Hello MP'ers, first post
I have tried everything from soap and dish detergent to the BAD chemical BOMBS even the little lady bugs by the thousands!! None worked as I see others above have mentioned... So, as a Colorado arid weather grower, we have spider mites (eventually) on every grow but for every crop I use
Pure Rosemary Oil (Sun Pure Botanical - 100% pure and natural) - 32oz maybe $20+ and I do not know who owns it nor am I endorsing the company but approve of that product, it has worked for me for over seven years, no mites! but concentrated to about a tablespoon or so per home depot pump sprayer bottle/tank (- than $25) that which I believe is 2 gallon. I individually test each girl with magnifier glass 100x on the underside of leaves every few days across the canopy, to be sure. Look for eggs or the mites themselves. REMOVE ALL DEAD LEAVES TOO. It will not kill the eggs in soils or medium before their incubation time again, I heard 30 days, so you need to remove that dirt and clean the "Fabric AIR pots" with bleach dilution and if any are found then start over with fresh clean room including new soil.
This is not an option but daily routine, to spray every plant through all life cycles from about two-three weeks old (4 sets of leaves) , til harvest UNDER THE LEAVES and all over plant. Id suggest that you stop spraying about 1-2 weeks prior to harvest but it has not altered taste of final product a couple of days before the clippers. FYI - have not seen mites or any trace for years now while prior to this necessary part I would see mites on every crop. OH a big one here --
BE CAREFUL WITH USING HID LIGHTS AND TIMING OF SPRAY- If you spray right before lights turn on
(HOT) the
OIL will BURN THE LEAVES and will most likely NOT be retrievable and the plant dies with no leaves for root nuit uptake... I would take advantage of using 18-6 cycle from here on, since plant really only needs this amount of light in a day and you save electricity too, if mites are found, so the oil can dissolve into plant before lights heat them up. Just lessons learned and trying to help the community
I hope this helps
Peace Out!