Spider mites right away on first grow! So bummed....

Man, I'm pretty bummed. Picked up some clones from a dispensary/collective 4-5 days ago and I'm just realizing that they're infested with what appears to be mites. I noticed white spots on the tops of a few of my clones/plants. I took a closer look and what do you know I see VERY tiny little white/clear moving specks on the bottom of the leaves. It's very hard to see them, but once I saw them moving I knew it was BAD NEWS!! Does this sound like spider mites?

I'll admit I haven't done my research yet because I didn't expect to get them right away! In fact I was really careful in trying to avoid them. I drove a long way to a place I thought would have clean, healthy clones. But apparently they didn't. I'm pretty sure the mites (or whatever they are) were on the clones when I got them. It's very cold here right now and snow is on the ground, so I doubt they came from anywhere else. Besides these clones are in my basement. Granted the basement has a lot of bugs, but I don't think it can support spider mites.

Anyway, should I call it quits with these clones and start over with new ones? I only transplanted them 5 days ago. How will I disinfect the grow room and equipment (pots) if I do have to start over? Can I still beat them at this stage? Is it worth trying to fight them?

I am fucking bummed out right now... I feel like I just contracted herpes or crabs or something.

Ok from some quick research it sounds like this is the way to go. Going to definitely try this quickly first thing tomorrow.

Anyone know a specific brand or anything? I must say I'm skeptical as this sounds too easy and I've heard stories of these fuckers being difficult to battle. Any other ideas or experience with this would be much appreciated..

It looks like the mites don't like Mr. Nice! They're chowing down on everything but the 2 Mr Nice look nice and healthy still!!

I would take all the clones and dump them in the guys lap that sold them to you and demand your money back. Then clean your room with a bleach solution and start over. It's disgusting to me that a dispensary would sell infested clones.:mad: That's like going to see your primary physician for a physical and he gives you herpes! wtf is that??

If indeed they are spider mites you can battle them if the place you got them won't give you your money back.

First identify if that is what they are and that takes magnification. Jorge Cervantes 'Bible' has excellent pictures of them.

At this stage, if you get them fast you will probably be okay. Take them all out of whatever grow room you have and set off a bug bomb while you take care of the babies.

Get some Neem oil. It is non toxic to humans. Mix the Neem in a spray bottle, in this case I would use 2 tablespoons to a quart of lukewarm water....NO soaps. Spray the entire plant liberally top and bottom of leaves. It will not kill the mites outright....according to Cervantes. It will make it so that the babies will not survive. If the plants can survive the injuries that the current batch of bugs cause, you will be okay in 2 weeks.

Thereafter spray once a week until 2 weeks before harvest (during mite season) with a mix of 1 tablespoon Neem per quart.

For clones the best bet is to make a neem solution in a bucket and dunk the whole plants. Make sure you have a fan going on them after dunking. Do that about every 4 or 5 days for a week and you should be pretty good. Definitely bug bomb the room while treating your clones. And be careful of your clothes while moving your plants between your rooms. They'll be in your clothes so wash them.
I would pickup a couple of HotShot pest strips from your local hardware store. They've worked very well for me.

OK, so I've armed myself with Pyrethrin spray (Fox Farm No bug spray), NEEM Oil, and 1 Hot Shot No Pest Strip.

So these No Pest Strips seem pretty toxic, but the chemicals shouldnt adhere to the plant, correct? It's obviously a toxic chemical, but it seems like minimal exposure is acceptable. Nonetheless I wouldn't want to be smoking it. How long before harvest should you remove these from the room?

Also, I've heard Neem doesn't kill them it's more of a preventative. So I plan on spraying with the Pyrethrin spray for a couple weeks until I see that they're all dead and then start doing a Neem spray routine as a preventative. Also, depending what I find out on the toxicity of Hot Shots, I'll probably have one of those in the room as well. I think I recall seeing something in google results about No Pest Strips not being absorbed by plants.

I'm going to contact the vendor tomorrow and just try to get a refund, but I'll still have to clean the hell out of the room. I'm guessing they will VERY likely come back if I got new clones anyway. But I may try.

AZAMAX - has anyone tried this? It's a systemic miticide like AVID, however, it's supposedly all natural and not as toxic as AVID. But it has the same effect. The azamax gets in the plants system and when a mite takes a bite it dies (supposedly). It's apparently a concentrated neem oil or something. Man, if this is safe I might give this a shot on new clones. I don't like the idea of a systemic miticide at all really. But if this is natural it seems like it has the potential to be less harmful.

