spidermites in soil?

harpdog · Sep 10, 2009

well igot some babies that were staarted outside and they got spider mites.

I moved them indoors and just noticed them. I sprayed them with a spray that the guy gave me that is organic and natural and I hope that will do it. However, I want them out of the house. first issues is the soil in which they are in. Are mites in the soil and if so what do I use that is organic and cheap to salvage this issue.

I also want to "bomb" the house with a fooger product. Is this wise?
The house is very old and is full of sugar ants and other creepies

Dice · Sep 11, 2009

Spider mites dont live in the soil. But if your worried you can spray my spray on your organic soil and it wont harm it a bit and will take out the bugs.
Id spray your plants everyday for two weeks with my spray. Another wise move is to vacume the mites off when you see them.

Alekiboy · Sep 11, 2009

Spider mites can certainly be transferred from a contaminated site to a non-contaminated site through bagged soil... Had it happen to me a year ago and I went back to the shop with a buddy and we found areas of infestation... we notified the manager who denied it until she saw it for her own eyes!!!

As far as your infestation...
I would use neem oil... Use it once and it should take care of the problem... Make sure you turn over all the leaves as they tend to move up from the bottom of the plant..

BayArea · Sep 11, 2009

I also have insects in my soil although they are not spider mites. They are root aphids and they are hard shelled super insects. Hopefully you have root mites, which are typically black and easier to kill. Azamax or Azatrol are both pricey but very effective organic insecticides. They are basically a concentrated form of the active insecticide in Neem Oil - and they work. Azatrol is usually a little cheaper and has an equal amount of active ingrediantes. Both items can be applied with nutes at watering time and kill many soil bugs including beneficials so beware.

If you have small, light colored aphids who live primarily in the soil and seem impossible to kill it's because they virtually are. Pyrethrums if your lucky and harsh insecticides sometimes are the only things that can kill them but the eggs seem impossible to eradicate - so frequent applications are needed. Send me a message if you have aphids - I found few people with experience w/ these insects. Best of luck.

zoeronerer · Sep 11, 2009

you have root aphids or root mites homeys most likley the first get a loop and peep the face of evil.................nuke them ....nao ....use ortho max lawn and garden 1ml per gallon flood roots... bug death.....or azitrol i say the 1st......

harpdog · Sep 11, 2009

first spray seemed to get em but i assume that the eggs will hatch too.

Alekiboy, I how do I apply needm oil

GroHi · Sep 14, 2009

HD, use the Azatrol as found it more effective vs the Azamax. Mix (either) at 30ml/gal for both a plant dip & also into your nute solution to drench the medium, just in case a few are crawling around on the top... doubt they are breeding inside the soil, but jic.

Take the whole plant & dip the entire upper portion into a bucket of the Azatrol. If you foliar spray, greater chance of missing one or two along with eggs. Do another dip & soil drench in 4-8 days depending on your temps (higher the temps the faster they hatch). You want to overlap & get them all at all stages of development. Try a third if really bad, but the second app will get them.

BA, I have a soil mite (yup a mite) for over a year... nothing has gotten them all & they continue on crop to crop. They eat my bene's along w organic additives. Think they eat my coir quite frankly as got them through a bag of Coco Croutons. Actually got 3-5 types of mites, 2 nematodes & springtails. Have killed them all except this last mite species. Tried most everything & now getting into agro chems. You got the inside scoop?!? My mites are hard bodied like your root aphids so normal products just aren't doing it.

Peace & thanks for the thread!

darookie2000 · Sep 17, 2009

GroHi said:
HD, use the Azatrol as found it more effective vs the Azamax. Mix (either) at 30ml/gal for both a plant dip & also into your nute solution to drench the medium, just in case a few are crawling around on the top... doubt they are breeding inside the soil, but jic.

Take the whole plant & dip the entire upper portion into a bucket of the Azatrol. If you foliar spray, greater chance of missing one or two along with eggs. Do another dip & soil drench in 4-8 days depending on your temps (higher the temps the faster they hatch). You want to overlap & get them all at all stages of development. Try a third if really bad, but the second app will get them.

BA, I have a soil mite (yup a mite) for over a year... nothing has gotten them all & they continue on crop to crop. They eat my bene's along w organic additives. Think they eat my coir quite frankly as got them through a bag of Coco Croutons. Actually got 3-5 types of mites, 2 nematodes & springtails. Have killed them all except this last mite species. Tried most everything & now getting into agro chems. You got the inside scoop?!? My mites are hard bodied like your root aphids so normal products just aren't doing it.

Peace & thanks for the thread!

H2O2 or pyrethrins would probably end them, but you'd have to reintroduce beneficials. Dr. Dorights might help because it basically suffocates baddies. Beneficial nematodes might help because, well, they kick ass.

darookie2000 · Sep 17, 2009

BayArea said:
I also have insects in my soil although they are not spider mites. They are root aphids and they are hard shelled super insects. Hopefully you have root mites, which are typically black and easier to kill. Azamax or Azatrol are both pricey but very effective organic insecticides. They are basically a concentrated form of the active insecticide in Neem Oil - and they work. Azatrol is usually a little cheaper and has an equal amount of active ingrediantes. Both items can be applied with nutes at watering time and kill many soil bugs including beneficials so beware.

