CO2 Saoking To Rid Spidermites.

So i wasnt sure if this was the right category for this thread, but settled on it as i figured their wud not b noobs out there who knew the answer to it..

I recently traded a plant with a mate since they were about the same duration through budding n we both wanted something a lil different, but to my horror his plant must have had spider-mites, cos the lil buggers have been showing up since.

I am about 2-3 weeks off finish so i dont want to add poisons or risk mouldy buds, so i thought i'd ask about a rumour that i'd heard long ago, that if you seal ur room and flood it with CO2 to a level that is almost toxic to the plants for an hr or 2, and that will suffocate the spider-mites.

Can anybody validate this theory for me?
I'd just go ahead and blindly test it, but im out of CO2, n dont NEED a re-fill for a while, but will re-fill to rid these sons-a-bitches.

Many Thanx, & +Rep for all Factual answers

Ok, well in the research ive been doing i found this in the Cannabis Culture Magazine:

The use of tanked CO2 can facilitate the killing of spider mites and other pests. In true sealed grow rooms that have no leaks, growers can kill all pests by upping CO2 levels to 10,000 parts per million (ppm) for one hour. Other CO2 augmentation methods are incapable of generating 10,000 ppm for an hour ? only the tank supply method is capable of providing that concentration of CO2. Especially when using 10,000 ppm bug-killing tactics, growers must use safety methods that minimize the health problems that CO2 can cause for humans.

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Any1 got anything to add??

can you say air tight, i sealed every crack and crevice then the bottle got opened, the next day there was still a few. no pest strips took care of them. good luck.

kevin said:

can you say air tight, i sealed every crack and crevice then the bottle got opened, the next day there was still a few. no pest strips took care of them. good luck.

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So are you saying you have tried this method and it was pretty sucessful?
The infestation is only just begun, so i want to jump on it now..
..Might try a spray with Neem Oil, i do have a pretty dry grow area.. I shouldnt have to much of a problem with rotting..

Ninjax,

I'd thought about doing something along those lines on a previous grow when I had a serious infestation of fungus nats. I didn't do it becasue of what I'd read about high concentrations of CO2 being toxic to plants. That and I didn't think it would get the larvae living in the soil.

In the past week I just got rid of a bunch of males but now I'm wishing I'd have saved one for an experiment. The experiment would be to set it in a large cardboard box, seal the top with duct tape and then take the hose from the CO2 tank and purge the box until I had a 100% CO2 atmosphere. Let stand for an hour or two and then see what it did to the plant.

Unfortunetly I don't have a very high tech CO2 set up and don't have a way to monitor (and maintain a specefic) ppm. But if some one out there who does have the right gear would conduct an experiment like this they could test different ppm levels and see the effect it had on plants. If we could just determine the maximum safe CO2 level (and for what duration) a plant could take then we could test those levels in the grow space to see how they effected the various bugs that harm crops.

Since no one wants to risk their females, using the culled males (that are going to be destroyed any way) seems to me to be the perfect way to get test subjects for this experiment.

Sorry to hear you've got spider mites. I had a run in with them 5 or 6 years a go on one of my first crops when I was a noob and like a dumb ass I sprayed my plants with insecticidal soap. Oh man did that fuck up the taste of that crop. I don't have any experience with Neem Oil but I'd be way leery of spraying anything on buds that were close to harvest.

One thing I've done since then is to get a bunch of those yellow sticky strips that mount on a stake and put several of them out in various containers thru out the garden. The day I put the seeds in the dirt I also set some of these up. I'm about 60 days into a cycle and am happy to report that the only thing I've caught on them so far is a house fly or two.

Even if I haven't had a bug problem I give my grow space a serious cleaning between each crop which includes a good fumigation with household insecticide.

Good luck.

i still seen a few bugs after i did the co2 saturation. the hotshot no pest strip got the rest of them. i also cleaned the plants the best i could using a medical swab and plain water. after that i cleaned the closet from top to bottom with bleach and lysol and kept it vacumed. good luck

Cheers Fellas, I will take this info on board - +Rep 4 both of u.

hope you kill the bastards, good luck ninja!!

kevin said:

hope you kill the bastards, good luck ninja!!

