(Before anyone follows my advice re: when and how to spray
Azamax, I want you to know. Though I'm an experienced gardener, this is my first personal grow and my first season to use
Azamax.)
Azamax works pretty well. It doesn't completely eliminate them if you're infested but it will drop their numbers by 99.99% if applied properly. I've hit them 5x this season with
Azamax and the only times it really worked were when I absolutely drenched my plants at .5oz per liter/quart (roughly the same amount). If your blooms are still early and they can handle the water weight, shower them off that morning and spray in the evening. Make sure to water your plants afterward. It tends to make them really thirsty. If they are very unhealthy it may be good to use a lower concentration the first application to see how they react. I recommend drenching once you know your girls can handle it (Misting gets more on you than the plants. Even though
Azamax is fairly safe it can cause some skin irritation. I started spraying in shorts, tank top, and sandles after I learned to drench with the nozzle more open. Barely any gets on me now and I know I'm not allergic to it. Take a shower afterwards starting with cool water to rinse of and keep your skin pores closed then switch to warm water to completely remove. Wearing a bandana over your face is a good precaution until you get it down.) When their leaves yellowed after application (
Azamax seems to effect my Sativa hybrid's nutrient uptake, don't know why yet) I hit them with a half dose of Advandced Nutrients Sensi Cal/Mag Extra and B-52. I'm posting some picks of what it looks like when the
Azamax is effective and when it's not. DO NOT RINSE YOUR LEAVES unless you are certain watering will not solve their distress. If you rinse afterward, even if you wait longer than 24 hours, the
Azamax will have very little effect. It does not damage the trichombs, so don't worry. The only reason I don't recommend spraying it right up till the last week, the swelling flower bracts could seal it in between them and your bud will taste like processed neem. If a lot of your hairs have died back then I wouldn't recommend spraying because the swell is beginning.
Here a few mites have survived and are still feeding on the veins causing the leaves to look nutrient deficient.
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What they look like if
Azamax is effective. You'll first see a pronounced healthy green edge. New growth is uneffected where feeding has stopped (it's very pronounced in the first couple days. Sorry, don't have any pics of that. But you'll know.) Then the whole leaf will begin to heal, minus a few scars.
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Here, you can see the leaf still coated in
Azamax after several days. This is why I say not to rinse. The survivors will move quickly to to find new, unprotected places, to feed. Do not avoid spray on the flowers, the mites will use them for shelter from the spay and continue to feed there. I'd rather have them feeding on my leaves than flowers.
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Here, the hairs on my flowers are starting to die back in mass signaling the beginning of the swell. I don't think they should be sprayed after this point. I discussed this with a commercial grower and he agreed. He's pulling 1 1/2lbs off his little plants and 10lbs plus off his Tahoe OG. I tend to trust his judgement.
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@dboy510, I went into detail as an FYI for new growers or people who've never dealt with mites before. This is in no way a critique on you or your grow. You just happened to ask some great questions. As far as harvesting, I feel ya. There's that itch to pull the trigger when they get sooo frosty. I have checked my capitate-stalked glands on a regular basis to make sure I'm not screwing up and they're all clear still, with the exception of some that have been damaged by contact. It blows my mind that they have up to 5-6 weeks left. It's going to be haaard not to harvest early because I need to let some oxidation occur if I want the bracts to be full and potent. I see some bud surgery in my future, lol. Thanks for your post.
Here's a great article I found on trichomes.
After reading it it makes sense to me why rusty trichs make for great wheelchair weed. I'm aiming for the perfect intellectual high sought after by myself and other Sativa/sativa connoisseurs. My Kush is almost purely for trade and if it goes wheelie couch lock, not so much of a loss, but I'm still aiming for a perfect cut on both. Hopefully within that 3-4 day window of perfection.
