What Are These White Spots?

[Leew421]

I think there's two kinds. Lady bugs will help

 

[OLAFU]

One of my plants actually looked like it might of had russets, it had the spindle leafs going on that almost appeard plastic - fake looking. The very same plant ended up hermie, but I defoiled it to the max and after a few times cutting off the male parts it was well.

I just looked unde the microscope and what i seen was a bug that is fattish, with multiple legs, it was white with black on it's back and what looked like two black tiny specs for eyes.

I purchased some neem oil, as i run a perpetual hatvest. The othervones i got going are 1-3 weeks into flowering. As for the ones that are almost done i think ill just take what i can get and not try to fix the problem because theyre going to be chopped soon.

I only wonder how i got these pests. What a bummer. My dog has snuck down stairs once or twice into my medicle room. Any one ever have good look with Dr bushmasters force of nature? If the neem oil don't solve it then that was my next step.

 

[SmithsJunk]

That damage looks exactly like the two spotted spider mites I'm fighting right now. The reason no one knows for sure is you haven't shown the undersides of the leaves. I had/have an infestestation almost as bad and very little evidence of any webs. Garden Safe Insecticide Soap (potassium salts of fatty acids) has helped and the plants loved it. I sprayed with Captain Jacks Dead Bug (spinosad bacteria) the day before yesterday. I will give an update on my own thread on the results today, here too, they should be mostly dead today if it worked. I didn't add the wetting agent last time so it might not have been effective enough. Released ladybugs last night, ordering predator mites today.

Both the Garden Safe and Captain Jacks are food safe and labels say the can be used on fruits/veggies up to the day of harvest. I don't think either will hurt anyone if smoked but we all know buds are trickier than veggies since it's hard to wash them and spinosad is somewhat systemic. Three weeks left, you might be able to use them. I've read all kinds of opinions but I was most convinced by the argument of two weeks before harvest. You might still have a window, and if I were you I buy predator mites even this late. They might help mitigate some of the damage.

You should be able to identify spider mites with a 10x jewelers loop. Russet mites would have caused the saw edge of the leaves to curl and possibly leave a beige dusting of their dead bodies if the infestation is bad enough. Be thankful you don't have those. They eat all the resin and new flower leaving a stone-less bud.

Here are pictures of both spider and russet damage. These are my own pics.

(first pic two spotted spider mites, second pic russet mites)

Sorry, my camera phone doesn't take great pictures. To the top right of the photo is a pretty good example of russet mite damage.

You need to know what you're looking for or you'll miss them. Russet mites are less than .2 mm with only two sets of legs. Need a microscope to see them and their eggs clearly. That's why they're so dangerous. By the time evidence of their presence is seen, the plant has already been ravaged. They can wipe out entire crops within weeks.

If you really want help here. Do what everyone keeps asking and show pics of the bottom of your leaves. Or everyone will keep having to guess and you won't get proper help.

 

[Sinner D]

I'm with you Leew421. I think that looks like spider mites. If you don't see webs now, it won't be long! And yes, as fatawa said above, you're already well into flower. That makes the 'hard stuff' a distant thought. But, if you use 2-4 of the natural products available, all with some different oil(s) in them in a rotation every 3 to 4 days, you can beat them back, hopefully long enough to harvest something smoke-able. I fear no bug.

 

[Sinner D]

That damage looks exactly like the two spotted spider mites I'm fighting right now. The reason no one knows for sure is you haven't shown the undersides of the leaves. I had/have an infestestation almost as bad and very little evidence of any webs. Garden Safe Insecticide Soap (potassium salts of fatty acids) has helped and the plants loved it. I sprayed with Captain Jacks Dead Bug (spinosad bacteria) the day before yesterday. I will give an update on my own thread on the results today, here too, they should be mostly dead today if it worked. I didn't add the wetting agent last time so it might not have been effective enough. Released ladybugs last night, ordering predator mites today.

Both the Garden Safe and Captain Jacks are food safe and labels say the can be used on fruits/veggies up to the day of harvest. I don't think either will hurt anyone if smoked but we all know buds are trickier than veggies since it's hard to wash them and spinosad is somewhat systemic. Three weeks left, you might be able to use them. I've read all kinds of opinions but I was most convinced by the argument of two weeks before harvest. You might still have a window, and if I were you I buy predator mites even this late. They might help mitigate some of the damage.

You should be able to identify spider mites with a 10x jewelers loop. Russet mites would have caused the saw edge of the leaves to curl and possibly leave a beige dusting of their dead bodies if the infestation is bad enough. Be thankful you don't have those. They eat all the resin and new flower leaving a stone-less bud.

