I've killed the dreaded SUPER MITES!

Oh man, that sucked, what a ride. I haven't had to deal with mites in forever, and put my trust in the wrong clone vendor. Well, this round of blackberry kush clones was an extra bitch to procure. The Blackberry Kush is an auto flower strain that is also clone only. This means its hella hard to find, IMO. Even harder to find cuts that are not flowering already.

So when I got this round of babies (1x1" potting soil) I skipped my usual quarantine step (dip), DUMMY! The guy said no problems, he said he dipped, I was being a dummy and just planted into 4.2 gallons of soil-less mix (only for autoflower strains). During transplant I noticed something horrible... dirt sticking to the undersides of the leaves. That only means trouble. Then I heard from another friend about his problem with the dreaded super mites. Turns out, JERK, he has had super-mite issues. The supposed local version of spider-mites that is indestructible.

So I know the routine, the options, how to deal with mites ect. and I have the tools. Thanks to you all

I thought I would test that new SNS217, the rosemary oil product labeled as a spider-mite solution. Soaked the undersides and tops. Did not do a damn thing, nothing. Sha!

Then I went neem, my longtime best friend. Also nothing.

So I went and did something that makes me want to puke, and got a doktor doom spray can, ugh. The guy at the store checked the strength and said babies should make it through. Fogged the shit out of them, all over. Saw some results, but not like I was expecting. Adults and juves made it through the fog. wtf. I was like, EFFING SUPER MITES.

Next, drastic times call for drastic measures. I got a bomb, bad one, one of them Attain poison bombs. I couldn't get myself to set it off...argh ethics.

New game plan time. I trimmed off almost the entire plant, everything except the top three nodes, remember they are just babies anyways. This got rid of most of the eggs. Then I switched pyrethrin products to one that was a little stronger. Same hair spray can, but 33% stronger at .3%. Gave another spray, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, every day until no signs of super-mite life. Phew.

Now they look like freshly rooted clones, but with a huge root system and they are a few inches taller than when I got them.

Next time I'm getting different cuts, sha! And dipping! Lessons learned the hard way are the ones you remember.

Update: the dreaded super mites are gone, not a trace of their existence because I pruned off all infected leaves.

To properly murder the super mites, make sure to follow up your initial treatment with (daily) subsequent treatments. High temperature will actually speed this murdering phase up, so you can get back to healthy growing asap.

Peas

This was a hot summer and they seemed to be bad this season. It sounds like this was not your first rodeo and I am glad it had a happy ending.

I am getting some clones from a friend and he has been known to have spider mites.

I have never had them in the 2 years growing. Thank God.

My question is, What should i dip them in before i put them in my room and how long should i wait ?

Thanks

Glad you got them.... Maybe take cuttings from your own plants? Or try to cross breed.

I do take cuttings from my plants. But i want this other strain that he has.

i81two said:

I am getting some clones from a friend and he has been known to have spider mites.

I have never had them in the 2 years growing. Thank God.

My question is, What should i dip them in before i put them in my room and how long should i wait ?

Thanks

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Yes please???

inspirational thread, i just had them for the 1st time, and the outcome wasn't as good
i will remember your experience, and +rep for sharing

Yes Please ??? What does that mean ?

I have heard people talk about dipping clones but never understood in what.

i81two said:

Yes Please ??? What does that mean ?

I have heard people talk about dipping clones but never understood in what.

Click to expand...

You dip your clones in whatever you use as part of your IPM system (integrated pest/pathogen management). I've dipped in neem oil, zero tolerance, and a slew of home-made concoctions usually based on a hot pepper that my CSA (community supported agriculture) subscription provides.

I've found that dipping can burn easily, so take the necessary precautions and do a test dip, dip in the dark (or at least not intense light). I do not follow the direction on some products (like zero tolerance), and I like to mix different horticultural oils.

I obviously cheated and used doktor doom. I had already transplanted and could not dip. I also did not want to blast my babies with my atomizer, or go through spraying oils that won't work anyways (because these mites are neem/azamax/zero tolerance resistant).

growone said:

inspirational thread, i just had them for the 1st time, and the outcome wasn't as good
i will remember your experience, and +rep for sharing

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Some would say doktor doom is poison, or that an everyday treatment program is too much... but the infected growth is long gone and the girls look great.

i was deep in flower with them, it does kind of limit your options
i probably should have been more aggressive earlier on with daily sprayings
hoping i never see them again, they came in with a reveg i did outside(never again)

growone said:

i was deep in flower with them, it does kind of limit your options
i probably should have been more aggressive earlier on with daily sprayings
hoping i never see them again, they came in with a reveg i did outside(never again)

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deep flower... argh. sorry for your loss. i refuse to flip to 12/12 until they are gone for good. 10 days and counting no signs of mites.

CONGRATZ BRO man I have some also, those things are so annoying.

Strange. Sometimes I use ashes and lime to rebalance the table and produce more co2 to the roots system. This is something that can't be done with dirt. But what I wanted to mention is I thought the mites were gone, but my wife said she seen them on the walls. She was right, for some reason they weren't taking to the plants.

Matt Rize said:

deep flower... argh. sorry for your loss. i refuse to flip to 12/12 until they are gone for good. 10 days and counting no signs of mites.

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thanks for condolences, wasn't complete disaster, probably pulled in 1/3 of what i should have
i did find a very organic treatment, mix of clove,peppermint,rosemary, and thyme oil
it was ok and did kill them(to some extent), but i got too cute with spraying every 3 days, i find your experience very interesting, i think the daily is needed

growone said:

thanks for condolences, wasn't complete disaster, probably pulled in 1/3 of what i should have
i did find a very organic treatment, mix of clove,peppermint,rosemary, and thyme oil
it was ok and did kill them(to some extent), but i got too cute with spraying every 3 days, i find your experience very interesting, i think the daily is needed

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You know how it goes. All the texts say three day intervals. But I was out there with the loupe, and if there was a single mite (juvey or adult), then I sprayed.

bird mcbride said:

Strange. Sometimes I use ashes and lime to rebalance the table and produce more co2 to the roots system. This is something that can't be done with dirt. But what I wanted to mention is I thought the mites were gone, but my wife said she seen them on the walls. She was right, for some reason they weren't taking to the plants.

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If your plants were treated with some sort of horticultural oil, or whatever, then the mites may have been pushed off of your plants. They are tiny, are you sure it was spider mites on the wall?

I've have replaced all of my bambu stakes with tomato cages. The mites were hiding inside the stakes when I did my treatments (this was years ago), and since switching to metal cages I've had a much easier time getting complete eradication. And I can actually clean the cages between rounds. Plus, they provide all sorts of training advantages.

Matt Rize said:

If your plants were treated with some sort of horticultural oil, or whatever, then the mites may have been pushed off of your plants. They are tiny, are you sure it was spider mites on the wall?

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I am totally aware of what a spidermite is. The seed can be infected from the start. We grow indoor up north, 30-50 below zero. There's no way for a spidermite to get here never mind it choosing that one plant to infect. Instead of spraying with chemicals and whatever simple use a soft paint brush and remove them and there webbing. Pump up the water spray with res water and give them a good blasting. I use long lasting insecticide on the walls and I don't use a toxic spray with plants in the grow-op. I use alot of two sided tape because a mite will not pass onto a sticky surface. Prune off any infected fan leaves. You can also use the soft brush to brush the eggs off the fans if you really need them. Remove all infected material from the op immediately, sweep dust and vacuum. Mop the floor with a pesticide mixed with some water.