PEST PREVENTION AND ERADICATION 101

[Grow Thread]

 

 

 

 

 

i've had a couple requests to try and collect all the pest prevention and eradication info and get it together in one spot.

 

since there really is not a "one stop" thread on the site, let's give it a shot. i will go back through some old threads over the next few days and add some things, and i encourage you all to add as well.

 

here's a couple posts to get things started though.

 

first lets talk about neem oil. neem is one of the most popular preventative measures out there. neem is a natural extract that deters many pests, including our #1 enemy..... the spider mite.

 

i wouldnt recommend using a 100% neem product for a couple reasons. first, smell. its not very pleasant. more important than a little stinky is the nature of the oil itself. neem is thick and sturdy enough to clog plant pores and halt/slow/stop respiration. that isnt good. a 70% neem product works best in my opinion.

 

i also am a subscriber to the belief that mites can/will become immune to neem oil after a period of time. so you may want to switch up every 6 months or so.

 

my neem application process:

 

 

 

i never apply neem to flowering plants. vegging plants only. by the time they have finished veg, they have usually gotten 3-4 neem treatments and are good to go from there.

 

i use this from lowe's: http://www.lowes.com...p:SearchCatalog

 

 

it's 70% neem oil and there is enough in that bottle to make 16 gallons. one oz/gallon. i like this product because its cheap, it works, and its close. plus it smells like lemons too. there are TONS of neem products available from hydro/grow stores.

 

2 quick tips about neem........... never mix up more than you are going to use, and shake your spray bottle every 3 or 4 sprays. oil and water do not mix..... so you have to keep it shook up real well. after you are done applying, discard any leftover that you have mixed up..... it wont last until your next application and still be good.

 

so get yourself a spray bottle of the neem/water mix, and another spray bottle with clean r.o. water.

 

since i only have to treat my plants that are in veg, they are pretty short, i can lift each net pot out individually and lift it above my head..... making it very easy to mist the bottom leaves. MIST not soak. then i put it back in its tote and hit the top with a few sprays. then i spray a little in my hands, rub them together and massage every leaf on every plant. top and bottom. every stem too. just gently pinch the leaf between your thumb and a couple fingers and work from the main stem outward.

 

dang, am i giving neem instructions or making a porno??

 

ok, back to reality............ after i finish massaging all the leaves on the first plant, i move on to the second. after i finish with the second, i go back to the first plant (normally takes about 3-5 minutes to treat each plant) and i take my bottle of clean r.o. water and re-spray the first plant again with it. i focus more on the tops of the leaves and usually just lift the leaves up to spray the bottoms instead of lifting each plant out of its netpot again.

 

then i move on to the third one.................

 

if it sounds tedious, its because it is!!

 

haha, nah, its really not that bad..... i can do 20 plants in about an hour. practice makes perfect (and speed) and a couple hours here and there is worth MILLIONS opposed to spider mites in my book

 

neem oil is potent stuff, and it can clog plant pores very easily if not used properly. never use more than the manufacturers directions. MEASURE BOTH YOUR WATER AND YOUR NEEM PRODUCT VERY CAREFULLY!!!!!! and always (or at least i always do) go back and wash some of that neem oil off.

 

this is why i massage my plants as opposed to soaking them. the stems need treatment as well. try to coat a toothpick with a spray bottle and get it all the way around. it will take you like 4 sprays..... too much neem

 

so i use my fingers to do the work....... makes the plants much happier..... no mites...... and i think they enjoy the personal attention too.

 

another added note. neem should be used as PREVENTION and not an eradicator. trying to kill an army of mites with neem oil is going to either make one hell of a mess in your grow room, or kill your plants by clogging pores and halting respiration. if you already have mites, get foggers, or other things. and then treat with neem for prevention.

[Grow Thread]

as i stated right there at the end.......... if you have a mite problem (more than one here and there) you need to think about something more serious.

 

the doktor doom foggers work, BUT it is not a one time application thing.

 

before we get further, here's a link to the fogger: http://www.4hydropon...p?ItemNo=drdoom

 

 

Foggers: few things to remember here.

 

make sure to set your fogger on a 5 gallon bucket or something similar to get it off the ground a couple feet. make sure that ALL FANS ARE OFF!!

