TSTEW313 said:

For fighting mites it looks like your still gonna have a nice harvest, did you up you dose of the conserve sc?

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Yes, I sprayed it a few days ago at 6ml per gal. And, I sprayed it thick!
Thanks for the tip @AcidSourDank
It kills them..just hard to get em all..especially on the lower inside stuff
Next,
Im going to spray a pound of Caps Bio War Foliar on the ones that have to go longer :)

Went and got this led microscope that hooks up to an I-pad, It works awesome.
They are all still dead, I'm going to give them a spray again tonight or tomorrow. Just going to keep using the DE spray, works great. (just be sure to rinse off plats well the day after spraying)

AcidSourDank said:

Ken, I really appreciate your recommendation and picture of the paint sprayer. I got a similar model and it has made a huge difference. But here's the thing- I do most of my spraying with the nozzle reversed because it puts more solution on the leaves/buds that I'm targeting. Using the nozzle in the normal direction does a really good job of fogging the plant and it puts a very fine layer of moisture on the canopy but it's not the most efficient way to fully spray to the point of some runoff. I usually try to hit the plant everywhere with the nozzle reversed and then I go around and fog it with the nozzle in the normal direction just to get any nooks and crannies that I might have missed. I just wanted to mention this to you because I am really surprised that the Conserve didn't work out better for you. The only thing I could imagine is that you weren't applying enough material. I'm using about a gallon per plant (more for bigger ones, less for smaller ones) and that's at 6 ml/gal. This immediately made my girls look much happier and lasted about a week before another spray was needed- way better than the duration for nasty forbid and avid sprays.

Circle B: Are you using food grade DE or pool filter DE? Food grade is the one that's supposed to be more effective and it also doesn't have the potential to cause asbestos-type lung damage because it doesn't have silica like the pool filter DE. Breathing pool filter DE is no bueno.

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Both should be silica-based, because the skeletons of diatoms are silica-based. I believe breathing *any* form of DE is not such a good thing.

Seamaiden said:

Both should be silica-based, because the skeletons of diatoms are silica-based. I believe breathing *any* form of DE is not such a good thing.

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Wikipedia:

• Freshwater-derived food grade diatomaceous earth is the type used in United States agriculture for grain storage, as feed supplement, and as an insecticide. It is produceduncalcinated, has a very fine particle size, and is very low in crystal silica (<2%).
• Salt-water-derived pool/ beer/ wine filter grade is not suitable for human consumption or effective as an insecticide. Usually calcinated before being sold to remove impurities and undesirable volatile contents, it is composed of larger particles than the freshwater version and has a high silica content (>60%).

Crystalline silica is the key issue. Asbestos is the term for a group of particularly bad types of crystalline silica minerals but in reality all crystalline silica is bad. Whether the asbestos structure is needle-like or curly, the micro-crystalline fibers get irreversibly stuck in the lungs where they cause irritation, inflamation and scarring (silicosis). Over time this causes much worse pathologies including the dreaded mesothelioma.

I worked for an environmental consulting company where I did a lot of asbestos identification and analysis. Once I had a client that was experiencing very bad lung irritation of unknown origin whenever he was inside his home. In the few hours that I spent inspecting his house I too had to put on a respirator because of the pain I was feeling in my lungs. Eventually I determined that the problem was originating from his HVAC system where he had a dehumidifier connected. The dehumidifier would leave minerals deposited from the water supply as the water evaporated. Analysis of the water from the local reservoir which supplied his house showed a significantly high concentration of....silica! The moral of this story is that even very crude crystals from simple evaporation can be of serious concern.

We've all got crystalline silica in our lungs, whether it came from disturbing the popcorn ceiling in our childhood home, living near a shipyard or freeway, or from spending time hiking in beautiful pristine mountains which just so happened to have significant concentrations of silica minerals in the surrounding rocks. The key is to just try to keep it to a minimum. One of the common methods used in asbestos removal is so called "wet methods" which just means keeping it wet so that it doesn't become airborne. I really like that powder dispenser that was posted earlier in this thread because of its ease of producing an even dusting of material. But if you want to be super-cautious then spraying a slurring of food grade DE (along with maybe some sulfur) would be the safest way of handing it. In my experience the food grade DE generally has less tendency to produce airborne particulate regardless of being dry. But I would recommend using it mainly outdoors and not in enclosed air-spaces.

Great post @AcidSourDank !
Not to mention all the asbestos that flies on the freeway from all the brake pads that still have it

New Sub Thread
Growing with Russet Mites
Im going to either become an expert on growing with russets..
or I will have to quit growing.:meh:
I know my entire house and property are cover with them :banghead:

The Bubba Kush cut I grow for my wife seems to be Russet resistant.
Her and these seedlings are growing up with mites in my closet..

