mass exodus of mites from my soil after a flush...

[odslim]

hey everybody! so...i flushed for the first time this morning, and upon returning plants back to grow area (bedroom closet operation) and getting them re-situated, i saw HUNDREDS of little light-brown mite looking things crawling all over the soil and up the rims of the pots. never have seen them until this. spider mites? or something else? there were seriously tons of them...if they are spider mites and decide to cruise up into the foliage i think i'm fucked. anyone have some insight on my situation? should i just throw some no-pest strips up in there and sleep in the living room for a couple days?

[khyberkitsune]

No-pest and get yourself a 1oz bottle of Floramite to mix with water, spray everything that isn't in full flower.

[odslim]

been flowering for 3 weeks, so just pest strips i guess? seriously, you should've seen this shit. total mass exodus. freaked me out.

[khyberkitsune]

Just no-pest, and this early into flowering you can use the ecosense brand potassium salt derivative spray. I wouldn't use it past week 5 of flowering, and do make sure you are careful with it, don't get anything except the soil sopping wet, a fine mist for the rest of the plants

[odslim]

well, just after putting the no pest strip in there overnight, EVERYTHING is dead. little mite & gnat carcasses everywhere. hell yeah. i bought some extra strips in case anything comes back. i highly recommend this method. now if i could figure out why most of my leaves are turning yellow & dying...buds are looking dank & green, but i probably fucked something up...thats for a whole 'nother thread though.

[khyberkitsune]

Yellowing and dying leaves is somewhat typical during flowering, no worries.

Spidermites in my closet got immune to the no-pest strips :( I had to start using floramite in the mom/clone box. After I roll a full set of channels, I'm gonna shut down, sterilize the entire room, and start over again.

[LetsSeeYa]

well, just after putting the no pest strip in there overnight, EVERYTHING is dead. little mite & gnat carcasses everywhere. hell yeah. i bought some extra strips in case anything comes back. i highly recommend this method. now if i could figure out why most of my leaves are turning yellow & dying...buds are looking dank & green, but i probably fucked something up...thats for a whole 'nother thread though.

Man id think if you had that many, some must have made it up to the leaves. After all thats why they were there to eat your leaves. So now that they are gone im sure she will look better and you can give up a few leaves to know the fuckers are gone:thumbsup:



:rasta:

[LetsSeeYa]

No-pest and get yourself a 1oz bottle of Floramite to mix with water, spray everything that isn't in full flower.

Hey Khyber where can i get the Floramite at and is it something to prevent them from coming back?

Thanks man:rasta:

[khyberkitsune]

Hey Khyber where can i get the Floramite at and is it something to prevent them from coming back?

Thanks man:rasta:

Floramite SC is specifically what I use. It comes in a 1oz bottle for 20 quid. Go to floramite.com or your local hydro shop.

It kills both adults and eggs, but you need to do daily applications.

[headshake]

something else that works is bedding spray. it's meant for lice, but it works on mites. it uses pyrethrin/pyrethrum (these are the same ingredients in more expensive horticultural foggers) depending on what you get. pyrethrin is a compound found in the chrysanthemum plant. pyrethrum is it's sytnthetic equivelant. they dissepate quickly with bright light, although pyrethrum not as fast. just spray all over plants, room etc. don't inhale the fumes. once it dissepates there are no health concerns. i wouldn't use it during the last couple of weeks of flower though. (i use this to get rid of mites when my snakes happen to get them.) best of all it can be had for ~$4-6 at drug/grocery stores.

you can also put diatomaceous earth (fossilized remains of diatoms (algae)) on top of your soil. as the larvae try to crawl to the surface they get shredded.


-shake

[elmim1]

i may be just a beginner but I dont thinks your dealing with spidermites. Maybe you could post a pic? Could it be fungus gnats? The matured adults could have been hanging out in the soil and got rushed out when he flushed.

[MadSativa]

I agree the flush brought the gnats out, I like sm90, and neem oil or azatrol, if preventative spraying is done usually nothing is needed for flowering, sm-90 is only used to kill em though no need to through it in your soil all the time. for preventative matinace on roots cannazym is good or any multi, zym, personally I think canna makes the best one, and hygrozym being the second best, with AN's Sensyzym coming in third, but their all good.

if this happens all the time I sugest looking into vermi-T, but it is not available everywhere so cannazym and neem for preventative.

[WashougalWonder]

Weeeellllll, There could be both, mites and gnats. The yellowing sounds premature, so it could be mites causing that. Look on the bottom of the leaves.

How to prevent? You have to use a powerful insecticide at any opening to the grow area. Air intakes need to have a good dose sprayed in when the fans are off. All corners of the room after washing the entire room with a chlorine/water mix.

Then, during Veg, at a minimum of once a week spray with Neem oil, about an ounce per quart, shaken, water should have set and not have chlorine. Spray the leaves. Once you go into flower, you want to not give too much after the first 3 weeks. You can also put about a teaspoon to tablespoon in a watering and give one dose in late vegetation directly into the soil, the plant will uptake enough to keep the mites away. You may also read the link I have on mites.

Gnats, are a real PIA but not something that will damage the plant. I found outdoor soil brings them in. Regardless, I keep a sticky fly tape in the rooms to get the stuff that flys.

[medmike1]

Right! sm90 also works for me. fungus gnats sucks! if low on cash try mosquito dunks in a bowl of water