big spider mites issue - mineral oil during flower?

[LosSerpent]

been dealing with spider mites for years, never been able to get rid of em, my area is littered with pests and being outdoors ain't much i can do.

i found white bio mineral oil is pretty effective at controlling mites, as long as you apply it every week once.

most ppl say you shouldn't use it in flowers, however, every time i stopped using it during flower - THE FUCKERS TOOK OVER, when i spray it once a week i can keep very good control on the mites. very very little damage to leaves, but as soon as i stop they destroy everything


oil bottle say's i can keep using it up until 20 day's before harvest (this is for stuff like tomatoes other vegetables and fruits) i don't see why that wouldn't apply to weed??

i wash my weed before harvest anyways, just like we wash our fruit. can it really impact bud taste??

[Ckbrew]

Consider Hydrogen peroxide for a deterrent. The plus side is it degrades to oxygen and water so no bud contamination issues, the down side is you will have extra water on your buds with may promote mold if not removed. Also, if the peroxide is to strong, it may damage the plant. Try it on a small portion first.

[Gingerbeard]

I'm with Ckbrew on H2O2. I use 2 teaspoons of vinegar to a quart of water and spray daily. I don't know if it needs that much but it doesn't seem to hurt the plant. Mixing the same amount of H2O2, they work well together. If I don't have one, I use the other.
Also, don't just spray the leaves with a mist. Use some of the pressure from your sprayer to knock the mites off the leaves.

[PLreef]

Fight fire with fire. Use predatory mites. Screw all that chemical junk during flower. I'd never smoke anything that was sprayed during flower. I don't care if the manufacturer says it safe or not.
Personally I use Arbico-organics.com but there are a bunch of similar outfits that have the same type of predatory mites.

[Rwise]

Ladybugs would be a great addition to your grow area, and yes there are many things one can do outside, Praying mantis is also a good bug to add.
Those tomato sprays have not been tested to see what they do when smoked, rule of thumb is to not use it. When used these should be sprayed at dusk so the bees are going to bed.
I have used ISO and water up to 50/50 for the borg (can be 1 part ISO and 8 parts water), it kills adults only and leaves behind only moisture (which is also not good). It does not kill eggs therefor it has to be redone every 2-3 days for at least 3 treatments, then watch for the return.
The best thing I done was get ladybugs (for aphids), they multiplied like rabbits and I no longer have problems with either of these pests.

[LosSerpent]

maybe you guy's haven't had a serious spider mite issue, they're crazy H2O2 won't do anything, it might kill them on contact, after 2 days new eggs hatch, i don't have 2 hours every other day to spray my plants. i need a powerful cannabis safe pesticide that i can apply once a week and call it a day

[LosSerpent]

Ladybugs would be a great addition to your grow area, and yes there are many things one can do outside, Praying mantis is also a good bug to add.
Those tomato sprays have not been tested to see what they do when smoked, rule of thumb is to not use it. When used these should be sprayed at dusk so the bees are going to bed.
I have used ISO and water up to 50/50 for the borg (can be 1 part ISO and 8 parts water), it kills adults only and leaves behind only moisture (which is also not good). It does not kill eggs therefor it has to be redone every 2-3 days for at least 3 treatments, then watch for the return.
The best thing I done was get ladybugs (for aphids), they multiplied like rabbits and I no longer have problems with either of these pests.

tried ladybugs, they all ran away i had quite a bit

[DeadlyFruit]

I’ve never tried ladybugs but seems strange they would run away from an infested plant which is the same as an all you can eat buffet for a ladybug. I was thinking about trying them for control next summer but perhaps they won’t stick around long enough to be worth it. I normally just use Safers 3 in 1 which is basically insecticidal soap with an anti fungal ingredient (to slow down WPM and BR). I don’t mind using it occasionally into early flower but I lay off after that to give it a chance to break down and wash away with the rain.

Is mineral oil similar to the agricultural oil they spray on trees? I had bad scale on a magnolia and one spray each spring for 3 springs and it was completely gone. My worry is that something oil based may not break down and wash away.

[Ckbrew]

When I used ladybugs for pest control on hops, instructions were to gently spray water on the cloth bag the bugs are in. Seems they get thirsty during shipping and will fly off starting a search for water if u don't give them water first. Also I found misting the plant with water helped keep them around. When all the pests are gone the bugs will go looking for food elsewhere.

[DeadlyFruit]

Great tip! Thanks Ckbrew

[Rwise]

Also look into building those ladybug a home they can winter in, the object is to get them into your environment so you dont have to fight any more. I now have 20 acres covered with them, there everywhere.

[LosSerpent]

DeadlyFruit

baking soda is a degreaser, so is lemon juice to some extend, wouldn't wash them in a baking soda and lemon solution before drying wash the oil away? not sure how good baking soda is a degreasing when diluted with water, maybe someone can weigh in

[Ckbrew]

Basic wash is 3 tubs. 1- water, lemon juice, baking soda. 2- water, hydrogen peroxide. 3- plain water. Temp should be tepid cool. To cold may knock off trichomes, to hot loose terpines. Gently agitate buds in solution for about 5-10 minutes each. Try not to bang the sides. After the last rinse hang them up with something to catch the water. This may sound radical but it works and will not harm your plants. You will be amazed at the gunk that comes off them in the first wash. Imo mandatory for any outdoor plant.

[LosSerpent]

Basic wash is 3 tubs. 1- water, lemon juice, baking soda. 2- water, hydrogen peroxide. 3- plain water. Temp should be tepid cool. To cold may knock off trichomes, to hot loose terpines. Gently agitate buds in solution for about 5-10 minutes each. Try not to bang the sides. After the last rinse hang them up with something to catch the water. This may sound radical but it works and will not harm your plants. You will be amazed at the gunk that comes off them in the first wash. Imo mandatory for any outdoor plant.

as far as i'm awere hydrogen peroxide is only meant to be used when you're dealing with powdery mildew


what you're describing is how i washed my buds everytime, expect the hydrogen peroxide, i agree washing buds it 100% worth it, it's a no brainer imo there is no downside

[Ckbrew]

The peroxide is a sanitizer. Just an extra cleaning.

[LosSerpent]

Ckbrew what's the highest baking soda to lemon to hy drogen peroxide ratio i can apply without fucking up the buds?

[Ckbrew]

For washing you mean correct? In each tub, 3 gallon h2o. in #1 juice of 1 lemon and about 1/2 cup baking soda. for #2, Peroxide about 300ml. #3 is plain water.

[LosSerpent]

For washing you mean correct? In each tub, 3 gallon h2o. in #1 juice of 1 lemon and about 1/2 cup baking soda. for #2, Peroxide about 300ml. #3 is plain water.

i've seen guides online recommending baking soda alone, and then in the other bucket preoxide+lemon, what's the difference?

[Ckbrew]

Lemon n baking soda- remove general dirt, insects, insect residue, foreign plant matter, mineral salts, residue from anything applied to the plant. peroxide- sanitizer. rinse- well rinse. There is no magic right or wrong here. You do the growing, you decide what is best for you.