spider mites 3 1/2 weeks in..... quick question

I would give at least 2 days between treatments. So after the NPS wait a couple days then start rotating every 2-3 days giving the eggs a chance to hatch before you kill the next generation... Their life cycle is about 8 days depending on temps, higher temps=faster life cycle. They also slow down with high humidity.

Good Luck!

liquid ladybug worked for me. kind of expensive but now that they are gone, it was worth it. if you are in soil, bust out the vacuum cleaner after you water. they will run around the rim of your flower pot. just don't do it while you are baked or youll suck up a branch like I did

I've never used liquid lady bug, good to know it is effective. Good tip on using the vacuum too... I have to admit I am skeptical whenever someone says they eradicated them with one product.
How long have they been gone? Mine came back after 55 days without spotting them.

Jeremy13 said:

Hey I'm sold on the no pest strips been doing a lot of homework, think these will work out best for my situation. My question is how many should I use in a room that is 8x8x12..... It is a sealed room, so I know these will kill the little fuckers based on posts I've read, but was curious how many I should put? I'm gonna do some of that mighty wash too if I need it just wanted to try this first and see if I can eliminate the problem this way......If you have experience with these strips can you help me out, just looking to kill the bugs lol......Also if it helps I have 12 monsters (I'm short but after stretch they were taller than me) in a section about 5x8x8 its a jungle in there ....the other half is for veg/work space with mothers and whatnot so I need to put 1 or 2 or 3 in there as well just don't know how many?

Click to expand...

In my opinion, the best and cheapest, almost no cost organic way to getting rid of spider mite is pepper water. I've used this for some 10+ years to cure infected plants/vegetable gardens or for preventative care. I learned this trick from my parents because this is what they used to do to pests when they were still farming back in their country. Here's what I do:

1. Dice up 4-5 peppers - I used to use Thai Chili pepper but gave all my pepper plants away so I switched to the Trinidad Maruga Scorpion pepper
2. Fill up a gallon of water or 2 (if the bucket size allows you)
3. Toss in your diced pepper, stir and let it sit for a few days - I normally go 2-3 days, 1 if I need it right away
4. After a few days or however long you let it sit, give it a good stirring and put it to use - If you use a pump spray, you might want to screen out the pulp and such otherwise it may clog the nozzles.

Me personally, for infected plants or gardens, I like to spray that bitch down really good. I'm talking about soaking it, top side/under side of leaves, nodes, stems, branches, everything for every other day, for 2 - 3 weeks. For preventative care, I like to moderately moist plants 1 - 2 times a month. For clones, I like to dip the entire top half into pepper water solution for 1-2 minutes. Of course with the cut away from the solution water and already in plugs with rooting hormone applied.

CaliBuzz did a write up about pepper water spray a while ago but he calls for using Habenera. I like to use the hottest available pepper. The hotter, the better and the less application you have to go through. He also calls for heating it up for 20 mins. I like to let it dilute for a few days to extract as much capsaicin as possible. The longer it sits, the stronger the concentration. At least that's the way me/my parents been doing for generations. But hey, if Mighty Wash, Hotspot No-Pest Strip, Azamite, etc. is your thing, go for it. Whatever it takes to get rid of those fucker.

Cascadian said:

higher temps=faster life cycle. They also slow down with high humidity.

Click to expand...

good point Casc, I would always raise temp and lower humidity prior to unleashing the NPS. Bear in mind the DDVP gasses faster at higher temps decreasing NPS life. I did once read about plant damage due to too high a DDVP concentration but have never witnessed it. The chemical has been around since early 60's and is really quite safe with judicial and prudent use.

Cascadian said:

I've never used liquid lady bug, good to know it is effective. Good tip on using the vacuum too... I have to admit I am skeptical whenever someone says they eradicated them with one product.
How long have they been gone? Mine came back after 55 days without spotting them.

Click to expand...

