Just came in from the nursery. What a fuckin nightmare! Sorry for language, but FUCK! I have pinpointed where the problem came from and boy am I angry at myself. :rage: We were gifted some clones a couple months ago. I know. I know. I did isolate them and inspected them with my loop. Never saw a thing except some funny looking leaves that I THOUGHT were over nuted or a lockout issue the grower had. No problem. I can fix this. Famous last words. And then I added them to my mother collection when I was sure they didn't have spider mites. FUCK! :banghead: The smaller garden that was never near the new clones and nursery is clean - for now. All the others that had contact with the nursery housing the new clones have russets. When we were talking about it this morning, we recalled that I didn't like the way a couple of those new clones looked so I tossed them out. The few clones that I still have are totally infested with creepy crawlies. So I'm experimenting on them.
Now for the good news. Since the cavalry did not show up today in my mailbox I started looking through my supplies for something I could start using now. I had a bottle of EcoSmart Garden Insect killer that I bought last year and never used. Here is what is on the label.
"Kills and Repels Garden Insects and Mites
Kills Exposed Eggs, Larvae, and Adult Stages.
Spray and Harvest on Same Day.
Works Fast
Kills by Contact
Now there is an organic insecticide that is safe to use around children and pets and wont’t harm the environment. EcoSMART Organic Garden Insect Killer is made from a patented blend of organic plant oils. It kills bugs fast, without any synthetic toxins or harmful residue. It’s safe. It’s effective. It’s smart. Naturally.
KILLS AND REPELS:
Many common insect garden pests including Aphids, Mites, Thrips, Whiteflies, Beetles, and Caterpillars.
FOR USE ON:
Ornamental Plants, including Flowers, Shrubs, and Small Trees
Garden Fruits and Vegetables including Melons, Berries, and Nut Trees.
Active Ingredients:
Rosemary Oil ……….…. 0.25%
Peppermint Oil ………… 0.25%
Thyme Oil ……..…….…. 0.25%
Clove Oil …………….…. 0.25%
Other Ingredients*……. 99.00%
Total …………..….. 100.00%
*Water, White Mineral Oil, Potassium, Oleate, Lecithins
See label for full details."
I sprayed it on all the mothers and clones in the nursery. After they dried I took several cuttings and looked at them under the microscope. Bugs were not moving. Looked at them an hour later and they still were not moving. I think it killed them. This stuff smells good but so incredibly strong it makes me ill to stay in the room for long after spraying it.
I don't want to use this on the girls outside that are in flower. The label warns not to use it on new tender flower buds or else it will burn them, plus I don't really like the white petroleum in the ingredient list nor the strong smell. Not sure how much that will plug up the surface and taint the flavor. So the protocol outside will remain as I listed earlier. But I wanted to get this on here for peeps who may have this pest in their nurseries or veg rooms and want to use organic methods. I'll update on the progress as I see new developments. Should be easy enough to make your own solution with EOs following the above label percentages if you are interested in going this route. Not saying this is the fix. Just what appears to be working at this juncture in the nursery.