Here are pictures of both spider and russet damage. These are my own pics.

(first pic two spotted spider mites, second pic russet mites)

View attachment 728418

Sorry, my camera phone doesn't take great pictures. To the top right of the photo is a pretty good example of russet mite damage.

View attachment 728422

You need to know what you're looking for or you'll miss them. Russet mites are less than .2 mm with only two sets of legs. Need a microscope to see them and their eggs clearly. That's why they're so dangerous. By the time evidence of their presence is seen, the plant has already been ravaged. They can wipe out entire crops within weeks.

If you really want help here. Do what everyone keeps asking and show pics of the bottom of your leaves. Or everyone will keep having to guess and you won't get proper help.

I do like to keep Captain Jacks in my arsenal of safe stuff! The plants do seem to love it the next day. Looking all perky and happy and shit. But it really has to be in rotation with other stuff like Smite, Green Clean (not a personal favorite), 86 is a new product here in Michigan that was moderately effective when used rotation with the previously mentioned. 86 also claims no tolerance or immunity that will be an issue if used over and over. I have yet to use a shelf product from a garden store that is organic that can just be used alone. Some of my girls lose more leaves than others, but it's not a shocking difference in the plants until you've hit your third or fourth application. Just depends on when you caught the little spider bastards. Haven't had any issues with the russet mites yet....:ninja::shockedninja::blackalien::greyalien:

 

[SmithsJunk]

I ended up using Azimax. Worked great. I'm expecting them to be completely gone after my next spray, but I'll still do a third spray to be 100%.

Nothing I used so far was totally effective against two spot spider mites until Azimax. Good stuff.

 

[AJGirlsGrow2]

wouldn't spider mites with that much spotting have webs every where???

Is this the post that I shared before?
http://www.growweedeasy.com/spider-mites

What I did was use azamax and monterey spinosad spray- never saw a mite again. I mixed up azamax in a spray bottle and sprayed some on paper towel and wiped underneath the leaves so I would see the little black or brown smudge on it and I knew I killed one directly, time consuming yes, but worth it. Then I sprayed the rest of plant and added some to the water that I put in the soil also. The next watering about 5-7 days later I switched and sprayed with the monterey spray. After doing this like once, I believe after one treatment this they were gone. I did it again anyway. On my new clones from those plants, I treated them like this right away from babies same way a few times until mid veg and then I stopped. No issues with this batch.

 

[AJGirlsGrow2]

@AJGirlsGrow2 had a posting about her method for eradicating spider mites, tried to copy it, search for it back a few months this year. It was quite thourough and methodical. Good luck.

I looked back at the photos, I was in flower too the first time, not s far in, BUT we just sat in front of the plant and like I said hand wiped the leaves with the paper towel with azamax on it so as to not the get buds wet and then in front o fan and on cooler side. In flower under LEDI keep my temps between 74 and 80ish but keep it lower 70s since mites like heat. And keep a fan on them. I had one on both sides during the issue for plenty of circulation making it hard from them to breed. I think below 70 is too cold, my plants showed signs of stress when I accidently left the AC on and it dropped to 72 even.
Disclosure: I am not claiming to be a "know it all". I have spent countless hours reading and watching and researching methods, you name it. I had problems, I found solutions, if it worked for me, I stick by it and share it. I did a cloning guide video or people because my success was almost 100%. People told me some of my methods would not work, such as using scissors when I cut my clones and scraping the tip with them, well, 7 out of 8 rooted, first one in 3 days, so I'll stick to what has worked for me so far.

Photo of my second batch of Lithium OG Kush from clones I cut off last one. Day 52 in flower. I will be putting up one without the purple light in the photo contest this month today.

 

[AJGirlsGrow2]

I ended up using Azimax. Worked great. I'm expecting them to be completely gone after my next spray, but I'll still do a third spray to be 100%.

Nothing I used so far was totally effective against two spot spider mites until Azimax. Good stuff.

I highly recommend alternating with monterey spinosad spray. If you use only azamax they can build up tolerance and youll create a super bug and the azamax wont work anymore. I did azamax with one watering, the next week, monterey spray, and back to azamax.

 

[SmithsJunk]

I highly recommend alternating with monterey spinosad spray. If you use only azamax they can build up tolerance and youll create a super bug and the azamax wont work anymore. I did azamax with one watering, the next week, monterey spray, and back to azamax.

If you didn't add a nonionic adjuvant or Monterey doesn't have one in it (which I seriously doubt by what I've read) then you're wasting your spinosad. Spinosad kills by ingestion so the adjuvant helps the leaves uptake the bacteria/toxins. It also only kills them in a single stage of growth. It really isn't very effective against spider mites even if applied properly but I bet you annhilated any trace of caterpillars.