Well I wouldn't call it eradicated. There are some stragglers around. Like I mentioned about them running after watering. It went from hundreds, to now I have to search hard and I'll find 1 or 2. I can't find any sign of them on the plant. So I would call it 'rendered harmless'. I keep a bottle on hand just in case. After watering I will spray down the top of the soil, bottom of the stalk, and all around the flower pot and surface the pots are on. This keeps them in check enough to finish the grow. I have used multiple sprays, I liked the liquid ladybug the most. It is clear, odorless, evaporates quickly, kills eggs, and most importantly it can be used during flowering. It says you can use all the way up till harvest, tho I don't really want to spray late in the flower stage. The only drawback I see is the cost. It's about $35 for a large premixed spray bottle. I only have 3 plants so it wasn't so bad. Overall I was happy with liquid ladybug

Edit: I just wanted to add that you do need to spray down the whole plant, top and bottom of leaves as you would with any other spray. Every 3 days for a week to 10 days. Spraying the soil and pots is the preventative maintenance after u get them off the plant

6ixty, welcome to RIU. Thanks for the breakdown on how you use pepper water. I use it as well with Habanero peppers, about 15 peppers to 1-2 quarts water simmered for 20-30 minutes (don't boil). I use that up in 2 applications usually diluting 1/2 the solution into about 2 liters of spray. It does kill them no doubt, but I have found if you toss them a curve ball with another product/products they die much faster. I'm not sure how fast they build resistance to the capsaisin. I know my resistance/tolerance to peppers goes up quickly if I am eating a lot of them.

BarnBuster, totaly agree. Especially about the importance of judicial and prudent use. I usually don't talk about them because I feel I have to explain a lot about the prudent use in any post I comment on them. They can be a big health risk if not used properly as you know.

DutchHaze, thanks for the follow up and explanation. I think I will try liquid ladybug out in place of spinosad, they are about the same cost and sounds like it can be used way further into flower.

I still have some mites on my plants in veg, just applied floramite I got on ebay. $25 for one oz... I don't like using non-organic methods but I want to eradicate the borg!

so i'm surprised no one has said it yet.....circulation fans!

sm do not like a lot of air movement and will not thrive with plenty of air circulation. Regardless of which pesticide you use if you do not rectify your room conditions they will almost assuredly return.

Personally, i'd try a sulfur burner for the mites. It will kill those fuckers dead...along with most other leaf dwelling pest...and any errant mold spores. win win win if you ask me.

some claim to taste it in the finished product if used late in flower....I use mine up until week before flip with no discernible taste difference.

either way if you are only three weeks in you're good for sure.

if you were still in veg. I'd say abamectin.....stuffs liquid death to spidermites.

Jeremy13 said:

okay so plan of action: NPS try for 3 days.... if still signs then Mighty Wash.....if still signs then Liquid Ladybug.......? Sound like that should do it? I fucking hope so........

Click to expand...

apply the mighty wash right and use nothing else. IF you hit them they WILL die. eggs and all.

Joe, you are right should have mentioned the importance of air flow. I think of that as a prerequisite in any grow for healthy strong plants though.
I have also read that creating a HUGE amount of airflow on the plants will cause all the mites to run to the top of the plant and can be easily wiped off. Never tried it though.

dbkick, no argument from me but that shit gets expensive over time anyway. I know you are not a rep for mighty wash, but man I would be calling them and trying to get some free product or something. You have probably made them 1000's. No disrespect meant. Peace

Cascadian said:

