Recipes For Natural Solutions

[Zeez]

After some very expensive organic solutions for spider mites, I am finding out that the ingredients are easily available and the results good using rosemary, lavender, peppermint, geranium oil and others. Some solutions work but are phytotoxic causing leaf damage.

Basically, I guess you need an oil or oils of choice, an emulsifier to get oil and water to mix, some reasonably clean water, and a mix ratio to be effective but not over do it.

If anyone has a recipe with results for either a foliar spray or root drench delivering a systemic solution, it would be very interesting if bring your experience and results. Thanks in advance.

 

[_tessarecting]

Mikell is the only one I've seen on here who makes his own essential oil blends and has even worked out ml / gallon for each individual essential oil. Look for his posts I wish I would have taken notes of this. I've bought an essential oil blend from a company before and used it at 15ml/gallon but I'm in the same boat as you. Much cheaper DIY. Also FYI these things will kill all mites including broads/russets used in rotation with other organic controls. Its very powerful.

Done small experiments with clove oil too but need to test more. Bugs hate that stuff.

For emulsification Dr. Bronners peppermint oil soap is awesome.

 

[Zeez]

I'm in the process of getting the essential oils used in products that worked for me. Starting off with as much knowledge as possible is the way to go.

I've heard about Dr. Bonner's for an emulsifier. Another is Polysorbate 20 food grade.

 

[Mikell]

According to soapmakers, polysorbate 80 is used for heavy oils (high viscosity, typically raw or lightly refined) and polysorbate 20 for lighter essential oils.

Useage rates are yet to be determined (as far as I know). 1g/L polysorbate 80 produced copious foaming (no oil added) and no phytotoxicity occurred under fluorescent lighting.

That is as far as I made it. I haven't as much time these days nor do I direct what little I have very wisely.

I predominantly use peppermint oil at 0.05-0.125% with 0.5-1% Bronners during the growth period.

rykus uses wintergreen, but I do not know at what rate.

Photosynthesis posted his mixture in the organic subforum.

avinash.miles uses an alcohol based solution.

I am sure there are some obvious mentions I have overlooked. Dodgy memory.

A site search should yield more result. Try the string site:icmag.com with Google if online security is not a high priority.

Keep very good notes and wait the full two weeks to monitor plant reactions. Testing on healthy, uninfested plants is preferable. What works under one type of lighting may not another or under natural sunlight.

 

[Zeez]

Appreciate the help. I really don't know Jack about this, but am trying to up the defense with a reasonable plan. 1:1 with Bonners seems to be going well using neem along with peppermint .5% on the first application and along with lavender oil .5% on the second application using three day spacing and four applications planned. Currently there are spider mites in a bloom tent containing different strains at different intervals and the intervention looks to be working.

Also using SN$ 209 root drench and diatomaceous earth food grade on the 4' trays and floor.

I am curious, Do you recommend Bonners be used with rosemary oil as a root drench or would the polysorbate 20 be better for roots?

Would a regular neem based foliar be less prone to resistance if augmented with different essential oils each time? Or, would it be better to just use neem as one component in a rotation of EOs for regular preventative maintenance (IPM)?

 

[Mikell]

I haven't much experience with essential oil root drenches.

Polysorbate 80 at 0.05% may have broken down coir into a muck. I neglected to tag the treated plants and they were mixed into the fold. Two weeks later a similar number of plants declined in health and needed a repotting. The coir was very dense and waterlogged.

I keep each oil to a separate application, but others vary as seen here and among professional formulas. I am still experimenting rudimentaly and less variables makes it easy to identify issues.

 

[Zeez]

Excellent!! This is really the stuff I want to find out about. On the foliar, you mentioned peppermint, Is there a hierarchy of oils that kill and ones that are deterrents? Maybe peppermint, rosemary and orange for killing. Lavender and clove for deterring? Any info on an emulsifier that will not mess with tricomes?

I read about Lemmon grass too. That's going on the short list.

Photosynthesis recipe leak 2015 - Very good post! Thanks.

Photosyntesis's Neem and essential oil recipe for mites:

Per gallon of WARM water,
1oz. of neem oil (Ahimsa is the best)
1oz. of Dr. Bronner's baby soap (only use up to week 2 of flower)
a pinch of agsil 16 (approximately a 1/4 teaspoon)
2 Ml of Lavender essential oil
2 Ml of Rosemary essential oil
1 Ml of Thyme essential oil
1 Ml of Eucalyptus essential oil

Use this once per week until two weeks before harvest, and you will be mite free. This has developed since I landed in Denver, and the mites here drink up most organic remedies.

Only use Dr Bronner's up to the second week of flower as it can degrade trichomes. Make sure to always use warm water. If your neem is to thick to pour run your bottle under hot water first.


DIY SNS-203

1- ml Clove Bud essential Oil
1/3- ml Rosemary Essential Oil
1- tsp coconut oil
a few drops of surfactant (dr, bronner's, yucca, aloe, etc.)

Mix these ingredients into one gallon of water. I use this mostly as a soil drench. It works well used once a week to help keep things in check. The key is to put the coconut oil in a little warm water frst to help melt it down. If you want to you can purchase liquid coconut oil at most health food stores.

Legit SNS-203

1/2 teaspoon Clove essential oil
1/8 teaspoon Rosemary Essential oil
1/4 teaspoon Polyglycerl oleate (you can buy on amazon)
1 Teaspoon lauric Acid (you can buy on ebay)

Pre-mix the ingredients in a few ounces of water, and then mix that into 2 gallons of water.

I have recently switched to this recipe as I was able to find the ingredients online for a resonable price.

Photosynthesi

 

[_tessarecting]

Lemongrass is another good one

 

[ozzieAI]

pure neem oil...gets them every time...

 

[DocTim420]

Essential oils + Diatomaceous Earth (foodgrade = Fossil Shell Flour) creates a synergistic duo. Same with Pyrethrin + DE.

 

[_tessarecting]

I used both de and essential oils on my outdoor this year

 

[DocTim420]

Mix them together...magic does happen.

 

[Zeez]

I found a few interesting articles on the subject.

The first one really gets into neem, but also gets into the effective essential oils and IPM. There a couple recipes in here that are variants of information mentioned in the thread.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0248/9641/files/BuildASoil_IPM_Notes.pdf

This one takes it a bit further.

http://projects.nri.org/adappt/docs/63-84.pdf

Third is a masters thesis on using rosemary oil on spider mites. Gets a little heavy, Bottom line - it kills spider mites using a 1% souoution - Kind of like SNS 209.

https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0092479

 

[_tessarecting]

I just had a random thought. I'm buying a warm mist humidifier for my veg as the rh is like 35% here right now. I guess people drop essential oils in them. I wonder if doing so will have any measurable preventative effect on pests. Im going to lavender the shit out of this place.

 

[Zeez]

I'm thinking, lavender, clove or peppermint in there would keep them away. That's pretty dry.