I need help

K

ktamadrums

Active Member
I believe I have a Spidermite problem... very very small white, kinda yellowish bugs...

I need to know how to get rid of them without doing any harm to the plants... please help
 
david6767

david6767

Well-Known Member
you have to act quickly - they can reduce your crop to shit in a matter of days. if the infestation has progressed to the web stage, you are in even more trouble.

it is always worth keeping a spider mite spray on hand throughout any grow - as these bastards can spriing out of nowhere.

many people recommend treating them with neem oil - and i too prefer to use organic methods whenever possible, but if i were you i would hit them as hard as you can first time round.

best thing to do is buy a miticide solution that contains pyrethrum and spray not only the plants, but wipe down the walls and equipment too. this will have to be repeated 3-4 times over the next 14 days in order to break the cycle (as other eggs will continue hatching).

however, bear in mind that mites adapt to these chemicals and quickly become immune - so it is best to have a few different types at hand.

also necessary to reduce the temps and increase humidity during the 14 day treatment period.

best to mix in a foliar feed with the miticide to get the best results.

mist plants regularly with water to deter mites, during dark period.

when sprayin and misting pay particular attention to the underside of the leaves - as this is where they gather and lay eggs.

after harvest make sure you wipe down entire grow room with 55 bleach solution to kill any adults or eggs remaining in hibernation.

good luck.
 
homegrownboy

homegrownboy

Well-Known Member
david6767 said:
you have to act quickly - they can reduce your crop to shit in a matter of days. if the infestation has progressed to the web stage, you are in even more trouble.

it is always worth keeping a spider mite spray on hand throughout any grow - as these bastards can spriing out of nowhere.

many people recommend treating them with neem oil - and i too prefer to use organic methods whenever possible, but if i were you i would hit them as hard as you can first time round.

best thing to do is buy a miticide solution that contains pyrethrum and spray not only the plants, but wipe down the walls and equipment too. this will have to be repeated 3-4 times over the next 14 days in order to break the cycle (as other eggs will continue hatching).

however, bear in mind that mites adapt to these chemicals and quickly become immune - so it is best to have a few different types at hand.

also necessary to reduce the temps and increase humidity during the 14 day treatment period.

best to mix in a foliar feed with the miticide to get the best results.

mist plants regularly with water to deter mites, during dark period.

when sprayin and misting pay particular attention to the underside of the leaves - as this is where they gather and lay eggs.

after harvest make sure you wipe down entire grow room with 55 bleach solution to kill any adults or eggs remaining in hibernation.

good luck.
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GREAT information...very thourgh!!!
 
VictorVIcious

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
david6767 said:
who mentioned soil - he said he had a spider mite problem? who's the pest?
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he did, he posted the same thing at least three times maybe four. And we still don't know what his problem is. Sometimes folks don't give you all of the facts in one place. I knew from experience you can't see spider mites without magnification until you see webs and holes in the leaves. And spider mites don't fly. If I could see colors and match what he has described my guess would be fungus knats. What he should do to be sure is buy some traps, catch some of the bugs and take them to his hydro shop for identification. In the meantime he can buy neem oil, dish soap and mix his own insecticide, begin a weekly maintanance program and get rid of most pests, including spider mites and fungus knats. He should pay particular attention to the bottom of the leaves for the first couple of weeks, if conditions are right for fungus knats they are right for spider mites too.
I have been conducting a little experiment in my grow room. I like coco-coir as a medium and so do fungus knats. I have been leaving the coco-coir down about an inch or so when I transplant to my finish size pots and then putting flock rockwool on the top. I read the information on SM-90 and daita?????earth, both seems to cut the larvae when they try to surface. I thought the rockwool might have the same effect. I also thought this might be good for controlling algea. I haven't had to use any weekly maintanance for the last three months. Doesn't mean it works yet, its winter here and pests can't migrate to the grow area very readily. I'll let you know how it does in the summer. I am also going to try using sand on the top. I think both the flock rockwool and the sand will help to prevent any infestation. It won't let the adult lay eggs in the medium, they have a short live span and the adults are not doing any damage if the can't propagate. My uncle was the head of the Entomology Department at Rutgers, he addressed an International Convention in the 1960's. He always said the best cure for pests is prevention.
Now, are you beginning to see why I feel qualified to give answers, or do you need more schooling??:peace::blsmoke:
 
VictorVIcious

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
And I..Know how to spell 'do' So... If I didn't have a sense of humor about it I would have told you to eat shit and die a long time ago. I'm guessing you were born the year after I graduated High School at the earliest. And you are not the first to question things I say and you were not the most belligerent by any stretch. I have even been accused of making up statistics, so your offerings are kinda meager in comparison. The way I see it there is no crime, no foul in being wrong, you can always correct it.
Attacking someone with over three thousand posts and a year and a half of membership isn't wrong, its....... I have always felt that can be corrected with proper patient schooling, and that is what I attempt to do. Stop by and take a look at my journal. You will be right there when we take down the 'Test Table' flowered exclusively under t-5 lighting. I don't know what the results are going to be.
Sorry about jumping your thread. Did you find out what the pest was and have you taken steps to control them?? VV
 
david6767

david6767

Well-Known Member
VictorVIcious said:
And I..Know how to spell 'do' So... If I didn't have a sense of humor about it I would have told you to eat shit and die a long time ago. I'm guessing you were born the year after I graduated High School at the earliest. And you are not the first to question things I say and you were not the most belligerent by any stretch. I have even been accused of making up statistics, so your offerings are kinda meager in comparison. The way I see it there is no crime, no foul in being wrong, you can always correct it.
Attacking someone with over three thousand posts and a year and a half of membership isn't wrong, its....... I have always felt that can be corrected with proper patient schooling, and that is what I attempt to do.

you make one hell of alot of assumptions for someone so "mature".

but at least i made the offer of friendship, not you.

ever wondered why people are so "belligerent" ?

life's too short, forget it.
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