6ixty, welcome to RIU. Thanks for the breakdown on how you use pepper water. I use it as well with Habanero peppers, about 15 peppers to 1-2 quarts water simmered for 20-30 minutes (don't boil). I use that up in 2 applications usually diluting 1/2 the solution into about 2 liters of spray. It does kill them no doubt, but I have found if you toss them a curve ball with another product/products they die much faster. I'm not sure how fast they build resistance to the capsaisin. I know my resistance/tolerance to peppers goes up quickly if I am eating a lot of them.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm a long time lurker, just don't post much. I say 4 - 5 peppers because these are hot as hell, you don't need much. In fact, currently the Maruga variant is hottest pepper in the world. I don't use Habenera because they aren't hot enough and I don't like they way they taste . But sure because the Habanera's have lower heat concentration, you'll have to use a little more. The Thai Chili, I used 8 - 9 peppers per gallon. Since the Trinidad Scorpion is so damn hot, I only use 4 - 5 pepper per gallon or 2. Of all the infected plants that I've treated in my years, I've don't ever remember seeing any mites or critters building resistance to the capsaisin because they die with every treatment. I think the biggest preventative here is, start with a healthy environment, healthy soil and healthy root system. And don't ever take in any clones or plants from others that are not on top of their game.

Cascadian said:

DutchHaze, thanks for the follow up and explanation. I think I will try liquid ladybug out in place of spinosad, they are about the same cost and sounds like it can be used way further into flower.

I still have some mites on my plants in veg, just applied floramite I got on ebay. $25 for one oz... I don't like using non-organic methods but I want to eradicate the borg!

Click to expand...

Your welcome, just wanted to mention that liquid ladybug is 100% organic according to the website. I guess it's not even considered a pesticide since it doesn't poison the mites, just suffocates them. Couldn't tell from your post if you thought it was not organic.

Edit: check that, here's their explanation on it being a pesticide 'Liquid Ladybug™ is Fifra 25(b) compliant as a minimum risk bio-miticide. That means that the EPA assures that our formula is so safe it doesn’t even have to be registered as a pesticide.'

I've read good things about Mighty Wash and DB has the rep. The only thing I questioned about it; composed of 99.8% water and a "proprietary" ingredient. Thought I read it was some type of plant oil (rosemary?). And why can't I make it myself? Good Luck

i used this product vigorously every week or two , and got rid of mine.https://www.horseloverz.com/product/other-fly-repellents/410401-na.html?sku=5-307670&gdftrk=gdfV27555_a_7c1161_a_7c2883_a_7c5_d_307670&gclid=CPPHuZP_ybwCFREaOgodzxcA3w I then alternate to mighty bomb, which is basically a soap spray after the next few weeks, to make sure any super mites are handled

my buddy still battles mites, he used the same stuff i used, but I don't think he applied it the right way.

I use spreader sticker in conjunction with the captain jacks, I believe it might be the spinosad in the deadbug brew that does it, or maybe there's safe soaps in there, but then i don't understand why you'd want a surfacant like spreader sticker.
first i warm up the grow room to 80- 90 deg F (shutting fans off backing lights off of plants but leaving them on with room sealed ) People say that cold slows down mites, and heat speeds them up. Imo it would make more sense for them to speed up, so that they will have a higher chance to get hit by the spray, and maybe the eggs will all be hatched . this may not be important though; but I'm pretty sure that eggs will make it through a soap spray

I literally spray every square inch of the plant, and pots(lights off) wipe everything, get rid of all dead leaves, i take the pots out of the chamber , get my bleach solution ready (1 cap clorox/gal) then mist the carpet, walls, (while fans are off ) using a fine mist. Turn fans on and spray some through the fans n ducting All cords are wiped and i even spray inside sockets and kind of shake them after , put them on a towel to dry. Call it overdoing it but the mites are gone and it was something found at my garden store, for less than 20$
I really really like the spray bottles that you can use upside down!

also wanted to mention you might want the grow temps on the cool side ~70F until next application. I think that spinosad is systemic and is what actually kills em, it weakens their exoskeleton or something

good mention on that upside down spray bottle Nizza. I remember early on in my grow, the guy at the grow store talked me into buying a $3 spray bottle with a nozzle that spun in any direction and could spray upwards. being my first grow I was thinkin in my head what a waste and almost didn't buy it. ended up being the best value purchase in the whole experience.

