Hello All,
I have the dreaded little fuckers all over my lovely Agent Oranges & was a little hard pressed to find good information about dealing with the little beasts, so I have decided to collect the info I did find & bring it here in one place.
First Signs:
The first thing you will most likely notice will be tiny white spots on the tops of the leaves.
Here's the little beasts that are causing all the damage:
A fully mature adult female can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetime, not a good look.
There are several types of spider mite, it's a safe bet you wouldn't want 99% of them.
Right, the good bit. How to kill them.
There are a number of ways to eradicate the little pests, here are a few.
1) Floramite
2) Avid
3) Pyrethrum 5EC
4) Neem Oil
5) Dr Schimmel
Each has it's own mixing strengths so be sure to follow the instructions.
These are just a few of the options open to you, I have tried the Pyrethrum 5EC & the Avid, the 5EC killed the adults but allowed the eggs to hatch & start over, so far the Avid has killed the adults & the larve but I'm waiting to see if the eggs will hatch.
From what I have read about spider mites so far is that a 3 pronged attack would devastate the mites at all stages of growth. So you would want to start with 1 product & 4-5 days later go in hard with another & so on with the last one, this will give the mites no chance to build a resistance to any one product. Currently I have the Floramite & Dr Schimmel preped & ready to attack.
If you prefer the organic approach, the Neem Oil & the 5EC are organically produced, there are lots more you can try too.
Here's a quick guide on how to make a homemade pepper spray which you can use up to chop day.
This guide was written by a guy called CaliBuzz, this is an exert from his post:
Making the Pepper spray
1.) Get a sauce pan - fill with one pint of water - put on lowest flame possible (do not boil !!!).
2.) Chop 4 -5 Habanera peppers fine. Chop open seeds and central membranes, as the power lies there.
3.) Simmer chopped peppers for 20 minutes - making sure not to boil (you will destroy the active proteins).
4.) When you put your head over the pan and the wispy-steam stings your eyes, the mixture is ready.
5.) Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer - a little fine grit is OK - let cool in a clean bowl.
6.) Pour room temperature contents in a mister spray bottle. Your are ready to apply.
HOW TO APPLY Pepper spray
1.) Put on gloves, and wear a mask, or at least put a bandana around your nose and mouth.
2.) Turn off all fans - you do not want this spray in your eyes!!!
3.) Spray the bottom of EVERY leaf - starting with the bottom leaves first, work up to the top.
4.) After the bottoms are done, hit the tops and the stems.
5.) Squirt liberally in new leaf pods - tightly wound new leaf growth (the small mites hide there).
6.) Get the heck out of the room till it clears.
7.) Repeat procedure with each plant.
8.) Spray the soil, the pots, and the floor or earth around the area to kill dropping mites and stop migration.
9.) Wash hands with soap and water when complete - the stuff will heat-up skin for 4 hours.
10.) DO NOT WORRY. Though the stuff is lethal to mites, the plants love it.
What's Next?
Congratulations! You have successfully killed the mites that you sprayed - on contact!. Plus, the mites are thwarted in biting again as they get a lethal dose of hot mouth. Your plants should be turning green again with in half a day. Though the leaves are scarred, they will recover and work again - producing vital sugars for growth.
However, you are not done. Some mites will escape the spray, though you have killed 95% of them. Thus, you will have to do the spray again tomorrow. As a matter of fact you will have to spray every 2-3 days till you see no more mites - usually up to two weeks. SOME EGGS WILL HATCH!!! Thus a week after the first spray, do a super job again, the baby mites are likely out and about. Kill 'em right away.
Use your magnifying glass to inspect each plant carefully, when nothing moves and you see no more webs, your plants are clear. YEAH!!
Additional precautions: make sure your containers and pots do not touch, mites migrate. Clean your floors and equipment so live mites do not return. Since no person can kill every living mite in their situation, eternal diligence is now part of the equation. One mite may turn into a million in a month.
Other helpful hints: wash your plants with clean water spray between sprayings, this cleans off dead mites and eggs, and refreshes the plant leaf compromised by the vampire sucking mites. Keep the room cool, 78 degrees to 68 degrees if possible during treatment. Mites hate the cold - thus weakened mites will drop dead. If lower leaves are infested with eggs and mites - cut them off! DO NOT LEAVE CUTTINGS NEARBY! Burn or bury your cuttings far away.
Spraying notes: Mites tend to collect where the leaves join at the nexus and overlap. If you can, lay your plants on-end or position upside down (be real careful) to make sure all undersides are sprayed. Cut off curled leaves where they collect. If you're a rich person you may make a full pound to ten gallons of water and dunk them - even better!!
The best part of using pepper spray is you may use it always - even during flowering. As the solution is all natural, no one is harmed but the mites: "Nature to deal with Nature." Your money goes to a farmer not a chemical corporation.
Here's another guide to make a nice homemade spray by MJisBadMmkay:
1 Cup is 236ml
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1/2 cup Apple Cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 drops dish detergent
1/4 Teaspoon Epsom Salts
Take a cup of very hot water and desolve the epsom salts, take rest of ingredients and place in a clean 2 litre bottle and let work out. Add epsom solution. Add water to fill to 3/4 full.Shake well.
TO USE:
Cover soil/medium with plastic, with lights off mist plant all over, especially under leaves,
Wait 20 mins,then spritz off with clean fresh water shaking as much water off plant as you can.
The fresh water spritz rinse will remove the solution along with the desolved remains of the mites and their eggs.
Additional Notes:
Water plants 1/2 hour before spraying. This will help keep your plants from absorbing the spray.
This formula is alkaline(about pH7.8) so please remember to rinse.
Well that's it for now. but I will add to this as I uncover more & more information about these pesky little arachnids.
Peace out Homies.
Loki.
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