Got spider mites. What I've done and what to do next.

[erbansk]

I appreciate all the replies.

This is the third day. I didn't see any new leaf damage. So, I think I caught the spider mites in time to save the harvest. This is week 5 of 12/12.

I know what to look for with spider mites, so I was able to act quickly. I located where they started and defoliated out in every direction from there. Then I sprayed the bottoms of all the leaves with a mixture of alcohol and water.

Unfortunately, the plant that was hit the hardest isn't looking well today. It's turning pale. I don't think it's a nutrient problem because I fed it 8 days ago. I may lose it. Removing so much of the plant may have stressed it too much. I don't like losing a plant, but it's better than fighting spider mites forever. I'm going to give it some water and nutrients to see if that helps.

The other plant seems okay.

Alcohol on flowering plants isnt a good thing....

 

[Bilber]

Spider-mites do not seem to like cold weather.....

Don't freeze your plants, but put as much of a chill that you can to them.....

Worked twice so far for me.....rinsed with a hose once, shower once, pluck leftovers, then cool them off......hint......ac unit....

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

Don’t use any poison period. Use predator mites. If you use poison it will also kill the predators. Otherwise they will stay around as long as there are bugs for them to eat.

I don't use any poison. I've talked with a few growers who use predators, and they all say they're the best option. So far, what I've been doing seems to be working.

Do the predator mites eat all pests?

My understanding is they just eat the mites they like.

Cats can get crystsls from the oxalates in the leaves....watchout...you dont need a 3k$ emergency vet bill

I haven't heard of that. My wife is the cat person here and she's as quick with a Google search as anyone. She didn't sound any alarms, but I'll ask her about this.

Alcohol on flowering plants isnt a good thing....

Why? So far, I haven't noticed any problems, but I've kept the spray away from the bugs as much as possible. I don't think the mites made it that far up the plant.

Spider-mites do not seem to like cold weather.....

Don't freeze your plants, but put as much of a chill that you can to them.....

Worked twice so far for me.....rinsed with a hose once, shower once, pluck leftovers, then cool them off......hint......ac unit....

It's true they don't like cold or high humidity. They like hot and dry. August is spider season here and that's probably why.

I lowered the temperature and raised the humidity in the tent. That, with the H2O2 and alcohol has worked okay.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I think I've just about won the war against the spider mites. I'm not sure how the plants will do. The buds look okay. The pistils are turning amber. This wasn't one of my better grows anyway, so if I lose it... Well... We can't win them all. I do have a plant of the same strain in another tent, and it hasn't been affected. So, all's not lost.

In the last two days, I've seen slight spider mite damage on two leaves. I cut off the leaves, put them in a garbage can and spray them with the alcohol mix. Then I sprayed the area near where I found the damage.

So, I think I'm winning the war, even if I lose a battle or two. These damn mites can come back if they're not completely eradicated. I don't want them infesting a future crop. I'll be sad if I lose these plants, but I'll be even sadder if I lose my next crop.

 

[coolslayer]

Agreed. lol

 

[erbansk]

I don't use any poison. I've talked with a few growers who use predators, and they all say they're the best option. So far, what I've been doing seems to be working.


My understanding is they just eat the mites they like.


I haven't heard of that. My wife is the cat person here and she's as quick with a Google search as anyone. She didn't sound any alarms, but I'll ask her about this.


Why? So far, I haven't noticed any problems, but I've kept the spray away from the bugs as much as possible. I don't think the mites made it that far up the plant.


It's true they don't like cold or high humidity. They like hot and dry. August is spider season here and that's probably why.

I lowered the temperature and raised the humidity in the tent. That, with the H2O2 and alcohol has worked okay.

Arbico organics has a miter destroyer...spider mite destroyer! They live on the plant too...not for soil...might need a tweezer to apply them

 

[erbansk]

My opinion....trash everything...spray with bleach 50/50 everything...do it twice...trash all live plants in your house apt etc...they could be on your cat too! Lol....these small fuckers love to hitchhike...lots of showers too...sucks to have mites dude....trash'em bro!!!

 

[coolslayer]

Drastic, but may be needed.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

So far, what I've been doing seems to be working. I sprayed them with alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. I've sprinkled diatomaceous earth on the top of the soil. I've also cut out and disposed of parts of the plant where I see signs of the mites.

We've also had rainy weather lately, so the humidity is high and the temperature is low. That's probably helping slow the mites. They like it hot and dry. I don't think the buds are big enough for me to worry about the humidity yet.

I found two egg sacks on one leaf this morning. I cut off the leaf and put it in the outside garbage. I also cut off other leaves and a few branches near that leaf. I didn't see any active mites, though. The infestation still seems limited to only one part of one plant. Cutting it out when I first saw it helped a lot, but obviously didn't get them all. I'm still thinking of destroying the whole plant, but it's in week 6 of 12/12 and the buds look good.

Sometimes I wonder how many dead spider mites I've smoked over the years. Let's not go there...

 

[Week4Bytch]

So far, what I've been doing seems to be working. I sprayed them with alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. I've sprinkled diatomaceous earth on the top of the soil. I've also cut out and disposed of parts of the plant where I see signs of the mites.

We've also had rainy weather lately, so the humidity is high and the temperature is low. That's probably helping slow the mites. They like it hot and dry. I don't think the buds are big enough for me to worry about the humidity yet.