Intake /exhaust /oscillating......... make it "still" in there.

we want MAX effect, so no fans at all. let that cloud linger. make sure the fogger is not spraying directly on your plants. although the can says to not enter the room for at least 2-3 hours, i get the full amount.

 

if i am fogging a veg room, i turn off all lights, fans ect, and then fog. returning 8 hours later to turn the lights back on and resume normal growing.

if i am fogging a flower room, i do the same, but wait the full 12 hours that the lights are off before re-entering.

 

as i said, fogging IS NOT a one time thing. especially with mites. when mites are threatened, they lay eggs. so the best thing to do, is buy 4 or 5 foggers and fog every 3 days for 12-15 days straight.

 

THEN apply neem oil to prevent them from coming back.

 

 

 

Green sand is good for fungus gnats /white flies.

 

what else you folks have to add?

 

TajMahal?? you are first up to bat!! (this was mainly his idea)

[Lindy]

Great information... I'll definitely be putting it in my Big Golden Book

[weedhopper53]

Just got over a bout with the mite I SWEAR BY HOT SHOT NPS They WORK!!!!

[Grow Thread]

here's an old post i made about those:

 

for the first time ever i feel educated enough to make a statement on these no-pest strips.

 

i found mites in the little room (flower room) a couple weeks ago. i spray my plants in veg as a preventative every 3-5 days with a 70% neem oil product and then spray them with clean water within a few mins after.

 

my big rooms are sealed..... but the little room isnt. its the one that i use for the journals and help thread and stuff. its a make-shift grow room and i found spider mites in there. it happens. are they getting immune to the neem??? dont know. dont care. i had a small mite problem and needed it fixed before it became a big mite problem.

 

i couldnt go all out and do a "real bomb"..... my plants are too far away to let the problem escalate until harvest and i really have nowhere to move them for a few days if i were to throw a "real" bomb in there.

 

so i decided to give these no-pest things a shot for once. been hearing about them for YEARS..... all the goods and bads.... i have just never had a reason to use them ...........

 

-------------------------------------------

 

first off, the package states clearly more than twice that this stuff is harmful and it should be used in applications where there will be no humans for four months after opening the product.

 

well, the warnings arent there for nothing but i also know that 20 years ago we all thought we would catch cancer from eating canned food/soup.

 

anyways, to make this long story short........ no-pest strips are now a staple in my stables.

 

i opened the package, placed the strip in the room. 3 days later i couldnt find a mite for the life of me.......... it became a game to me...... a CSI type thing.

 

no fuggin way could i have ZERO mites after just opening a package and placing a plastic thing-a-ma-jiggy in my room for three days. i am used to a long tedious process.

 

i busted out the 100x scope and went through the entire room. floor, walls, plants, totes, hydroton, ceiling, nooks, crannys..........

 

nothing........ not a single mite.

 

so i wrapped the strip back up in a ziplock bag..... i mean those warnings arent for nothing right?

 

after 5 days i let it out of its bag for 24 hours..... back into the ziplock it went for 5 days...... then back into the room for 24 hours..................

 

SO MUCH EASIER THAN SPRAYING TWICE EVERY 3-5 DAYS!!

 

yup, no-pest strips (in moderation for now) are for me!!

 

now if kingdiamond dies on us, im done with them though

 

just kidding KD..... thank you for your input on these. without that i would have never even considered this product...... even after all these years.

 

bottom line......

 

no-pest strips have been argued about for YEARS on grow forums....... there is a reason for this......

 

THEY WORK!!

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

a little note. i have a situation in my "little room" that is not the best. i am lazy in that room, i go in there after going outside without taking precautions, and my 2 dogs are also allowed close to that room as well. so, it is safe to say that the little room is constantly under attack from mites. so i am now using both the strips and the neem in the little veg room. the little flower room is still 100% off limits and kosher.(the little veg room was used as a training room for my shepherd)

[lkline300]

I'm all for the neem tx as BG prescribes as a preventative measure.

 

I use "don't bug me" for general pests and as bi weekly maintanance, Along with constant cleaning. Also yellow sticky cards for the hitch hikers in the ffof.

