Azatrol or fungicide 3?

[allrollsin21]

Hello fearless botanists. I have a question and i hope someone may be able to help.

I am almost 4 weeks into flower. I found a few mites on two plants. That night i sprayed soyanara on the entire garden, and removed the leaves i found mites on. Last night i could not see any. I am sure they are still in the room as i have not done a thorough enough search. Then on the other side of the room i found a bit of powdery mildew on two leaves of two different plants. The Mildew is something i have been battling for the last 6 months. So this is the situation and these are some options i have.

A friend hooked me some Azatrol. Azatrol is a OMRI certified botanical insecticide. It is "organic" yet can be harmful to the person applying it. Precautions will be taken. I was going to go in the garden and give a spray of the entire room using the azatrol, and then another in three days.
Then i saw the mildew. Now i am thinking that maybe i should use fungicide 3 which is also organic but is basically just Neem oil. Neem has properties that can fight mites and mildew. My concern is that with neem is usually needs to be applied many times to only REDUCE or control mite populations. As i am in the beginning of week 4 of flower i dont want to be applying sprays too much in the upcoming days or weeks. I am looking to fix this ORGANICALLY.
Does anyone know if Azatrol could possibly help control the mildew as well? What would ya'll do? Thanks for your help. This is my second grow, and the first to be looking beautiful!!! Until i found the mites/mildew:wtf:

[stinkyattic]

At 4 weeks in flower, your options are limited. Neem is one, and it's safe, but smelly. I would not use anything that is not rated for use up to the day of harvest on your budded plants.
Here's the MSDS for Azatrol:
PAN Product Info for Azatrol ec insecticide (http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Product.jsp?REG_NR=00221700836&DIST_NR=002217#Prod_ID)
Lots of unknowns there, and I would NOT use it on a budded cannabis plant, if at all.
You can try SMC leaf wash, which is not as smelly as neem oil, but works similarly. Or use a pyrethrin bomb- Doktor Doom brand is what the grow shops stock generally. Use it right away, because you want to allow ~3 weeks after application before harvest. A combination of a bomb NOW and neem or SMC (coriander) to keep the population from getting back to infestation levels, would be a good bet.
Last, you can increase the air movement and physically remove what mites you can, or add ladybugs.
I use a combo of SMC and ladybugs to keep mite levels down on my plants successfully. If the population gets out of control, the plants in VEG ONLY are treated with a harsher chemical, like Avid. But I'd never use it more than 4-6 weeks before harvest!

[allrollsin21]

Thanks for your help Stinky. I will look into those ideas. Do you know if SMC leaf wash or the bomb have any effect on lowering the occurance of powdery mildew?

How is it that an Organic Pestacide can have so many frightening warnings attached to it? Why does it say organic on it and then be called a chemical on the site you linked?

As the problem is fairly contained already i will definitely go for the Oil approach. Do they make organic bombs?

[stinkyattic]

I believe that you can find organic pyrethrin bombs- that chemical is derived from chrysanthemums. That's something to ask the guy at the hydro shop.
Pyrethrin has no effect on PM but SMC is a VERY good preventative product- it forms a physical barrier that keeps spores from finding a place to take hold.
Jsut think- there are plenty of things that exist in Nature that are both organic and harmful to humans, like poison ivy oil. I have NO experience with Azatrol but given the array of stuff that is already available, and I KNOW is safe, I'd choose the simple, safe fixes FIRST before bringing in the big guns.
Have you tried No-Pest strips? Dichlorvos isn't organic, and is known to be toxic to humans, but you hang the strip in the grow area instead of spraying the plants, and it outgasses a high enough level of the stuff to kill mites. A lot of growers swear by them. They have their place, but it's recommended to ventilate your grow area well before working in there if you run organophosphates of any sort as pesticides.

[allrollsin21]

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my lack of knowledge Stinky. I am enjoying this new hobby of mine like i have never enjoyed any hobby before. It is really incredible practicing patience and watching these medicinal girls grow. I have already learned soo much, and i still know next to nothing. It is nice and humbling to kn ow i will be learning for as long as i am practicing.

I read all about the "strips" on Opies thread which touts them as a cure all of sorts. It sounds like a great last ditch weapon, but as you say lets start with the little guys first.

Oh poison ivy/oak now that is a poison that has been rubbing me the wrong way for a long time!!

I will pick up some of the SMC today. I am worried that the mildew is going to be around until the end when i do not want to be spraying anything:(

I pulled off the affected leaves the day i found the 2 mited plants, about 10-15 leaves, then I used the Soybean oil. This was about 3 days ago. I sprayed the effected tray and when i checked them last night no sign of the little buggers. I know they are still around as i know they are hiding out and its impossible to check every leaf, so i will continue to be vigilant.

I will be using your suggestions.

I will also be posting some pictures of my garden to share with the community. The THC bomb X White widow look especially delicious.

Thanks again for stinkning so much stinky!!;)