spider Mites

[demcc3]

After 6 years and numerous good (and not so good) grows I finally got hit with spider mites. Before I flipped to flower I noticed "markings" on SOME of the leaves but didnt think too much of it because I had never experienced this. The other day, now 2 weeks into flower, I noticed it had got worse and went to my local (and trusted) grow shop with s few photos. My goto guy there told me the news that it was most likely mites and showed me an identical photo that confirmed it. He said I could go two different routes. Purchase lady bugs or foliar spray. I went with the foliar spray. In this case Lost Coast's Plant Therapy.

I Had trained my plant to lean over already and I started to spray the leaves last night. When I got to what was once the top of plant I noticed tents on ALL of the bud sites. I know these suckers are practically microscopic but still I immediately started snipping branches off and as I did so discovered smaller "tent cities" With that discovery I decided to terminate this grow. I have too much other sh*t going on right now to deal with this as well.

So this plant is now chopped up and out in trash. My grow space is an extra closet. Im thinking my next course of action is clean, wipe, spray (lather, rinse, repeat) EVERYTHING in and nearby the closet...is this correct? What about the lights? I have LED lighting...do I gently wipe the lights down too or leave them alone?
I just want this shit gone lol

Thanks in advance

[Going2fast]

Sorry for your loss. The Borg are relentless. You did the right thing. Give the closet a thorough cleaning and don't forget to disinfect your planters, water jug etc. Just wipe the light down with a rag wet with iso.

[golfnrl]

Very sorry to hear about losing the plant. You should be OK wiping your light. I've been wiping my LED lights down with a damp cloth before each grow. I didn't rinse the perlite I put in the coco I was using one time, rookie mistake. Won't happen again. Perlite dust got everywhere and I do mean everywhere.

[3Berries]

Can you filter the incoming air? So far I'm lucky as far as mites. I had a closet grow and still do with a tent and draw air from the other side of the wall. This has an intake box with filter on it.

[Mr.furley]

Something that I'd overlooked in this case is ..

Where did they come from! two years ago I got the mites but not in my cannabis grow. It hit Mrs.furleys tropical plant room in the house, I had just moved ALL my genetics over as clones and had just culled all the mother plants been running for years and they were in that room. Plants got bad got tossed, rounds and rounds of treatment, bugs got handled then they were back. It took 6 plus months to free the room of the borg but where did it come from???.......well we had brought a living Xmas tree in that year and posted it up on the other side of the wall to that room, got a nice fake tree the next year.

Pin down how this happened and be super diligent not to cross contaminate your house while eradicating this.

[Sixwinds]

Something that I'd overlooked in this case is ..

Where did they come from! two years ago I got the mites but not in my cannabis grow. It hit Mrs.furleys tropical plant room in the house, I had just moved ALL my genetics over as clones and had just culled all the mother plants been running for years and they were in that room. Plants got bad got tossed, rounds and rounds of treatment, bugs got handled then they were back. It took 6 plus months to free the room of the borg but where did it come from???.......well we had brought a living Xmas tree in that year and posted it up on the other side of the wall to that room, got a nice fake tree the next year.

Pin down how this happened and be super diligent not to cross contaminate your house while eradicating this.

Ha, I know what you mean. We get a live Christmas tree every year which I never thought much about. It's on the opposite side of my house than the grow room and so far no issues. I did get spider mites the first summer I grew, but the root cause was seedlings my neighbor gave me. Turns out they were infected, and I did not know any better and threw them into the tents. Luckily they did not return and I learned a valuable lesson about not letting foreign plants into your grow room.

[Blowdout2269]

Can spider mites really survive in a live Christmas tree with such low temperatures outside?

[Mr.furley]

Cold only slows down the reproduction, the mites and especially the eggs can over winter well below freezing temperatures as well below 0f. They are very resistant and adaptive, some study have shown to kill the eggs at high temperature(140f+ for 4hr) or/with excessive Co2(20%× hours) but not the cold they just hibernate until 50f.

[Bowhunterwoody]

I've read they can winter over in stored outdoor soil. Nasty little bastards.

[Mr.furley]

Despite you kids giving me the heebie-jeebies I'd like to share.

Best way Iv found to get a handle on a mite problem is to...

1) lower the temperature of the grow to slow reproduction for the next month(4 weeks) down to 65f.
2) if you can wash the plants with high powered cold water( like a garden hose) to knock off as many eggs as possible.

3) tipping the plant at a 45° and submerge the plant in a tub of water(some and soap) for a hour will drown the remaining clingers.

4) 3 part treatment every 3 days rotate pyreum, spinosad, and rosemary oil. For two weeks at a minimum. Anytime you are treating you must drench the whole plant no matter what the bug is.

If the mites are found in flower you should do 1 of two things, 1) cull the grow and clean clean clean. 2) get to harvest and smoke your bug weed( not advised but people do it) then clean clean clean.

[Gingerbeard]

Mr.furley what you said about excessive CO2 killing eggs.
I've had one grow get WPM, cut early and given to friends and one get spider mites.
I posed a question about long term curing in a vacuumed jar that was vacuumed in a chamber filled with argon. What about that same argon vacuum situation for bugs if CO2 is not available?

[Mr.furley]

Had many movies popping my head when you talk about using a vacuum chamber, the pressure alone should pop any living thing. Honestly I couldn't give you an answer about AR gas, what Iv heard has been about Co2 saturation, maybe it's because it is already use in grow rooms. What I would presume is that the lack of O2 is the key. This is why the old "iso mix" use round here doesn't kill the egg, it drys fast, not covering the egg for a period of time like rosemary oil would by leading to suffocation.

[Franklin]

Has anyone here tried applying predatory mites? Not sure they'll climb the stalk but I've read they can eat many many spider mites and eggs per day.

[Mr.furley]

Two rounds of predator mites in the said Xmas tree infestation, may have slowed them but didn't control them. Used ladybird as well with the same result.

[Blowdout2269]

Damn.
and10

[demcc3]

I was momentarily considering ladybugs but after they do their thing and there's no more to dine on what do you do with them?

[Blowdout2269]

If they have nothing to eat, they will die.
But there are little homes u can build for them and a way to feed them. Google it.

[Mr.furley]

I think it's a excellent idea, always having them around good times and bad. A box, A water source, raisins. They love windowsill. Definitely Google it!

[Gingerbeard]

If you are growing in a tent, make sure the ladybugs don't get sucked out your exhaust.