 

Zero tolerance for anything persistent like the borg. Only have used it once in a year & 1/2, (knock on wood)

 

 

 

 

Had a friend who had mites bad & took the affected plants outside, clipped away any damage, wash with cold water & vinegar solution leaf by leaf.He repeated this process for 10 days, When dry he applied neem oil. It slowed things(growth wise) down for a bit but He has not had any problems since. He does put a little more time doing the preventative stuff now.

[Highlander]

My few cents:

 

Don't leave the Hotshots out all the time. The mites will develop a tolerance to them. Think of hotshots like you would a bug bomb - do it every few days until the problem is gone.

 

Hotshots won't do much, if any, good if you have lots of circulation going when you use them.

 

I mix my Neem oil 4 teaspoons to 1 gal of water and add 1 tsp of dish detergent. I keep the solution in a 1-gallon pump type sprayer. I need to shake it a little before use, but it does keep well. The sprayer wand makes for easy reaching and spraying up to get the bottoms of the leaves well.

 

Another good option for spraying is a regular 1-quart hand sprayer with the drop tube cut off. Then you can hold the sprayer upside down and spray up.

 

You an drop $20 on Dr. Doom or less than half that if you buy the Hotshot brand flea and bedbug sprays and/or bombs. They are made of the same stuff. They come in a lavender colored can. Home Depot has them. Azamax works pretty well to. I mix it according to the label and use a sprayer to get the undersides of the leaves.

 

Don't be afraid to pull off infested leaves. You normally find more eggs on the lower leaves since those leaves have been there the longest. In my view, pulling a leaf off is better than hoping all the eggs on it are dead.

 

Try to alternate your sprays - Azamaz one day, Hotshot/Dr. Doom (something Pyretnin based) the next, etc. This helps keep mites from developing a tolerance.

[rockinlespaul]

Firm believer in Hot Shots. No pests.

 

I've only gotten mites once and thats because I was stupid enough to take someone else's clone and put it in my room.

 

ALWAYS QUARANTEEN NEW CLONES!!!!

 

I've had Hot Shots in my(sealed)room 24/7 with zero problems since.

[weedhopper53]

Samething happen to me got some DETROIT PURPS from a o/s crop 4got to check it was my 1st and Hopefully my LAST time with mites if not lowes here I come for HOT SHOT NPS

[glaucoma1]

I use HOT SHOTS No pest strips 1x a year ago for 7 days and havent had the neeed since ( knock on wood ).

 

I say why use them when the bugs are gone though ,so its in a ziplock till needed again.

[Seefdro]

Hello, I recently had my first encounter with these spider punks... Since I have been growing I HAVE NEVER EXCHANGED ANYTHING... All plants grown from seed... Well, cloning has only been on my radar for a couple years now as I really had no need to use them prior. Recently I cloned a fasciation freak in my clone room, she REALLY is awesome... Here is the kicker, she has caught the mite and they love her dearly. My friend gave me some cuttings with the mite and they "CAME ALIVE", sure enough they love the fasciation freak... IF ONLY I COULD TURN BACK THE CLOCK!!!

 

Anyways, I have used the neem and Earth Tone insect control... Seems like it's doing some good?... But it appears there still hanging around my "Faciated Mutant"... I really don't intend on using her for future flowering bud as I hope to keep her around as clone mother (for research & development). She is still somewhat small, THANKFULLY... But she is a bushy little thing due to her fasciated growing pattern.... I have attempted to carefully apply neem & Earth Tone to all areas... BUT???

 

So, I want an EGG killer which will also be absorbed by the leaf so the underside aspect is more under control via this type insecticide control.

 

My conclusion is to use "Floramite"... YES, it is not a healthy product to use, but it may be my best hope in keeping my fasciated plant alive. Those mites appear to be "Red" so I assume based on my research they are the lesser of two evil's (compared to the "two spotted mite").

 

I am a long time grower.... Never, ever had any experience with them mites... Goes to show you a "inclusive" environment is the safest.

 

As a keeper of koi, I should of know better as a gill parasite can wipe out a koi pond within days... AND that's why I don't introduce water plants or fish into my pond anymore... AND I HAVE NOT HAD ANY HEALTH ISSUES FOR YEARS.

 

Those folks that have the quarantine room are making a wise choice, although I rather not have to worry about it and stick with my own inclusive stock.

 

That being said, I think my days with outside clones are DONE!... Simply not worth it in my opinion.