If you have small, light colored aphids who live primarily in the soil and seem impossible to kill it's because they virtually are. Pyrethrums if your lucky and harsh insecticides sometimes are the only things that can kill them but the eggs seem impossible to eradicate - so frequent applications are needed. Send me a message if you have aphids - I found few people with experience w/ these insects. Best of luck.

The concentrated azadirachtin products are not supposed to harm beneficials (unless you are talking about beneficial mites, etc. - I could see that). Pyrethrins definitely do, though.

the Rock · Sep 17, 2009

floromite is the way I have eliminated infestations it is the best out there. I spray during veg as a preventive maintenence and have not seen a mite for a couple years. most hydroshops carry this(the good ones at least)

GroHi · Sep 19, 2009

DR & Rock, thanks for the response... not to hijack the thread... fig it was all relevant anyway.

The h2o2 doesn't do the trick, even at 3.5%. The pyrethrums don't work either, same w insecticidal soap & any of the oil products. Take your pic, they saturate the bug, they go immobile until they dry out, then continue on as if nothing happened. Super soil mite. Even started the com ag products, though floromite not as of yet. Peace.

afatsoweezer · Sep 20, 2009

Diluted peppermint soap in a spray bottle to saturate soil and bottom stem helps too.

Happy.

headband707 · Sep 20, 2009

harpdog said:
well igot some babies that were staarted outside and they got spider mites.

I moved them indoors and just noticed them. I sprayed them with a spray that the guy gave me that is organic and natural and I hope that will do it. However, I want them out of the house. first issues is the soil in which they are in. Are mites in the soil and if so what do I use that is organic and cheap to salvage this issue.

I also want to "bomb" the house with a fooger product. Is this wise?
The house is very old and is full of sugar ants and other creepies

Although spidermite don't live in soil they will travel there in migation just as they get in airducts and on cloths. ppl can use things like Ladybugs as a preditory hunter of the mites . The only problem there is the Ladybug doesn't stay on the plant and flies away.I have found 1 cigarette mixed in one bottle of water let it sit over nite. Spray the underside of the leaf. Find and kill the mother leaf of spidermite nest leaf on plant. Repeat till you feel it's done. Remove first layer of soil. peace out Headband707:nerd

markscastle · Sep 20, 2009

Dam the Borg! You can spray neem on em and it will kill em but not the eggs.Keep spraying every 10-14 days to keep em down right up to two weeks before harvast if needed. You can also add hot pepper wax (or juice from boiled peppers) to make it stronger acting.

If you have co2 you can turn it up above 6000 ppm for 15 min. and that will kill em.Make sure you vent well right after as the lack of air in the room will also work on you!

wannabnurse2 · Sep 21, 2009

harpdog-what organic spary did you use, whats the name?

BlueSuedeShoes · Sep 26, 2009

try biocontrol?

If you have complete control of your space, you might do some Googling of biocontrols for spider mites. You can actually buy beneficial mites that like to eat spider mites and spider mite eggs. Once they eat all the spider mites, they eat each other. The bonus is, they do not harm your plants! I forget what they're called. Google it!

OldToker · Oct 21, 2009

one ml per gallon doesn't seem to phase these little bastards......I am using a drip system in rockwool.....does that matter?

bicycle racer · Jan 19, 2010

i have root aphids way worse than most other pests i have soil drenched twice with pyrethrums and have not seen any the key is multiple complete treatments i will do at least 3 or 4 soil drenches with pyrethrum.

SonomaSyrah · Sep 16, 2016

Great info...spider mites suck. In addition to organic pest control I have noticed that getting the right humidity in the room helps. An industrial sized humidifier in the flower room and a cool mist humidifier in the veg hut. When you increase the humidity to the right place it really makes it harder for them to reproduce and thrive. Maybe it's a fluke but it seems to have worked for me.

Savage Henry · Sep 16, 2016

SonomaSyrah said:
Great info...spider mites suck. In addition to organic pest control I have noticed that getting the right humidity in the room helps. An industrial sized humidifier in the flower room and a cool mist humidifier in the veg hut. When you increase the humidity to the right place it really makes it harder for them to reproduce and thrive. Maybe it's a fluke but it seems to have worked for me.

That's spot on, my understanding is that mites thrive in high heat, low humidity, and breed like crazy.

spidermites in soil?

spidermites in soil?

harpdog

Dice

Alekiboy

BayArea

zoeronerer

harpdog

GroHi

darookie2000

darookie2000

the Rock

Guest

GroHi

afatsoweezer

headband707

Guest

markscastle

Well-Known Farmer

wannabnurse2

BlueSuedeShoes

OldToker

bicycle racer

SonomaSyrah

Savage Henry

spidermites in soil?

spidermites in soil?

harpdog

Dice

Alekiboy

BayArea

zoeronerer

harpdog

GroHi

darookie2000

darookie2000

the Rock

Guest

GroHi

afatsoweezer

headband707

Guest

markscastle

Well-Known Farmer

wannabnurse2

BlueSuedeShoes

OldToker

bicycle racer

SonomaSyrah

Savage Henry

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