Instead of rotating pesticides you could use one in conjunction that kills nymphs and eggs. If you back off from an effective one to use one that doesn't work then you are giving them a chance to recover from the effective one and lay more hard to kill eggs. I seriously doubt they'll become resistant to neem (Azamax is neem extract). If they were going to, with their reproductive rates, most of them would be immune already. If you're rotating before the flower cycle I've read a lot of people are using Floramite. I'll stick with Azamax, very few adults survived. All I'm seeing is nyph, which means it kills all but eggs. A weak dose this Sunday and maybe one more in another 6 days depending on the results. Then they should no longer be an issue. The neem repels them so well they even evacuated my cousin's plants next to them.

The spinosad was absolutely ineffective even when I sprayed it directly on the mites. In fact, they got worse. It would be better not to spray at all. I'm not the only one on here that experienced this. I used Captain Jacks Dead Bug.

Just to let you know, I'm not being snooty or condescending . Only sharing my experience.

 

[SmithsJunk]

Is this the post that I shared before?
http://www.growweedeasy.com/spider-mites

What I did was use azamax and monterey spinosad spray- never saw a mite again. I mixed up azamax in a spray bottle and sprayed some on paper towel and wiped underneath the leaves so I would see the little black or brown smudge on it and I knew I killed one directly, time consuming yes, but worth it. Then I sprayed the rest of plant and added some to the water that I put in the soil also. The next watering about 5-7 days later I switched and sprayed with the monterey spray. After doing this like once, I believe after one treatment this they were gone. I did it again anyway. On my new clones from those plants, I treated them like this right away from babies same way a few times until mid veg and then I stopped. No issues with this batch.

Sorry, I'm not trying to pick on you. I didn't address this with my last post.

As far as application goes, to the best of my knowledge, Azamax is semi systemic. So the leaves uptake a small amount so it doesn't have to contact the mites directly. That's part of the reason I use it. I cant hand paint my plants in my physical condition, plus they're too big even if I could. Spraying with a hudson sprayer was very effective for me.

...and very, very, fine nugs you're growing there. If I wasn't already voting for Ceveres Diablo (still drooling, love Sativa) I'd highly consider yours with the right photo.

My Pentax K-S1 should get here Mon or Tues so I'll be competing with you guys proper come Sep or Oct. I only uploaded a wide shot pic of my garden to the contest to vote for Ceveres.

 

[SmithsJunk]

I looked back at the photos, I was in flower too the first time, not s far in, BUT we just sat in front of the plant and like I said hand wiped the leaves with the paper towel with azamax on it so as to not the get buds wet and then in front o fan and on cooler side. In flower under LEDI keep my temps between 74 and 80ish but keep it lower 70s since mites like heat. And keep a fan on them. I had one on both sides during the issue for plenty of circulation making it hard from them to breed. I think below 70 is too cold, my plants showed signs of stress when I accidently left the AC on and it dropped to 72 even.
Disclosure: I am not claiming to be a "know it all". I have spent countless hours reading and watching and researching methods, you name it. I had problems, I found solutions, if it worked for me, I stick by it and share it. I did a cloning guide video or people because my success was almost 100%. People told me some of my methods would not work, such as using scissors when I cut my clones and scraping the tip with them, well, 7 out of 8 rooted, first one in 3 days, so I'll stick to what has worked for me so far.

Photo of my second batch of Lithium OG Kush from clones I cut off last one. Day 52 in flower. I will be putting up one without the purple light in the photo contest this month today.

Your cloning method should work great. Used the same method when I used to clone endangered roses for a Rose Society. Got taught that technique by the real old timers/professional seed breeders (roses).

 

[AJGirlsGrow2]

Sorry, I'm not trying to pick on you. I didn't address this with my last post.

As far as application goes, to the best of my knowledge, Azamax is semi systemic. So the leaves uptake a small amount so it doesn't have to contact the mites directly. That's part of the reason I use it. I cant hand paint my plants in my physical condition, plus they're too big even if I could. Spraying with a hudson sprayer was very effective for me.

...and very, very, fine nugs you're growing there. If I wasn't already voting for Ceveres Diablo (still drooling, love Sativa) I'd highly consider yours with the right photo.

My Pentax K-S1 should get here Mon or Tues so I'll be competing with you guys proper come Sep or Oct. I only uploaded a wide shot pic of my garden to the contest to vote for Ceveres.

Its cool. I just posted this in the photo contest this month.