has returned at a great rate, both foliar and root wise, I think the real issue was the strength of the nutrients....

The spider mite infestation wasn’t horrible, well not horrible enough to cause the kinda damage I was seeing anyway, that was and is my thought train.

Take a look at the photos i’ve taken and compare to last week’s!

I’ve seen no new damage, no browning, no dying of leaves, just deep green healthy growth. Sure some have taken quickly than others but i’ve no qualms giving them the desired amount of time they require to catch up.

I gave them all haircuts, removing most of the damaged growth, leaving some of the damaged foliage because I think some of the affected leaves have life in them yet.

What a relief, and I havn’t even resumed CO2 supplementation and the light’s still hanging high, oh i’m excited at the prospect of what progress I’ll be able to achieve haha

Cheers guys for all the input, the community here is awesome!

The future path looks good, i’ll take it on with optimism!

Glad you got all that sorted out. They look much better.