ive been reading tons of threads and articles about how these little stinkers can totally ruin your plants and i've read about a lot of commercial remedies as well as those home made solvents from all the helpful and friendly macguyvers in the world. i just want to get all my thoughts clarified in one go, so heres what i got for you all, a lot of questions:
1. I prefer organic, therefore I'm thinkng of getting neem oil. Does neem act as a preventative solution as well as reactive? is it safe to spray on a sprout? when do you stop spraying? How exactly do you apply it? does it really smell BAD, or is it something that a bit of incense can handle? Do you have to wash it off? aslo, who manufactures a reliable organic neem oil product? is it really just plain old neem oil and some water? if so, ive got a great hook in india for neem oil...my gramps haha.
2. I also read about ladybugs, and this got me smiling. I just imagine a room full of ladybugs fluttering about, getting stuck in my hair so that if i scratch my head instead of dandruff theres just ladybugs.... and just flying out my coat pockets everywhere go...well unfortunately, if they dont have something to eat, then they will die like most other living organisms. due to this, they tend to be more of a reactive solution. Still though, if i had an infestation id like the solution to be as natural as possible, and ladybugs seem ideal even moreso than compared to neem oil. I just wanna know if any of you have experience with ladybugs and if they are good for killing off the mites+eggs and also, where can you buy them cheap? I live in Southern Cali btw, so if you know of a retailer in the area that would be cool. Online distributorship is also good.
3. I read about CO2. this seems actually like a great idea. place a large plastic bag over the plant and fumigate it with co2 so that the pests suffocate. the great part is that plants love their co2, so it almost seems ideal as more co2=possibly better plant growth? what do you guys think?
these so far are the 3 methods of treatment for spider mites that i have no hesitation to execute as they contain no harmful chemicals (well, minus the co2) and are natural deterrents/eradicators that would not induce any toxicity to the plants or to users. sorry for all the questions. it aint easy being a newb
1. I prefer organic, therefore I'm thinkng of getting neem oil. Does neem act as a preventative solution as well as reactive? is it safe to spray on a sprout? when do you stop spraying? How exactly do you apply it? does it really smell BAD, or is it something that a bit of incense can handle? Do you have to wash it off? aslo, who manufactures a reliable organic neem oil product? is it really just plain old neem oil and some water? if so, ive got a great hook in india for neem oil...my gramps haha.
2. I also read about ladybugs, and this got me smiling. I just imagine a room full of ladybugs fluttering about, getting stuck in my hair so that if i scratch my head instead of dandruff theres just ladybugs.... and just flying out my coat pockets everywhere go...well unfortunately, if they dont have something to eat, then they will die like most other living organisms. due to this, they tend to be more of a reactive solution. Still though, if i had an infestation id like the solution to be as natural as possible, and ladybugs seem ideal even moreso than compared to neem oil. I just wanna know if any of you have experience with ladybugs and if they are good for killing off the mites+eggs and also, where can you buy them cheap? I live in Southern Cali btw, so if you know of a retailer in the area that would be cool. Online distributorship is also good.
3. I read about CO2. this seems actually like a great idea. place a large plastic bag over the plant and fumigate it with co2 so that the pests suffocate. the great part is that plants love their co2, so it almost seems ideal as more co2=possibly better plant growth? what do you guys think?
these so far are the 3 methods of treatment for spider mites that i have no hesitation to execute as they contain no harmful chemicals (well, minus the co2) and are natural deterrents/eradicators that would not induce any toxicity to the plants or to users. sorry for all the questions. it aint easy being a newb