Beat the bugs! Our “Learn” article on Spider Mites should help you avoid the many problems that a grow room infestation could cause.
Often called red spider mites, these horticultural terrorists are rarely red, only the older females showing signs of red. They are usually a translucent shade of light green or brown with six legs and two dark areas on either side of their body hence their other alias – the 2-spotted spider mite. They live on the underside of the leaf and are very difficult to spot. The damage they do is a lot easier to see. We recommend using a Keyring Magnifier to increase the effectiveness of your checks. Look for white/yellow pin-prick spots on the top side of the leaf in clusters – if you find these then you are almost certainly playing host to a gang of spider mites.
When an infestation gets bad, there will be large amounts of webbing that will be easily visible after a light misting of the leaves. If it gets to this stage then you really need to take action. If left unchecked, these little buggers can (and often do) destroy entire indoor crops. You should aim to carry out a regular 5 day check of your plants to keep a tab on these resilient little bugs.
As with most bugs and pests that your indoor garden will face, the best cure for Spider Mites is prevention. To reduce the potential for getting mini web-slingers into your system we recommend that you do the following:
The most important step you can take to avoid pests is to keep your growroom clean, free of odours, free of bacteria and free of rubbish.
Keep your environmental conditions as close to perfect as you can, maintaining variables such as temperature, humidity and air quality. Make sure that you have got good air exchange, and keep the air moving.
After visiting a risk area and before entering your growroom, change clothes to reduce the chance of cross contamination.
Try not to draw air into your growroom directly from outside if possible. If you do then filter the air, especially in summer.
Do not let other gardeners or people who may have come from infected areas into your growroom.
Quarantine any cuttings that have come from other growrooms for a few days (or until you are sure they are free of mites) before introducing them into your growroom.
Keep pets out of and away from your growroom.
Stick to quality growing media like All Mix and Cellmax rather than compost and other bagged media from garden centers. Dedicated hydroponic media is much less likely to contain bugs than standard soil.
If you still get an infestation after all of this, then there’s only one thing for it – go on the offensive!! Mites can be eliminated, although generally it gets more difficult as the size of the infestation, the size of the plants and the size of the garden increases. To eliminate the bugs, you have several options:
- Nite Nite Spider Mite
Nite Nite Spider Mite – a seriously good pest control spray that will completely eliminate the bugs if used properly over a few weeks of growing.
Spider Mite Predators – something as small as a spider mite was never going to be top of the food chain and these totally plant safe munchers will soon clear your infestation without you ever having to spray your crops.
- Spidermite Control
Spidermite Control is a special blend of non-toxic plant extracts designed specifically for use in indoor growing environments. It will completely eradicate the spider mite and its eggs without causing any problems to either your plants or you. It’s major advantage over many chemical insecticides – which mites can become immune to – is that it kills pests every time by interfering with their mode of respiration. One 100ml bottle makes up four litres of full strength spraying solution.
By following our guidelines on prevention and carrying out regular plant checks, you will soon be able to get on top of any Spider Mite problems you may have. As always, our team of experts is on hand to answer any questions you may have, so please don’t hesitate to call the technical line on 0845 345 5176 or e-mail us at customerservice@growell.co.uk
For in depth information about spider mites, download our datasheet pdf here. You will need Adobe Acrobat reader to view this document, the latest version of which can be downloaded from www.adobe.com
