My three girls are outdoors. They’ve been looking great, I thought, all three over 8’ tall and bushy. I just started seeing spider mites and thrips. They are well into flower and I thought of using predatory mites but it will take a few days to get them. I don’t really want to use chemicals on the flowers. Would preditory mites work? Which are best for my area? South East Missouri. There are no webs covering buds now, just leaves.
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I spray my yard with ortho and outside my house. I dont spray anything on what I am consuming. That seems to keep everything away including misquotes, spiders, and them dang sugar ants.
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I find it easier to spray than to chase spiders when my wife screams. Thats the main motivation.
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I know you said no pesticides, i feel the same way… I am using a product called Azamax. Its 100% organic and safe to use up till day of harvest. I would recommend doing a bud wash when you harvest.
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Thank you, does the Azamax have a flavor or smell?
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No not really.
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Congratulations on your grow. Looks like you will have a nice harvest. Welcome to the community
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Thank you
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Thank you, my first attempt. I had no idea the bugs would be this much of a problem. I’m retired, so I have plenty of time to play in the garden.
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Yes, I needed something I could get today. Nowhere around here to find ladybugs. I will be getting some.
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My local hydroponic store carry’s them. I had fungus gnats my first grow, good luck
Thank you. I may be looking you up. There is a grow store 50+ miles from here, but they didn’t have any in stock.
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I use PureCrop1… it is safe to use right up until harvest:
Soybean Oil – Fatty acid molecules that form the micelle.
Corn Oil – Fatty acid molecules that form the micelle.
Filtered Water – Solvent used to arrange or cast & assemble molecules.
Glycerin – A release of glycerin from the fatty acid chain occurs as a part of saponification, the process used to make soap. Glycerin is also added to “super-fat” the soap, making it “softer” and able to hold more non-polar molecules.
Guar Gum – Arabinogalactan is a biopolymer consisting of arabinose and galactose monosaccharides. In plants, it is a significant component of many gums, including guar gum. It is often attached to proteins, and the resulting arabinogalactan protein (AGP) functions as both an intracellular signaling molecule and a glue to seal plant wounds.
Citric Acid – Provides compounds with ethanol and antibacterial properties.
Soap – Micelles formed from soap; however, not all soap becomes micelles.
Vanillin – Boosts the performance of phytoalexins in the plant, improving response to attacks by insects and pathogens.
Since you have a ways to go before harvest, I would definitely treat them.
If you have spider mites at harvest time here’s what to do.
When you harvest, leave the plant whole.
Do a 3 part bud wash.
Hang it upside down to dry. The spider mites will leave the bottom of the plant as it dries and will migrate to the top of the stem (what it’s hanging from).
Once a day, simply wipe the spider mites off of the stem with a wet paper towel drenched in H2O2.
About 3 days in, there will be no more spider mites and they won’t have died in the buds themselves.
You just have to trust me that it works.
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Enjoy the garden time, I do.
Wish I had started years ago, in the garden, more.
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I won’t be able to leave the plañts whole. They are 8 and 9 ft tall and 5-7ft in diameter. I do plan on a bud wash. I’ve used h2o2 on spider mites on indoor tomato plants last year.
What you said makes sense, I already bought what I’ll use to treat, SNS 203 for mites and thrips and Monterey BT for caterpillars.
Both are supposed to be safe, but I will still do bud wash, don’t want bugs or added “flavors”. Thank you
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That’s ok… I can’t either LOL… just cut and hang them in as few branches as possible. The only reason I say that is to minimize how many stalks you need to wipe down every day. The bud wash is necessary but it won’t get all the mites off and you’ll end up with them migrating up the stem while hanging.
I just throw that out there because I’ve seen so many people scrap the entire grow when they walk in to see the spider webs at the top of the stalks. They eventually all go up there so you can kill them. They will not be able to feed as the plant dries so they keep moving up to fresher plant material.
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Thank you
@Caligurl …Yes I can attest to the use of Purecrop1 I used it on a few of my Batch #1 autos a few months back and may use it on my Photos (If needed) I had one of my Autos attacked only to find Caters and a few whiteflies trying to pee on my parade 
I used Bt and Purecrop1 Caters were nowhere to be found after that…So hats off to Cali for the recommend…I also **Do Not **like spraying anything on something I’m going to smoke but the literature Ive read …It seems to indicate that purecrop1 is safe …I though Bt was too but I read something thats controversial so…Like everything out there I guess…Ill take my chances because Bt has a lot of lit thats says its safe…?
- I always thoroughly wash my buds so I’m thinking I’m okay…
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