OK I'm feeling pretty good about this. Looks like only 1 plant has most of the problem, although about half of the plants are showing signs of mites (white spots and eggs). I've hit them hard with the Pyrethrum spray. Then I'm going to Neem and No Pest strip. Everything I've heard about No Pest strip sounds amazing (other than the fact that it's a nasty chemical).

Anyway, I'll let you all know my results...

Hey can you get spider mites after harvest? Can they keep eating up your buds after harvest while you're drying them? It doesn't seem like there much you could do at that point.

So, I thought ladybugs were really expensive!

Ladybugs

These guys have 1,500 for $6.49. That seems pretty damn cheap to me! That's nice to know though. If I get them during flowering again (assuming I can get rid of them in the first place) then these fuckers could be unleashed to destroy them!!

LOL introduce that many lady bugs and you will have a new issue.

Go easy on the Pyrthren spray.

Spider mites feed on the moisture in the plant leaves and stalks, so I doubt they would remain for long in harvested meds.

I think the lifespan from egg to death is only like 2 weeks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lampost

OK, so I've armed myself with Pyrethrin spray (Fox Farm No bug spray), NEEM Oil, and 1 Hot Shot No Pest Strip.

So these No Pest Strips seem pretty toxic, but the chemicals shouldnt adhere to the plant, correct? It's obviously a toxic chemical, but it seems like minimal exposure is acceptable. Nonetheless I wouldn't want to be smoking it. How long before harvest should you remove these from the room?

Also, I've heard Neem doesn't kill them it's more of a preventative. So I plan on spraying with the Pyrethrin spray for a couple weeks until I see that they're all dead and then start doing a Neem spray routine as a preventative. Also, depending what I find out on the toxicity of Hot Shots, I'll probably have one of those in the room as well. I think I recall seeing something in google results about No Pest Strips not being absorbed by plants.

I'm going to contact the vendor tomorrow and just try to get a refund, but I'll still have to clean the hell out of the room. I'm guessing they will VERY likely come back if I got new clones anyway. But I may try.

AZAMAX - has anyone tried this? It's a systemic miticide like AVID, however, it's supposedly all natural and not as toxic as AVID. But it has the same effect. The azamax gets in the plants system and when a mite takes a bite it dies (supposedly). It's apparently a concentrated neem oil or something. Man, if this is safe I might give this a shot on new clones. I don't like the idea of a systemic miticide at all really. But if this is natural it seems like it has the potential to be less harmful.

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I have read articles that say plants can't absorb the chemicals in the HotShot pest strips but I trust no research. I only use mine early in the grow to make sure the plants are flushed good at the end. If its later in the grow I use straight water or some light neem oil to mist and turn the fans on 24/7

Neem oil is the best way to control them, you can find it at Lowes or wal-mart.
Just follow the direction. I always spray under the leaves and put some at the base of the stalk full strength using a cotton ball. (Full strength only at the bottom of the stalk) Good luck and I hope this helps you with your problem.Be sure to wash your flowers (cold water only) well before you harvest them, and don't worry about washing of the THC glands off washing them wont effect them at all.The spider mites come from the soil that's why I put it on the bottom of the stalk full strength.Good luck, Mehere:thumbsup:
:rasta:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mehere

Neem oil is the best way to control them, you can find it at Lowes or wal-mart.
Just follow the direction. I always spray under the leaves and put some at the base of the stalk full strength using a cotton ball. (Full strength only at the bottom of the stalk) Good luck and I hope this helps you with your problem.Be sure to wash your flowers (cold water only) well before you harvest them, and don't worry about washing of the THC glands off washing them wont effect them at all.The spider mites come from the soil that's why I put it on the bottom of the stalk full strength.Good luck, Mehere:thumbsup:
:rasta:

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Thanks for the tips. I didn't know they came from the soil. I've heard that eggs can lie dormant in the soil (and often hatch upon photoperiod change, which is why you may need to add a 2nd no pest strip upon switching to 12/12 for a few days).

I don't think I'm going to wash my flowers though! I don't plan on spraying ANYTHING on the flowers past week 2-3 of 12/12. Ideally I won't spray anything at all after 12/12 unless I absolutely have to.

I do like the full-strength neem oil on the base of the stem idea! Going to do that now. Thanks!