Once upon a time an avid smoker 
decided to become a grower. After searching the land far and wide, found some mags/books and web sites to further their education. And found Seeds Direct too! Happily buying and building a grow, and armed with knowledge of a noobie but with loads of desire, the grows begins.
As time went by, the noobie discovered something odd. A strange pin prick on the leaves. Upon further examination saw a few tiny spider webs and tiny tiny creatures busy, moving back and forth. Alarm Alarm!!
Could it be? Yes the dreaded mite! Yes, there are several ways to address this problem, but lets start with how did this minuscule invader and others get here to begin with.
Sometimes we are very careful with our ph/ppms and light cycles, etc but not our entry into our grows. We casually pass pets, outdoor foilage and bring in supplies from the local hydro store without making certain they are clean of pests! The mite is a very hardy creature and will hibernate in between bad conditions for its existence, only to re-emerge again to plague you and your plants. So lets start with a new protocol with our grows.
Start by; starting clean and staying clean! A new space to be used should be swept, mopped(unless carpeted!
) with a 50% bleach solution, walls and equipment wiped down or place in the room prior to a bug bomb being released.(Carpeted spaces are harder to maintain free from pests and pathogens!) After the space is reasonably sterile, you MUST not ever violate the space again without being completely free of any foreign matter!
All products from a hydro store could have been handled by someone with mites or other pests in their space. Wash them first with hot water! Clones from others should and must be quarantined for at least two weeks before allowed to enter. A small vacuum cleaner will remove most mold spores and mite eggs from the clothes and should be a routine each time. A few surplus stores and others sell inexpensive paper jumpsuits. Sounds like overkill? Well if you don't want to spend your time battling pests follow it.
Intake vents should have fine screen and periodically sprayed with insect spray. Outside the doorway to larger rooms place a tray with a salt solution or other insect deterent to step into, so don't wear your Bruno Maglis! Using beneficial insects is an easy way to head off any invasion too. Ladybugs, predator mites and praying mantis are but a few of the army of mercs you can employ. There is a pyrethrum bomb that is safe for plants in extreme cases. But a liberal use of neem oil is better early on. Take it seriously before you are in the trenchs fighting the little devils!
So our noobie is happy and so are their plants! And they lived happily ever after too! :wink:
decided to become a grower. After searching the land far and wide, found some mags/books and web sites to further their education. And found Seeds Direct too! Happily buying and building a grow, and armed with knowledge of a noobie but with loads of desire, the grows begins. As time went by, the noobie discovered something odd. A strange pin prick on the leaves. Upon further examination saw a few tiny spider webs and tiny tiny creatures busy, moving back and forth. Alarm Alarm!!
Could it be? Yes the dreaded mite! Yes, there are several ways to address this problem, but lets start with how did this minuscule invader and others get here to begin with.Sometimes we are very careful with our ph/ppms and light cycles, etc but not our entry into our grows. We casually pass pets, outdoor foilage and bring in supplies from the local hydro store without making certain they are clean of pests! The mite is a very hardy creature and will hibernate in between bad conditions for its existence, only to re-emerge again to plague you and your plants. So lets start with a new protocol with our grows.
Start by; starting clean and staying clean! A new space to be used should be swept, mopped(unless carpeted!
) with a 50% bleach solution, walls and equipment wiped down or place in the room prior to a bug bomb being released.(Carpeted spaces are harder to maintain free from pests and pathogens!) After the space is reasonably sterile, you MUST not ever violate the space again without being completely free of any foreign matter! All products from a hydro store could have been handled by someone with mites or other pests in their space. Wash them first with hot water! Clones from others should and must be quarantined for at least two weeks before allowed to enter. A small vacuum cleaner will remove most mold spores and mite eggs from the clothes and should be a routine each time. A few surplus stores and others sell inexpensive paper jumpsuits. Sounds like overkill? Well if you don't want to spend your time battling pests follow it.
Intake vents should have fine screen and periodically sprayed with insect spray. Outside the doorway to larger rooms place a tray with a salt solution or other insect deterent to step into, so don't wear your Bruno Maglis! Using beneficial insects is an easy way to head off any invasion too. Ladybugs, predator mites and praying mantis are but a few of the army of mercs you can employ. There is a pyrethrum bomb that is safe for plants in extreme cases. But a liberal use of neem oil is better early on. Take it seriously before you are in the trenchs fighting the little devils!
So our noobie is happy and so are their plants! And they lived happily ever after too! :wink:
