STOP Spider Mites with ROSEMARY OIL: TUTORIAL!! How to extract, render and use it!

[benaynay]

I'll confirm that it kills mites.
As will almost any oil. (suffocates them).
Rosemary has the advantage of strong scent.
That scent acts as a repellent for most "flyers too.

Used it once, a while back.
It worked.

Will not use it again, at least not on buds.
For the same reason I won't use Neem

The strong odor/taste of Rosemary tainted the buds and is persistent.
Call me picky, but that's just unacceptable.

Good recipe though,
Thanks benaynay.
Quite useful for folks that like the taste.

Aloha,
Weeze

one last thought, neem smells and tastes like crap. i know from experience. the rosemary is an all natural EDIBLE alternative, also as you said, an oil, but one used commonly in cooking recipes! I am also wondering what strain of rosemary you used, there are varieties and perhaps one is better than another for a lighter smell and taste? just throwin it out there...it's still a work in progress

nay

[Weezard]

Good point 'nay.
And, to me, Neem smells more like vomit.
And it's toxic while rosemary is not
But, it's a matter of taste with me as well.

I've got Italian Rosemary.
It's extremely pungent.
My mailman used to hug it in the morning so he'd "smell good all day".

Hmm, I do have a small phial of Rosemary oil that a friend gave me to rub on my elbows and knees for arthritis.
Prolly still have it. (was worthless for pain relief).
I'll soap some up an go try to find some mites on my ornamental peppers to annoy.

Film at 11

Weeze

[WashougalWonder]

"Sorry"? lol. You don't need to apologize to me if you want your buds to smell and taste like neem oil. No matter what you say, neem has an awful taste and i don't want it anywhere near my buds.

I can eat my spider mite spray..can you?

Peace.

Neem is nontoxic to humans, is a natural tree product. Expensive? You must be getting ripped, as I have been using the same $9 bottle for 3 years and half is left. I only give Neem in veg, so it is all gone by the time the plant is ready to be harvested. You betcha it tastes like crap if you put in on too late. So does Nitrogen if you give that too late.

BUT I am glad to learn of an alternative. IN saying that, I will stick with my Neem, but because it is what I am used to working with and it is totally successful.....I have not had mites in 3 years and the outdoors has had huge nests the last 2 years.

[emmpey]

If you have an infestation right now, spray once a day for 4 days, then every other day for a week. Then twice a week for 2 weeks, and finally once a week for maintaining once all signs of live mites and their damage have stopped.

This method also works with plain water if you can put you plants in a bath tub and use a shower to wash under the leaves. Be careful that the stem is fully supported because the water-logged plant will be very heavy. when you've finished just leave the plant for an hour to let the water run off and it will soon return to it's former shape. Late in flowering get a can of air-freshener because this will really stink up your bathroom.

What's happening is you are interrupting their breeding cycle.

When you wash the SMs off the plant within a few hours previously laid eggs will have hatched. The egss cannot be washed off.

SMs that are 1-2 days old are almost impossible to spot with the naked eye.

After ~3 days you can start to see them. By day 4 they are fully mature and have already laid eggs.

eggs can take between 3-10 days to hatch, some will lie dormant for much longer as a bit of long term survival insurance.

In large groups they behave as a colony and will attempt to make a web 'nest' close to the stem of the plant, otherwise they will continue in a solitary mode of eating, breeding and laying eggs until they die at around 9 days. They need to get up to a critical mass of thousands to form a colony.