red spider mites

[budrezin]

any body heard of a product called "MITE RID" apparently it's one of those ones that gets absorbed into the plant then when the mites feed on the plant they die. was just wondering if anyone has used it & knows if it works.

 

[Stan Laurel]

Not heard of that, but would reccomend a Neem oil type product.
From my experience, if used as per instructions(regular, and thorough mistings) it works a treat.

 

[budrezin]

yeah but you have to get under every leaf affected & make contact with the might. always the chance to miss a few.

 

[Stan Laurel]

That's right, but when done correctly it works.
You've got to keep it up until there are no mites visible, and then continue twice weekly until 2-3 weeks into flower.
Like I said, it worked for me.

 

[budrezin]

yeah very time consuming , i like the idea of only one application or two at the most.

 

[HeadyPete]

I would recommend against using systemic pesticides on any plants you wish to consume as the pesticide will remain in the plant.

However after looking into this product it is made from the Neem tree and looks to be an effective, organic, safe pesticide. The neem hinders an insect's ability to molt, so it cannot grow and dies, and affects it's feeding abilities. The active ingredient is AZADIRACHTIN -

http://www.sfu.ca/bisc/bisc-842/michael/web_page/aza.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachtin

I wouldn't use neem during flowering as it can contaminate your buds with an unpleasant smell, taste, and stickiness. Use during veg and rinse off a few days after application.

I believe this will control your mite problem and mites are one of the worst pests to get.

Good luck!

 

[Herbalistic]

HeadyPete: Can Neem be putted in the wateringwater, like systematic? I must agree with you that mites are the number 1 fucker bugs to get & get rid off!!! However, if you use neem correctly, you can destroy the population but that includes cleaning the whole growingspace!!!

Keep It Green & Growing But Don´t Forget The Smokin!
Peace Out Growers!

 

[CaptJamesTKirk]

When all else fails - Hot Shot No Pest Strips Allow 2-3 weeks of use and I like to pull them from flower room at least a week prior to harvest.

The active ingreedient has a 3 day half life in low humidity and much shorter in high humidity - so it should be gone in a normal drying; I just like to add some extra time incase the chems don't know the rules


Spidermites are very prolific and mutate quickly. It's important to kill all the lil bastards, their children and any that follow to compleatly interupt the life cycle. otherwise you run the risk of your own little BORG wars with the bastards as they can develop immunities.

And BACK THE WAGON UP - why would you want something the plant absorbed ti fight of spidermites? Bubba,,, you are planning on smoking that plant, right?
I try to keep chems and contaminates OUT of my garden - and when that fails - at least out of the plant. ewwwwww. no thanks.

I've never heard of anything like you describe, but I can assure you, even if it did exist and work there is no way on god's green earth I would apply it.

Neem - or the pest strips

or Ladybugs - they eat a butt load of mites and tend to leave after the mites are gone - - can't use them with neem or Pest strips though

Arm photon torpeados and kill them, kill them all.
Good luck!
As you were

 

[HeadyPete]

Yah neem is a bitch because it is oil based and gets sticky. You can dilute in water to spray but it doesn't really mix, just breaks up into small particles on the water. You must shake spray bottle constantly. It also coats the inside of the bottle and can clog it up.

Neem works to stop molting which stops growing because insect cannot get a bigger shell. For this it must be sprayed directly on pest. It must be repeated to ensure getting newly hatched insects as eggs aren't affected by the neem.

Now apparently it is discovered that it also posesses anti-feeding properties which the insect must actually taste to be effective. Basically the insect doesn't like the taste and will not touch the plant.

Azadirachtin also prevents other insect species from feeding, but its potency varies between species. For example, another African locust species, Locusta migratoria, is far more willing to eat azadirachtin than S. gregaria, and grasshoppers in North America show no antifeedant response at all. They are susceptible to the growth regulatory effects, however.

Azadirachtin is non-volatile, so an insect must taste it, rather than smell it, in order to respond to it. A taste of azadirachtin stimulates at least one 'deterrent neurone' in insects which show an antifeedant response. The strength of 'deterrent neurone' responses has been correlated with the strength of antifeedant responses.

You can also spray straight vegetable oil on the plants in veg to coat and suffucate the mites. Again you must reapply often to get the newly hatched mites. This is non-toxic and not as bad smellin as the neem, but not sure of effectiveness.
This is the same concept gardener's use such as summer oil, dormant oil and such but i would only use food grade cooking oil on my plants and food crops.
There's also safers soap, pyrethin based insecticide, predatory mites, and other organic remedies that may have to be applied in combo to work.

Good luck.

 

[DJ_highst_]

Heady Pete good Neem Oil use tips all around

Yes neem can be watered into the soil, dont know how it would work with hydro, but do a very diluted amount at first and see how they do.

He budrezin, if you dont like to spray Neem, try make a little cover with a hole to fit around the stem to cover the top of your pot so soil cant fall out, then prepare a 5 gallon bucket or larger of Neem and just dunk the whole plant in the solution, it works better than spraying and once you get your technique down, it can be done quickly and effectively. Peace_highst

 

[budrezin]

capt kirk - the afected plants have just been in veg one week. the table on the other side is ready for harvest which i will not touch with any pestacide because it seems the mites have only spread to about 5-6 plants on the side that has been in veg for a week. apparently this stuff only stays in the plant about two weeks so by the time harvest comes i wont be smoking it.also buba how do pest strips get rid of red spider mite this remedy is stupid.

dj - i do hydro i don't have soil & it's perpetual so there are always plants in the room which means i can't steralize everything & start again.

 

[budrezin]

it's very important to kill all of them mites straight away because i don't want to get locked into a 6 month battle. like when i had whiteflies it took ages to get rid of.

 

[Hotgurl]

Don't use systemic poisons on something you intend on smoking.

 

[CaptJamesTKirk]

I put 2 No Pest Strips in at the first sign of spidermites - they are usually dead in 3 to 4 days and you should be safe to remove after 2 weeks - I go 3 weeks. You want to make sure you get all the hatchlings.

My first choice is no mites after that - it's war.

Lower temps help keep them in check -

note -
There are few things in growing I approach with the rule:
If some is good,
more is better, and;
TOO MUCH IS JUST RIGHT

NPS and spidermites are one exception. (Last summer I waited a couple weeks 2 long - won't happen again)

 

[budrezin]

what does systemic pestacide mean?

 

[junglistni]

yea i dont like the sound of somethin that gets absorbed into the plant! sounds a bit dodge, no matter how long id be veggin for. i like the sound of ladybirds but i dont think my local garden center sell them!
im hopin i dont get this problem, but if i did i like the sound of the tobacco spray method, im gona be smokin it anyway

 

[budrezin]

i used that tabacco spray it didn't do the complete job it only decreased the numbers abit this is not my first time dealing with pests, i have had in the past, whitefly,thrips ,leaf miners, red spider mite, whitefly, fungas gnats.

 

[HeadyPete]

Spider Mite Control

Description: Common across North America, many species of the spider mite (family: Tetranychidae) attack both indoor and outdoor gardens and can be very destructive in greenhouses. They live in colonies, mostly on the underside of leaves and feed by piercing leaf tissue and sucking up the plant fluids. Feeding marks show up as light dots on the leaves; as feeding continues, the leaves turn yellow, and may dry up and drop off. Spider mites are most common in hot, dry conditions and when their natural enemies have been killed off by insecticide use. They are also very prolific, which is why heavy infestations often build up unnoticed before plants begin to show damage. Large populations may be accompanied by fine webbing. Host plants are many and include strawberries, melons, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, ornamental flowers, trees and most houseplants.

Spider mites are not true insects, but are classed as a type of arachnid, relatives of insects that also includes spiders, ticks, and scorpions. Adults are reddish brown or pale in color, oval-shaped, and very small (1/50 inch long) - about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Immature stages resemble the adults except only smaller.

Life Cycle: Most spider mite species overwinter as eggs on the leaves and bark of host plants. In early spring, as temperatures warm, tiny six-legged larvae begin hatching and feed for a few days before seeking shelter where they molt into the first nymphal stage. Nymphs have eight-legs and pass through two more molts before becoming mature adults. After mating, females are capable of producing as many as 300 eggs over a couple of weeks. Hot, dry weather favors rapid development of these pests. During such conditions the time it takes to pass from egg to adult may occur in as little as 5 days. There are several overlapping generations per year.

Note: Dispersal over a wide area occurs when spider mites are carried on their webbing by the wind.

Control: If pests are found, pinch or prune off infested leaves or other plant parts. Use the Bug Blaster or wash plants with a strong stream of water to reduce pest numbers. Commercially available beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, lacewing, and predatory mites are important natural enemies. For best results, make releases when pest levels are low to medium. If populations are high, use a least-toxic, short-lived natural pesticide to establish control, then release predatory insects to maintain control. Insecticidal soap or botanical insecticides can be used to spot treat heavily infested areas. Horticultural oils should be applied early in the season or late in the fall to destroy overwintering eggs.

Tip: Control strategies must take into account the fast development time of this pest, especially during warm weather when eggs are laid continuously. Just targeting the adults will do little good - repeat treatments are almost always necessary.

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/predatory-mites.html

Ladybugs are good but beware, they will fly straight to your light and die.

Systemic means absorbed into the system of the plant internally.

 

[budrezin]

well i just got my "mite-rid" it sais on the pack that it is not a systemic pestacide & that it contains that stuff called "izadaratchin" . It states that it only remains in the plant for a short period of time. the bloke at the shop said heaps of people buy it so i guess i will give it a go.

 

[TokeD]

Please Pm me with the results as I just found out today I got spider mites.