Buying soil and preventing spider mites

[Purely medical]

Hey everyone. I have grown in hydro for the last few years. And I have had very minimal issues with bugs of any kind. I recently got a new patient and they wanted me to grow with soil. So I bought some roots organic soil and threw some ladies in my veg tent. This morning I found 3 mites. I have since sprayed the plants with flora mite. As they are in veg and have over a month before flower I'm not too concerned about this product. But for all you soil growers out there.... What is a girl to do when running into this problem. I'm talking about future preventative measures.


-Purely Medical

 

[Weird]

ammend with neem meal

 

[Purely medical]

Thank you. Never heard of that product but I will do that. Of course I have heard of neem. I assume neem meal is a powder of some kind.

 

[2 Legal Co]

Diatomatious Earth

Available at your local nursery... even found it at Homey Despicable.

It's non-chemical. Sprinkle on the dirt, or where ever the crawlers are (preferably NOT on the bud you are going to smoke I suppose).

Some mix it into the potting soil (preemptive strike).

I've had Fungus Flies, and it really put them down. Never had mites, however.

 

[2 Legal Co]

Some have recommended Pyrethrum.... it's a 'contact' spray only however. So if you can't spray on them directly it won't work.

Has a short toxicity life... and is also sensitive to light. So needs to be used in the dark or just before dark.

Also a chemical, so not so much for me.

 

[SoulSynergySoil]

Hey everyone. I have grown in hydro for the last few years. And I have had very minimal issues with bugs of any kind. I recently got a new patient and they wanted me to grow with soil. So I bought some roots organic soil and threw some ladies in my veg tent. This morning I found 3 mites. I have since sprayed the plants with flora mite. As they are in veg and have over a month before flower I'm not too concerned about this product. But for all you soil growers out there.... What is a girl to do when running into this problem. I'm talking about future preventative measures.


-Purely Medical

-Amend with neem meal as aforementioned.
-Also, amend with crab chiton.
-Every 3 days (mite eggs hatch every 3 days.drench all parts of plant (top of soil, surfaces of pots, all stems and leaves on all sides upper, under, side) with foliar spray made of 1/2 oz per gallon sesame or neem oil, 1-3 drops of each essential oil of cinnamon, thyme, clove, rosemary, oregano, and orange, and 1 tsp potassium salts of fatty acids (safer soap, or any eco-friendly boron-free soap with potassium salts of fatty acids).
-(Optional step, be careful with this one) If plants are small enough and this is possible, drench entire pot and root zone in aforementioned pest-knockout mix--submersing pot + soil + roots in drench for 10-28 seconds on each pot. Then, flush pots with pure H2O or light bionutrient/compost tea to clean root zone of any oils immediately after soaking.
-Then foliar spray with light dilution of compost tea or whatever foliar you prefer as much as possible (mites like dry conditions, plus the plants love constant misting of bionutrients like they would receive in a prime environment outdoors via dew and mist each day).

Like you said, prevention is key.

-Clean your entire space (throw out/outdoor recycle old soils and remove any clutter/organic matter upon which pests, pathogens or diseases could live) and ideally use only homemade, noncommercial soils or hydro/soilless to avoid pests, pathogens, and diseases from commercial soil-recycling facilities.

-Sterilize with strong bleach solution every square milimeter of your space (including pots, watering containers, nutrients, and any other molecules that interact with your system) after each cycle.

-Avoid bringing in plants from external sources;
-ideally start fresh from seed in clean soil/hydro/soilless.

-If you do obtain clones, quarantine them away from your space while dunking entire plant (root plug/cube, leaves, phyllosphere, rhizosphere, the entire plant) in pest-knockout solution every 3 days for 2 weeks in quarantine until sending plant(s) out of quarantine and into the system.

Much love and blessings from my fractal-temple-conduit-spirit-seed to you on your path of divine evolution,

SoulSynergySoil

 

[HidingInTheHaze]

floramite

 

[torqnstein]

I've not had such good luck with roots organic, bugs. But a friend of mine has a deep freezer, throws his bags of soils in and freezes them for like a week. Sometimes more if time isn't an issue. No more issues for him. Winter is here and depending on where your located might be easy to freeze em.

