Little Bastards

Ouch man.

Jimster said:

Things are progressing nicely except for the damage caused by Spider Mites during earlier growth. Even though you can't hardly see the little pricks, the damage they do is evident. I think this is a black diesel leaf that looked great a few weeks ago, before any damage became apparent. Things are better now, but the damage has already been done. For tiny little bastards that you can't hardly see, they sure make up for their small size. Here is a leaf that has been tattoo'd by the invisible pests.

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I've been real lucky and never had 'em outside. Now come Aug the cabbage moth larva are a real pain. At least they're big enough to see and easy to remove by hand. And let's not forget the gophers and ground squirrels you don't have to deal with.

It seems that some plants are totally immune to them, while others, notably Sativa dominant strains, are on the lunch menu. That was one of the older leaves, so the damage has accumulated but it still pisses me off. The plants look great, just a few of these leaves are screwed up. *sigh*

Jimster said:

It seems that some plants are totally immune to them, while others, notably Sativa dominant strains, are on the lunch menu. That was one of the older leaves, so the damage has accumulated but it still pisses me off. The plants look great, just a few of these leaves are screwed up. *sigh*

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Looks like it’s dusted in Trichomes at first then I zoomed in and saw. Nothing hurt in a few bitten leafs

PlumberSoCal said:

I've been real lucky and never had 'em outside. Now come Aug the cabbage moth larva are a real pain. At least they're big enough to see and easy to remove by hand. And let's not forget the gophers and ground squirrels you don't have to deal with.

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Punxsutawney Phil, the famous weather prognosticating groundhog, lives about 50 miles from here... they manage to do a lot of damage, as do the deer. I gave up trying to grow a garden because the deer ate all of the tomatoes, and the ones that didn't get eaten by the deer were attacked by the Tomato Hornworm...huge green grubs with a huge appetite. I don't think it matters...critters are gonna eat whatever you plant, or try to!

Jimster said:

Punxsutawney Phil, the famous weather prognosticating groundhog, lives about 50 miles from here... they manage to do a lot of damage, as do the deer. I gave up trying to grow a garden because the deer ate all of the tomatoes, and the ones that didn't get eaten by the deer were attacked by the Tomato Hornworm...huge green grubs with a huge appetite. I don't think it matters...critters are gonna eat whatever you plant, or try to!

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Some plants like chives and garlic etc are said to provide a kind of eco barrier to keep spider mites away. Possible consider planting them around your girls? I have never tried this but some gardeners swear by it.

Aqua Man said:

Some plants like chives and garlic etc are said to provide a kind of eco barrier to keep spider mites away. Possible consider planting them around your girls? I have never tried this but some gardeners swear by it.

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If I used them for the indoor grows, the whole building would smell like an Italian reunion! My one buddy pees on everything, which seems to keep most of the animals away, although I don't know if it helps with bugs or not. He gave me a bunch of veggies last year. I scrubbed the shit out of them before I used them!! I have heard of people peeing on their plants for the benefits of the urea and stuff, although I hope the plants get washed before they sell them!

Jimster said:

If I used them for the indoor grows, the whole building would smell like an Italian reunion! My one buddy pees on everything, which seems to keep most of the animals away, although I don't know if it helps with bugs or not. He gave me a bunch of veggies last year. I scrubbed the shit out of them before I used them!! I have heard of people peeing on their plants for the benefits of the urea and stuff, although I hope the plants get washed before they sell them!

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Yup the ammonia will be used by the plants and broken down by the bacteria into nitrites and then nitrates. LOL it does sound bad but its really the same process for anything organic being broken down.

Had Spider Mites the end of last year, stubborn little bastards to evict.

Jimster said:

Punxsutawney Phil, the famous weather prognosticating groundhog, lives about 50 miles from here... they manage to do a lot of damage, as do the deer. I gave up trying to grow a garden because the deer ate all of the tomatoes, and the ones that didn't get eaten by the deer were attacked by the Tomato Hornworm...huge green grubs with a huge appetite. I don't think it matters...critters are gonna eat whatever you plant, or try to!

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Deer be good eats. Too bad we don't have them here but I'd no doubt be feeding and naming them and once that happens I couldn't harm them. Although if they ate my weed they'd be on the menu! Groundhogs? We don't have them here but they look like they'd make great boots and gloves and after the last few years of their prognostications they should all be turned into clothing.

Aqua Man said:

Yup the ammonia will be used by the plants and broken down by the bacteria into nitrites and then nitrates. LOL it does sound bad but its really the same process for anything organic being broken down.

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Someone suggested I do that. Now while I have been known to relieve myself in the yard at night when drinking, okay, guzzling beer I stay far away from my garden. Can't do that.

Jimster said:

It seems that some plants are totally immune to them, while others, notably Sativa dominant strains, are on the lunch menu. That was one of the older leaves, so the damage has accumulated but it still pisses me off. The plants look great, just a few of these leaves are screwed up. *sigh*

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I noticed this also when I was attacked by spider mites for a couple of grows. They came out of nowhere it seemed, perhaps out of stress or just the conditions at the time. My Early Miss plants always seemed to have more resilience than other strains growing along side her.
Seems the bastards have moved on and I am thankful because it's a lot less work and stress than spraying plants in the shower every other day and constant squishing:badboy:.

PlumberSoCal said:

After the last few years of their prognostications they should all be turned into clothing.

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A lot of folks are feeling the same way, although this year he kind of hit it right... at least around here!

Kingjoshh said:

Looks like it’s dusted in Trichomes at first then I zoomed in and saw. Nothing hurt in a few bitten leafs

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The plants that typically get frosted with Trichomes also seem to be the ones that get munched on. The bugs have been gone for about a month, but the damage that they did is just now becoming apparent as the leaves close/seal up the spots that were damaged by the mites. This was a light infestation with no webbing... imagine a full blown infestation.
FWIW, we have thee tiny tiny red bugs that I always see on top of a hot stone wall. The stone is hot enough to burn my feet, but these bugs seem to love t. They scurry around very quickly, especially since you could fit a hundred on the period at the end of this sentence. Maybe not 100, but several. I looked them up and they are supposedly called red clover mites. They are also supposed to be the pre-molted form of spider mites. The spider mites I saw moved slowly...the red things were rocket speed.
My concern is if this is true about the clover mites VS sider mites... there are a zillion red clover mites (if that's what I am seeing)… many more than I saw spider mites... but if they are the same, it would be impossible to keep something so tiny out and away from plants.

The only way I've found to combat mites is to spray with PH'd water twice a day in veg., above and below every leaf and stem, and as far as you dare into flower. They don't like it wet, and I don't like them. :)