 

Anyone here use Floramite? Any helpful thoughts... GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

Fasciated Plant Under Attack-link:

 

Fasciated Plant

 

[MrShpongle]

I have not personally use Floramite, but my growing guru in Northern Cali swears by it. It's his weapon of last resort, as he's an organic soil grower and tries to stay away from the synthetics, but it works like none other. Neem first, Azamax next, then Floramite if all else fails.

 

Has anyone heard of SNS-217? It's gotten some good reviews on icmag.com. http://www.sierranaturalscience.com/SNS217.html

[Grow Thread]

 

 

Has anyone heard of SNS-217? It's gotten some good reviews on icmag.com. http://www.sierranat...com/SNS217.html

 

i believe it to be similar to "Avid" .......... which is pretty much considered a "last ditch effort" as well.

 

it will work, no doubt

[TajMahal]

Got my first go round with spider mites this summer. Was totally unprepared, they turned out to be resistant to the Hot shots, even with 2 in the 4x4 flower room, and 2 or 3 in the veg area, fans off, made no difference. Mite live on, plants dropped a few leaves.

 

Got some Neem oil, mixed according to label, could not stand the thought of the mess it would make so watered the plants with the mix, they took it up, the leaves shined a real nice green.

 

The mites lived on, and the oil in the soil made it real slow for water to soak in to this day, won't do that again.

 

Sprayed with Azamax.........The mites lived on.

 

Ordered some Floramite, got out the small pump up sprayer, suited up, and sprayed away. About a week later washed all the plants with plain water with a large 2.5 gallon pump up sprayer.

 

Have not seen a mite since.

 

Plants are doing much better.

 

Found out a near by shop had Mite-Rid........http://mite-rid.com/............Got some of that just in case, it is said to be really good stuff.

 

Going to order the Green Light fruit Tree spray suggested by BubbleGrower for 1st prevention.

Then Azamax......Then Mite-Rid...........Then if the preventatives do not work it will be Floramite for eradication

 

From what I have read Mite-Rid can be relied up on to eradicate, it is well worth investigating this stuff.

[AmishRnot4ganja]

I had a bout with the two-spotted mite this summer from some clones I bought. I sprayed with Azamax 3 times at 7 day intervals and I haven't seen any mites since.

[MrShpongle]

Got my first go round with spider mites this summer. Was totally unprepared, they turned out to be resistant to the Hot shots, even with 2 in the 4x4 flower room, and 2 or 3 in the veg area, fans off, made no difference. Mite live on, plants dropped a few leaves.

 

2 Hot Shots in a 4x4 flower room, and 2 or 3 in veg? That's way over the recommended amount. While I am amazed that they didn't kill off your mites, I hope that you've pulled them by now. You don't want to be breathing that stuff at the concentrations that will occur in that setting. And I'd definitely pull them from the flower room ASAP as you don't want to be smoking the active ingredient in them, either. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to using Hot Shots - I use one in my 8x10 veg room - but I use it for a week then put it in a bag for a 10-15 days.

 

I'm glad you got rid of them, though.

[Hydraulic Jack]

A neighbor of mine had the borg this summer and got rid of them by shutting his fans down and emptying a 5lb CO2 tank in his room at 2-3 day intervals..................Not only did it rid his garden of bugs but the plants got the benefit of the extra CO2..........HJ

[Grow Thread]

A neighbor of mine had the borg this summer and got rid of them by shutting his fans down and emptying a 5lb CO2 tank in his room at 2-3 day intervals..................Not only did it rid his garden of bugs but the plants got the benefit of the extra CO2..........HJ

 

yeah big time kudos jack.

 

i was hoping that you or indicajones would pop in and give us some real numbers and exploit the co2.

[TajMahal]

2 Hot Shots in a 4x4 flower room, and 2 or 3 in veg? That's way over the recommended amount. While I am amazed that they didn't kill off your mites, I hope that you've pulled them by now. You don't want to be breathing that stuff at the concentrations that will occur in that setting. And I'd definitely pull them from the flower room ASAP as you don't want to be smoking the active ingredient in them, either. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to using Hot Shots - I use one in my 8x10 veg room - but I use it for a week then put it in a bag for a 10-15 days.