 

[Good Karma]

freezing sounds like a good idea.

 

[Eureka Springs Organics]

Neem cake and crab meal in your soil, and OGBIOWAR foliar to keep them gone forever.
http://eurekaspringsorganics.com/organic-pest-control/ogbiowar-foliar-pack-4-oz

 

[Bobo Bolinsky]

floramite

2 years of battling borg w/pyrithrums, safers, neems of all kinds, iso, etc blah blah one shot of Floamite combined with unfortunately no longer available Stirrup M sex attractant, never another mite. One ap, with one more for safety sake, years ago.

 

[GrnMtFinn]

I might be crazy, but just found a bunch of two-spotteds in my tent yesterday. Stuffs been running in there for over two weeks and then I check it out yesterday and a ton of leaf speck and little mites under the leaves. We've been transplanting with Happy Frog and premix. Don't know if it's possible that I got a bad batch of soil. I'm gonna be using the beneficial predatory mite Persimilis, they'll patrol around, quickly killing the problem mites, then die off when their food supply runs out. Gotta put the order in.

 

[supermanlives]

I think a lot of people just blame the soil....IMHO if you bought soil at place with plants its just as likely they hitched a ride on you as coming from soil lol

 

[Granger2]

I think a lot of people just blame the soil....IMHO if you bought soil at place with plants its just as likely they hitched a ride on you as coming from soil lol

Good point SuperML. But either way you get mites. The first time I ever saw a root aphid was in Happy Frog. When I was buying it I was thinking, "Man this is some really great potting soil." Cough....

I'm stunned about how no one has made the connection between "Floramite" and "Medical." Rather than going into a rant, I'll just paste my Spider Mite control method. I've followed this twice and, completely wiped them out both times. I can always carry more into the room on my shoes or clothes, but I'll know what to do if. Not as easy as Florafknmite, but 5 days and done-organically-if you follow all the steps. Good luck. -granger

Spider Mite Control

Pyrethrum is fairly safe, but if it also has PBO, piperonyl butoxide, it's a different ball game.

I would use Azasol rather than Azamax or Azatrol. Azasol is oil free, causes no phytotoxicity, is more systemic, no smell after drying [to humans], no oil mess, similar price, dissolves instantly. In sum, more effective.

Best way is to mix in a bucket, cover top of root ball with a rag or cardboard and immerse everything above ground. That way you get 100% coverage, and dunking them washes off many mites and eggs. Also, spray walls, doors, floor, entire container including the bottom. Non messy since it's oil free.

The big key that has given me a once and for all kill [till I carry more in], is to do a second dunk 36 hours later, followed by another in 48, each time spraying walls, doors, floor, entire container. This kills any hatchlings before they have a chance to lay more eggs. Plus you're done in 4 days. I usually follow this procedure using Spinosad w/wetting agent the first 2 treatments, then Azasol for the 3rd. If you have the energy, add a 3rd Spinosad dunk before the last one with Azasol. Done in 5 ½ days.

What has worked well for me has been to spray the plants with Azasol during the first week of 12/12 as a preventive. No mites thru harvest. Haven't had mites in the 3 years since I started this one preventive treatment.

I've also gotten rid of mites using only Spinosad w/wetting agent for 4 treatments. Dunk, again in 36, 36, 48. Good luck. -granger

 

[Snype]

Medical and Floramite is just bad. I hope you tell the patient that you are growing for that Floramite was used on his meds. I don't think they will be happy with that one.

 

[supermanlives]

so many folks using whatever to achieve their goals without reguard for end consumer.... met a few here too in my new spot.. makes me wonder about ever buying any smoke here...got to get shit up an runnin asap

 

[wantaknow]

if you have a way to bake your soil outside like a metal drum and build a fire around it ,then add back you micro heard,a liitle ash add in if its a hard wood fire ,good luck