zero tolerance for mites? First time cannibis grower :)

[g-grizzle]

Hey guys I am two weeks into veg on my first hydro cannabis grow and have a very slight spider mite problem that is about to explode, found many many eggs but only very few mites with very minuscule leaf damage. So far it has only affected 3 of the 8 plants. Well my local nursery recommended using Ed Rosenthals Zero Tolerance and I was just wondering if anyone has had experience using this product. I am on a 24h light schedule and I read on the bottle something about best if applied in the evening but right now I have no lights out. I'm just wondering if it's a good idea to use this product now or if something else might suit my needs better. I want to nip this problem today in the next few hours so if anyone can help me out that would be great. Other than the mites everything is running smoother than I thought it would I'm seeing about 1in-1 1/2in vertical growth a day on each plant. Did my first co2 refill yesterday. Had trouble stabilizing PH in the first two days but since then I've been between 5.2-5.9. They are eating like crazy :) and the stalks are really bulging at the base I'm pretty stoked. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated and any other product recommendations that you guys use for pest control. Thanks gg.

 

[RMCG]

I heard it doesn't work very well. I had good luck with SNS-217 as long as you can spray EVERY single leaf, top and bottom. Be prepared to spray again a few days later. Good way to 'knock them down'. Azamax/Azatrol as a foliar for a few applications can really disrupt the lifecycle as well.

You are in CA, so I don't think you can find it in 'few hours', but you can order Avid/Floramite combo from ebay that will definitely annihilate the mite population as well.

Good luck and get them GONE before you flip as you will limit your options when they are flowering.

 

[g-grizzle]

Hey thanks I'm going to spray with what I got and place an order for SNS-217 and if those don't work within the next week and a half I'm going to drive down to the ag store, which is about an hour away and that's why I go to the nursery, and see what I can get from there. I'm licensed and can get the good stuff including fertilizers and sprays, but I just wanted to see what you guys are using. I don't have any experience with spraying cannabis and knowing that it's smoked and ingested I really want to be careful with what I put on these girls and since I'm in a sealed room I don't want to use something that is going to need a lock out time and with out the proper ventilation I don't want to leave residue on the plants longer than stated on the label. I use harsh pesticides on the farm that I wouldn't dare use in my sealed room lol or on cannabis in general. Some of the pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides I use require a field lock out for a few days up to a week in a half but this is on tree fruits. I am familiar with Syngenta products but have never used them but I'm pretty sure Avid is not a food safe spray, I believe it is used more for landscaping than agriculture.

Should I be looking at Sprays used for flowers? Or should I be looking for sprays you would use on crops? I would think that food safe sprays would be the way to go but I have no clue. If these oils don't work I'm going to head down to the ag store and pick out something that I feel is safe but I'll check here first. But if you know of any commercial grade products that ARE definitely safe for cannabis when used properly let me know. Time to go spray.

I saw that Floramite has a 28 day residue period but I'm worried about that period being extended due to the room being sealed. Is that something to consider?

Oh and awesome DIY on that doser. Thanks, gg

 

[RMCG]

Lots of things are for 'ornamental use only'. Avid/Floramite are such products and pretty much removed from the shelves in the US. People use them in veg as a nuclear bomb. Your call. Definitely wouldn't use in flower.

Judo is another product that people seem to have good results with.

http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/nursery_ghouse/newsletters/newsletters07/judo.asp

Another 'ornamental' only product with a life of ~28 days.

SNS 217 is rosemary extract and a few other things, I've used it up to the last week of flower. Makes the rooms smell nice too. :) It is expensive, esp the 'ready to use' sprayers. If you have the $$, order the concentrate and mix up your own as necessary.

Azamax/Azatrol is neem oil extract. Can be foliar sprayed or watered in and goes systemic, but is OMRI certified organic.

Pyrethreum bombs/sprays work to knock down the population as well. The main ingredient is chrysanthemum flowers. The aerosol can burn plant leaves if it contacts them, but not much harm other than that.

The most important part is mixing up your attack and REPEATED applications. Every 3-5 days or so, 3-5 times.

If you are on a farm, I would take extra precautions (booties, coveralls, etc.) when moving from outside to your grow room as you will continue to bring pests indoors.


Thanks, Dosers are working well!

 

[Jsän]

RMCG laying it all down. solid information.

Until you can get the proper treatments,

If your girls are still small enough, you can submerge them in room temp water. 5gal buckets work great. gently wash the leaves The mechanical action of washing should knock most the bugs and eggs off. the little bastards cant swim or hold their breath.

if that isnt possible, water/isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle will drop'em on contact. make sure it is at lights out or the mix will burn leaves under MH.

again, just ideas for control until you can get the proper preventatives. Though the water bath has worked for me on its own, in flower. Now all incoming clones get a 10min bath, with some azamax to be certain.

Oh again, as RMCG said, be really careful when coming in from the farm.
i would visit the girls first thing in the morning and then again after the work days shower. those disposable 'clean suits' are a great idea for those in-between times.

good luck.

 

[MIway]

Lots of things are for 'ornamental use only'. Avid/Floramite are such products and pretty much removed from the shelves in the US.

Judo is another product that people seem to have good results with.

Floramite is actually listed for some food grade crops, but is still a nasty chem, no doubt.

And Judo mainly works on eggs & developmental stages of the mites... and takes several days to occur. Some adults might survive & still lay eggs.

Just a couple of notes on these products as have used em in the past.



And to the OP... you can get Horticultural Oil at the local nursery or even Depot. It is unsulfinated oil... usually petroleum. Also called Dormant Oil. This stuff is real cheap (a fraction of ZT) and will likely work better.

Been around in the commercial ag biz for ages... and if you can get complete coverage, e.g., complete plant dunk & swirls, then you stand a good chance at breaking the cycle... especially w spot sprays afterward.

Works by smothering the adults, nymphs & eggs... and does work.

1% solution & constantly agitating the solution... if the oil separates, it will burn the plant tissue... just a heads up. Also best to not apply in the light or in high temps.

Stuff works well though & is non-toxic.

 

[Darth Fader]

Zero Tolerance will kill them but not the eggs. It's cheaper than the SNS-217, so yeah, go ahead and treat them with the ZT first & then you can pick up the SNS & get ready to hit them again in 3 days w/ that. Somewhere there is a thread on mixing up your own equivalent on the cheap from ingredients you can find at the grocery store.
G/L

 

[RMCG]

There are several homemade SNS recipes around, be careful as it seemed some that went down that road burned their plants. YMMV.

 

[Venom818]

zero tolerance has done absolutely nothing for me i would save my money and just get avid or floramite

 

[budboy299]

Only thing I can add is ...man get on them fast and hit them hard, otherwise it can become a loooooooong drawn out battle.

 

[audiohi]

Azamax worked well for me! Just make sure you do the recommended three applications or more.

 

[KayJay]

Hi, I am new to the site, but here is my 2 cents worth.
I have used Zero Tolerance and I think it is mainly coriander seed oil. Same as SM-90.
For under $30.00 you can get Forbid 4F that makes 20 gallons of mix. All you need is 1/4 ml to a quart spray bottle. Only needs to be sprayed on the tops of the leaves. It kills them all in one application. It desiccates the buggers and mine never came back after just the one application.