With a little time and effort you can best those pesky pests.
You don’t need harsh chemicals to kill spider mites. All you need is a little time, a lot of love, and some castile soap like Dr. Bronner’s.
Spider mites are one of the most common pests growers confront, and if left unchecked they can cause significant damage to your plants.
There are countless solutions to eliminating the cannabis-crashing pests, but most require chemicals.
This guide will show you how to get the best of these pests without using harsh, and possibly toxic, chemicals.
Here is what you will need:
- Scissors
- Spray bottle
- Dr. Bronner’s All-in-One or other castile soap (the Peppermint Oil is particularly effective, but avoid use during flowing as the oils can flavor your buds)
- Magnifying glass (optional, but it sure helps spot the nearly microscopic mites)
Step 1 – Make your solution:
- Ensure the spray bottle is clean before beginning. Old spray bottles can contain traces of the previous contents. Buy a new spray bottle or thoroughly rinse your old bottle.
- Use 1 tsp of Dr. Bronner’s per 2 Cups of water
- Combine in the spray bottle and shake well
Step 2 – Prepare Your Plant:
- Destroy their homes: Spider mites thrive off of dying leaves. Trim off dying leaves, especially those browned and curled lower down the stem.
- Wipe off leaves thoroughly with your fingers, using your magnifying glass to check the underside of leaves for mites or their eggs
- For especially bad infestations, a vacuum cleaner can be used to clean the leaves.
- The key is to get the population numbers down as much as possible
Step 3 – Nuke Em Organically:
- Spray your leaves thoroughly, making sure to get the underside of the leaves
- Wipe off excess soap mixture with a clean towel
Step 4 – Repeat
- The castile soap disintegrates the mites’ exoskeletons, killing off the mature mites, but eggs can hatch days later
- Wiping your leaves daily and spraying them down with the castile soap mixture every couple days will prevent re-infestation
(Photo Courtesy of growweedeasy.com)