 

I'm glad you got rid of them, though.

 

Using this stuff responsibly is very important. Yea, they stayed out for about a week and went back in a freezer bag. The buds had not set yet in the flower room. Ended up using mixture of alcohol and water spray plus a very windy oscillating fan on them 24/7 late in flower, that made them move to the very top buds, when their presence was known, sprayed them with the alch/water spray. After initial dry, snipped the top of them buds off and threw them away.

 

Will be ready with prevention from now on!

[homegrownsoulz]

I use Mighty Wash - in simple terms, it's just water charged with static electricity. It worked really well used consistently.

 

 

I also introduced ladybugs into my entire grow after doing several applications of the MW and haven't seen mites since.

[Grow Thread]

nice to see this thread back from the dead

 

some GREAT info in here.

[Shredder]

I use neem/karanja oil and cake from neem neem resource, like i posted here several times. Neem resource is an importer of organic neem/karanja from india. Their neem has 4500ppm of azadirachtin,(bug killer) typical neem has 1500ppm. When using neem you need to emulsify it. For one quart of spray mix i combine 1 tsp of neem/karanja oil mixed 50/50, then add 1 tsp of liquid silica (pro tech), and 1 tsp of dr bronners liquid soap. then shake it like a madman, until the oil is thoroughly dissolved and it's all sudsy. Then at lights out i spray heavy until the plants are drooping and completely coated. When the lights come back on the plants look happy as a lark.

 

Along with spraying I also use the neem and karanja cake (pressed seeds) in the soil. The cake has 6% neem karanja oil. so along with a fertilizer it gives you some systemic protection. Not so much for mites, but i also use crab meal in the soil mix. Along with it being a modest fertilizer it is made of chitin, the same chitin bugs are usually made of. the chitin attracts a bacteria that eats it, and the bugs. It work wonderfully for fungus gnats.

 

I will disagree on using neem frequently. I have been doing just that for several cycles with no bug problems what so ever. I spray weekly until three weeks in flower or in general when the buds are forming nicely. After that I use dried lavender flowers mixed with water at 1/2 cup per quart. i let that sit for 48 hours then strain off the flowers and dilute the tea in a gallon of water for spraying. It also is a modest fertilizer. Again i thoroughly drench the plants with it. This works well but will only kill bugs for a couple of days.

 

I also make and use my own homemade thermo (hot 150-170 degreesF) compost. When it comes in the house it usually has soil bugs, such as soil mites, tiny spiders, pot worms, red wiggler composting worms, and the like. I leave them alone and they leave the plants alone. I believe it more replicates an outdoor environ. I grow in a scrog, so when i trim leaves they all go on the soil as a mulch. If you were to peel back the mulch you will see plenty of friendly bugs, just like outside.

 

Anyway that is what works for muwah......shredder

[Shredder]

Neem users need to keep in mind that neem is not a knock down type spray. It needs time to work. If i were to have an active mite infestation. I would use pyrethrum sprays to take care of adult mites, then the next day start neem sprays at every three days. Neem will coat some eggs and mites with oil to kill them and they don't like the neem smell or taste. They don't breed normal and the eggs don't hatch normal, but it does work. The "secret" is to spray on a schedule and keep with it, regardless if you see them or not.

 

Another tip is to check leaves frequently. I have and use an eye clops, as i can't see mites by the naked eye. It is a child's toy magnifier that you hook up to a TV. I've found i can't really see mites until they are heavily infested, so using this cheap magnification works well.

 

And remember those tiny white spots on leaves are from mites. They suck plant juices and leave those spots. If you see white spots on your leaves don't wait start spraying.The black spots under leaves can mean bug do do.....shredder

[Mememe]

Straight hot water from the tap as hot as can be is a good 5 second dunk for new clones IMO.

1/2 rubbing alcohol 1/2 water spray on a large plant and allow to evaporate and then spray with neem. Bye bye 2 spotted mtes.

[solabeirtan]

Anyone using CO2 for mite control ? I picked up a CO2 generator anyway, for this purpose specifically, though I haven't got it installed yet...

 

I've used the floramite, though it's only for plants in vegge.

 

That GreenLite recomended by BGr is a great product and can be used 'till day before harvest, it's organic, kills mold, mildew, spiders... smells like lemonny...