Yeah man, I think the spinosad really works too. I was using so many things in rotation when I got them under control I can't legitimately point to any one thing, but I think the spinosad kicked ass if I had to guess. I like your idea of raising temps to hatch the eggs, I did the same thing in my garage before I bombed it and bleached everything hoping that they would be out of dormancy.

DutchHaze, I was referring to the floramite I just applied. I would really like to go 100% organic but I figure in veg it is safe enough... the liquid lady bug seems like a great solution especially in week 4-5 of flower. I won't be spraying anything after week 5 at any time...

6ixty, great advice all around IMO. I have tried to grow the Butch T. Trinidad Scorpion and the Bhut Jolokia pepper here (WA) but my climate doesn't allow for it, they don't mature. Thai chilis will but I used them all up is hot sauce I just use the Habanero because it is the hottest available in the grocery store and use them at a higher concentration. Seems to work, great to hear how effective pepper can be at higher concentrations of capsaisin. I will try to get my hands on some fresh trinidad/jolokia peppers if I can.

This is probably the 500 thread on mites............I've tried everything mentioned and there is only 1 thing that TOTALLY removed all the mites I was fighting for 2 years:

Flying Skull "Nuke Em".......... even better than Mighty Wash which used to be my standard. It's cheaper than M.W., uses no dyes which M.W. does, you can make 3 applications in 1 day to wipe out an entire mite population quicker and easier, washes off easily with water but it's not necessary, and all organic with food grade ingredients. After spending probably $700 buying mite killers, this is now the only thing on my supply shelf and now used as a preventative.

also wanted to chime in on the dunk technique, you just make X amount of gallons of pesticide if the plants are small enough, and hold the top of the soil or whatever and dunk the whole plant in there
picture your torturing someone lol , I felt kind of maniacal eradicating those fuckers

Wow guys, had no idea I would get so much help thank you so much.. so I generally when I decide to do something I do it (thick headed),,, so I got 3 nps put all 3 in the 5x8x8 turned off carbon filter, and all fans even turned off the a/c why not was 78 in there humidity went up to 78 as well I probably shoulda let the dehuey run (dumbass) since I watered night before but these replies leave me with another question? So say make it hotter, so say cooler and then some say humid and others lower it... that my friends is my question right now? And for my second plan of action I got ahold of NPK Industries today nice lady and I have a sample of ultimate wash (their new one same as mighty just no dyes what I was told by horses mouth) waiting for me tomorrow at my local grow store I owe them a good rep and ill tell them to kick DP down cause if he dosent work for them he should lol sold me, and ill keep posted on how things go.... One last thing? See there is a lot of experience here, I have 10 querkles and 2 white widow.....like almost 6 feet tall in the buckets they all look incredible (again my mite infestation is not that bad) however, on just the 2 WW the leaves from the lower branches seem to be yellowing and falling off could it be light deprivation?.... Nothing of the sort on the other 10 querkle I water exactly the same they are right next to each other, I use Nectar for the Gods (i'm in soil, 5 gallon) and use their feeding chart diluted a bit, I use 5 gallon recommendation for 7 gallons (GOOD STUFF!!!) I would recommend awesome people there as well! I do mix up feedings with a little guano tea I make. The tea is just a few things I figured all to be good stuff from info I've gathered so.....worm castings, guano, seaweed extract, couple other little things and Mommas Molasses. Everything always PH'ed to 5.6-5.8....should I be worried about this or does the WW strain do that? Is it soaking up the nutes? am I not giving enough nutes? I hear different strains like different things? Is this anything to be alarmed about? Can I just throw some Epsom salt in with the next watering? Should I just shoot myself? LOL I will figure out how to post pics soon enough any help with that would be cool too........ cannot getem to upload THANKS AGAIN FOR THE IMPUT!!

As far as the bottom leaves turning yellow and falling off, I think it's pretty much normal. Yellow leaves can be a sign of problems, but leaves can also just die off naturally. Especially at the bottom of the plant where there is less light. When the plant doesn't need those leaves anymore, it sheds them. Doesn't sound too worry some to me