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Cheers Mate, i just went down to the shop and got a mite spray, im going to wait until my lights go out tonight, hit them with this spray with some Lemon Juice in it, turn off my fans, turn on my de-humidifier, and flood the room with CO2.

I will update here on the results when im done.

Good luck with the co2! Didn't work for me and my buddy, emptied a whole tank in there and maintained levels for over 12 hours, nada, didn't even face the little fuckers. No pest strips will do the job though ha. BTW, the plants do not mind the high co2 at all.

..Well, its early still, but i think i killed em. Might not have got em all, so they will probably be back, but i looked this morning and no movement, even under my 30X Scope. SO i think i have kept them off @ least long enough to harvest..
I will give the room a full going over once harvest is complete. I'm putting those strips in there tomorrow. I also added lavender plants around the room and some lady-bugs, so it was a war on all front.. But im not taking any chances with these little F*ckers!

XxNinjaxX said:

..Well, its early still, but i think i killed em. Might not have got em all, so they will probably be back, but i looked this morning and no movement, even under my 30X Scope. SO i think i have kept them off @ least long enough to harvest..
I will give the room a full going over once harvest is complete. I'm putting those strips in there tomorrow. I also added lavender plants around the room and some lady-bugs, so it was a war on all front.. But im not taking any chances with these little F*ckers!

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With any pest, you have to understand their life cycle - timing is everything, it's absolutely critical to your success. You may have killed the adults, but I doubt seriously if you killed the eggs and larvae. Whatever you use as a pesticide, you need to repeat 3 times every 5 days or so depending on temps. If it was me I'd be spraying with a low dose of either malathion or kelthane. If your feelings are such that you feel the need to go organic, blasting the plant with water will destroy their habitat, knock the critters off, but it needs to be repeated at least 2 more times to be effective.

Good luck,
UB

Uncle Ben said:

With any pest, you have to understand their life cycle - timing is everything, it's absolutely critical to your success. You may have killed the adults, but I doubt seriously if you killed the eggs and larvae. Whatever you use as a pesticide, you need to repeat 3 times every 5 days or so depending on temps. If it was me I'd be spraying with a low dose of either malathion or kelthane. If your feelings are such that you feel the need to go organic, blasting the plant with water will destroy their habitat, knock the critters off, but it needs to be repeated at least 2 more times to be effective.

Good luck,
UB

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Thanks for the Advice UB, i have looked and i can see the eggs remain. Im guessing i should knock these suckers off with a spray b4 i harvest, or they will continue to hatch n eat my weed whilst im curing?
I will use a water & lemon juice mix since im so close to harvest. I know spider-mites hates the citric acid (& garlic, but again too close to harvest & it will ruin the taste).
..Was hoping to harvest today, but i guess its just not 2be..

XxNinjaxX said:

Thanks for the Advice UB, i have looked and i can see the eggs remain. Im guessing i should knock these suckers off with a spray b4 i harvest, or they will continue to hatch n eat my weed whilst im curing?
I will use a water & lemon juice mix since im so close to harvest. I know spider-mites hates the citric acid (& garlic, but again too close to harvest & it will ruin the taste).
..Was hoping to harvest today, but i guess its just not 2be..

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I was referring to taking them outside and while holding the leaves with your hand to support them, blasting the undersides with a garden hose and nozzle attachment.

Uncle Ben said:

I was referring to taking them outside and while holding the leaves with your hand to support them, blasting the undersides with a garden hose and nozzle attachment.

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Hmm, never thought of that, good idea..
Thanks Oh wise 1, +Rep left 4u.

My crop was infested with spidermites 2 weeks ago, I did nothing but spray all my plants down with neem oil diluted solution twice a day, every second day. And for the past few days the crop has been completely clean, I am continueing to spray every 3 days now, to keep them away for good.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

Back in the day, i did something rather similar. I accidently opened a huge CO2 tank in a walk in cooler. I closed the door and told everyone what happened. Someone walked in to get something and closed the door. Her lungs started to burn, and she got dizzy fast.