I just sprayed the seedlings (1st time) with Cap Bio war after this picture
we will see what happens

just to update, I feel I have saved my veg house. using the DE/bronners spray. It never became a problem on the mature ladies (glad I didn't spray). happy harvesting to all.

caregiverken said:

New Sub Thread
Growing with Russet Mites
Im going to either become an expert on growing with russets..
or I will have to quit growing.:meh:
I know my entire house and property are cover with them

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That really sucks man.:(

ShroomKing said:

That really sucks man.:(

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thanks for the condolences
but Shit happens
If it's not one thing it's another
it did suck, but I will get by somehow
I don't plan on quitting growing
I do plan on staying organic if I'm able to.
Caps bio war foliar seems to keep them in check so far on the little ones

I found out at harvest that I had a late case of em because I stopped my avid floramite spray after the first week of flower or so. It kept em at bay until the end and even tho they came late they still ruined a good amount of weight off my plants. Growing in shasta county is rough with all the fucking cops chopping this year and with this county being ground zero for russet mites it seems like we can't get a break out here. My outside buds look great but once we cut em and start breaking em down u see the damage and it turns nice buds into brown shit real quick. I just picked me up a crazy lineup of nuclear arms that will remain anonymous so as not to support chemical warfare but I wish u and anybody else with russet all the luck in the world because they truly are the worst surge to marijuana I have ever seen, I would take bud mold over these ducks anyday

@redlife215 , i had problems with both and faced a similar situation it sucks man. next year i guess I'm gonna try and get all my clones from a reputable company/club and not take anything from anyone. all new equipment. I'm moving with none of my soil or pots or anything, left all my genetics behind besides a few seeds I'm nervous about even popping but i still have some long strains standing and it gets cold here at night so i feel that has helped to keep them down low but i've def found some damage i was just going to try and run all that with bubble bags. shits a struggle

I lost a lot of weed to those bastards:(...
I had a couple sativa leaner volunteers that didn't seem to be infected with them and instead a gopher killed one of em :mad: The other is foxtailing like crazy still:rolleyes:
The cold is slowing the mites down. i put a couple clones out there to flower a few weeks ago
they look ok I will get a pic of them soon
I showed these here a couple weeks ago,
I'm putting them outside during the day and in the tent at night
all organic so far.. Caps Foliar weekly we will see what happens;)

They were hungry but I fed them fish emulsion and coconut water and they perked up nicely

This is the Sativa volunteer that didnt get eaten by gophers or russets...
its lemony but, foxtailed like a mo fo.

took that right after the chop

caregiverken said:

This is the Sativa volunteer that didnt get eaten by gophers or russets...
its lemony but, foxtailed like a mo fo.
View attachment 453124
took that right after the chop

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Make seeds--
not war...

geologic said:

Make seeds--
not war...

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:) I have lots of those seeds..lol
Made em last year on accident (thus the volunteers)
A couple friends I shared the seeded weed with grew them too.
They did better than my volunteers!

here is a pic of one of the small clone I put outside a month ago,
i have been spraying it with caps bio war foliar once a week


I havent scoped it..I suppose I should though
but the pistols look good,
other than the tiny buds the plant seems to be ok
50s at nite lately

i lurked and watched ya battle the lil mofos all season bro I think ya did a great job!

have had years devastated by bugs n weather but like you I never give up and usually I pull something off very nice
or worst outdoor issue is late august hail storms and rippers
but the hot dry Colo has excellent climate for potent herb
we have an insane problem with constant spidermites an pm when it is warm
ya have to just accept and control however ya can healthy
I sure am glad it is too dry here for some those pests to spread well

colostoney said:

i lurked and watched ya battle the lil mofos all season bro I think ya did a great job!

have had years devastated by bugs n weather but like you I never give up and usually I pull something off very nice
or worst outdoor issue is late august hail storms and rippers
but the hot dry Colo has excellent climate for potent herb
we have an insane problem with constant spidermites an pm when it is warm
ya have to just accept and control however ya can healthy
I sure am glad it is too dry here for some those pests to spread well

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Thanks Colo :) Before i noticed the russets I was spraying plain water everyday to cool the plants in the hot afternoons..That kept most pests down too...But it turns out russets like the humidity:mad:
So i was helping them!..
Youre right...its always something
and I just started learning to grow ive had lots of obstacles:(..
not gunna stop growing though!:D

@colostoney hay brother you from next door to lake? was looking for some over there on laws and enforcement if you could drop me a line, sorry to cloud the post with this

Conserve SC advocate right here, just saved my whole crop this week. Need to get a wetting agent to help spread better so will try the cocowet. Worth every penny, i was concerned about the cost at first too but will never question it again.