I found two egg sacks on one leaf this morning. I cut off the leaf and put it in the outside garbage. I also cut off other leaves and a few branches near that leaf. I didn't see any active mites, though. The infestation still seems limited to only one part of one plant. Cutting it out when I first saw it helped a lot, but obviously didn't get them all. I'm still thinking of destroying the whole plant, but it's in week 6 of 12/12 and the buds look good.

Sometimes I wonder how many dead spider mites I've smoked over the years. Let's not go there...

I had a problem last grow that I didn't even know I had. After trimming a harvest I noticed one of the buds covered in webbing... thought ..what the freak is that!?, so ignorance can be bliss... now that I know about it .

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

My opinion....trash everything...spray with bleach 50/50 everything...do it twice...trash all live plants in your house apt etc...they could be on your cat too! Lol....these small fuckers love to hitchhike...lots of showers too...sucks to have mites dude....trash'em bro!!!

I hear ya. I haven't forgotten about the nuclear option. I'm still hoping to kill them all. I know I've managed to control them. You're right, though. It's damn hard to win this war.

I don't think I want to use bleach. I might use killer chemicals eventually. My wife is against it, but she might be okay if I seal the room and open a window. I definitely will sanitize the lung room after I'm done with this grow and before I start another.

 

[Week4Bytch]

I hear ya. I haven't forgotten about the nuclear option. I'm still hoping to kill them all. I know I've managed to control them. You're right, though. It's damn hard to win this war.

I don't think I want to use bleach. I might use killer chemicals eventually. My wife is against it, but she might be okay if I seal the room and open a window. I definitely will sanitize the lung room after I'm done with this grow and before I start another.

there still is the beneficial insects option

 

[Deadstill]

Sometimes I wonder how many dead spider mites I've smoked over the years. Let's not go there...

Lol I'd rather smoke dead spider mites than aphids, though. Those fuckers pop and sizzle!

On the real, though, to the O.P. - Check out that AgroMagen GrowSafe Bio-pesticide on Amazon. It's amazing stuff. Works VERY well, organic/OMRI listed. One or two sprays will take care of your spider mites for good.

 

[Week4Bytch]

Spider Mite Control

Spider mites are a common pest that can wreak havoc on plants. Fortunately, there are a number of natural predators that can help control their population, including predatory mites. These tiny insects feed on spider mites, and can be an effective way to keep their numbers in check. One of the...

www.naturesgoodguys.com

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

there still is the beneficial insects option

Yep! There's that, for sure!

On the real, though, to the O.P. - Check out that AgroMagen GrowSafe Bio-pesticide on Amazon. It's amazing stuff. Works VERY well, organic/OMRI listed. One or two sprays will take care of your spider mites for good.

Thanks so much! I'll do that right now. It sounds perfect. Our grow room is near our kitchen and food storage, so that's a big reason we need to be careful with what chemicals we use.

 

[Oldchucky]

I’ll take a few mites in the smoke over a bunch of pesticides and fungicide! Have to look at it like campfire spice!

 

[Week4Bytch]

Lol I'd rather smoke dead spider mites than aphids, though. Those fuckers pop and sizzle!

On the real, though, to the O.P. - Check out that AgroMagen GrowSafe Bio-pesticide on Amazon. It's amazing stuff. Works VERY well, organic/OMRI listed. One or two sprays will take care of your spider mites for good.

I have that saved on my wishlist on Amazon.. thanks for the share.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

@Deadstill - Thanks again! I just ordered it.

I also decided to get a new sprayer. I decided to look for one with a wand that made it easier to spray the bottoms of leaves. All the low-cost ones have straight wands. I ended up ordering one for $37.

 

[Deadstill]

@Deadstill - Thanks again! I just ordered it.

I also decided to get a new sprayer. I decided to look for one with a wand that made it easier to spray the bottoms of leaves. All the low-cost ones have straight wands. I ended up ordering one for $37.


View attachment 2031763

For the record, over the years of buying hundreds and hundreds of sprayers, the best ones on the market today (imho) are Husqvarna sprayers. I have several of these - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-..._Items-_-1000810304-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclsrc=ds

And a few of these - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-..._Items-_-1000092467-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclsrc=ds

They are the absolute best sprayers I've ever used and will last forever if you take care of them! And, parts are cheap and easy to acquire if you need them. IF.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

For the record, over the years of buying hundreds and hundreds of sprayers, the best ones on the market today (imho) are Husqvarna sprayers. I have several of these - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-..._Items-_-1000810304-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclsrc=ds

And a few of these - https://www.lowes.com/pd/Husqvarna-..._Items-_-1000092467-_-local-_-0-_-0&gclsrc=ds

They are the absolute best sprayers I've ever used and will last forever if you take care of them! And, parts are cheap and easy to acquire if you need them. IF.

Thanks again. I'm not at your level, but I'll keep that in mind. I checked to see if the Smith sprayer had parts available, and it does. It seems to be a good brand that makes a wide range of sprayers. They're also made in the USA (as far as I can tell). It's at least a few levels up from the Chapin sprayer I've been using.

So... Anyway... Amazon says the AgroMagen GrowSafe and the sprayer are supposed to be here Sunday. I'll report back when I have something to say.