Russet Mites are a big problem with cannabis plants that are growing on the west coast of United States and it’s moving eastward.
The mites can do some pretty good damage to the outdoor growers.
They are so small, and just hitch a ride in the wind or even on flying insects.
The same with indoor grows as well; hemp russet mites come from the outside go on clothes then infest your plants when you’re least expecting it.
These mites can go undetected for quite some time.
Before you notice you have a real problem kind of like when spider mites infest your indoor and outdoor plants.
When your plants are infected, it may take some time to kill these invaders.
Let’s check out some of the signs to see if they are invading your cannabis plants,
Signs of Russet Mites
- May seem like an Over watering issue
- Look like a type of nutrient deficiency
- Yellowing of leaves
- Browning of leaves
- Can be confused with the tobacco mosaic virus
- Leaves show signs all over the marijuana plant not just in specific areas
- Leave curl at edges
- Can Look like heat burn, heat damage
- Yellow or brown spots on leaves
- New growth may be stunted
- Leaves may droop
- They will be next to the vein of the leaf, use microscope to diagnose
What are Hemp Russet Mites?
Russet Mites are tiny, when I mean small they are at a level where you require a microscope to see them.
The size of the russet mite is around . 0.2 mm, much smaller than spider mites. According to the Colorado State University.
The hemp russet mite or also known as Aculops cannabicola have a pale beige body and leave no webs as spider mites do.
Russet mite life cycle is around 30 days at around 80 F.
The adults lay between 10 -50 eggs and what’s crazy is the mites lay eggs inside the marijuana plant. Yes inside.
Which makes them very hard to get rid of.
You can find them living on leaves stems and branches.
Not only do they lay eggs inside your cannabis plants the russet mites feed on leaves.
The mites turn the leaf to chlorosis and necrosis. Then the leaves die.
Get this,
Russet mites also feed on resin when your cannabis plants are in the flowering stage.
So it’s best to stop these trichome hunters before your plant’s switch over to flower.
Broad and Russet mites are know to turn your cannabis buds a light brown color when infected during the flowering stage.
Another sign to keep an eye on when growing .
Broad mites vs Russet mites
Broad mites and russet mites are very similar types of mites.
The main difference is that broad mites life cycle is in 4 stages , while the russet’s life cycle is in 2 stages.
Broad mites are oval in shape, and russet mites look like a wedge shape when looking under a microscope.
The treatment for both is the same, check out more listed below on the treatment of russet mites on weed.
How your cannabis plants get Russet Mites
Here are some of the most common causes of an infestation.
1
Unclean grow space either outside or indoors.
2
Russet mites hide in greenhouses in the smallest corner.
3
Travel by the wind or on flying insects and from clothing.
4
Introduced to your garden via some potting soil mixes.
5
Can be found on contaminated clones or clippings.
6
Big problem for outdoor growers in the western US, moving eastward.
Here is a short video of what they look like under a microscope,
How to kill Russet Mites
It is best to have some portable microscope if you don’t have one already for you to try and spot them if you suspect issues.
When treating your mite problem, it is best to start from the bottom of the cannabis plant to the top.
- Start using beneficial nematodes
- Remove old and infected leaves
- Spray your IPM before the lights go out (never spray when your lights are going to be on for hours at a time)
- Treat regularly and be diligent they are hard to get rid of and come back just like the spider mites
- After you notice improvement continue for another month if possible before flower
Natural and Organic Remedies
Isopropyl or Rubbing Alcohol is a great inexpensive way to attack the adult russet mites.
Best to treat before flower, but will still work in early flower before the trichome development.
Note this will not take care of the eggs , you will need another solution listed below.
Use a 1:1 ratio of 90 percent or higher alcohol with water and spray on your cannabis plants
Neem oil an excellent natural remedy to help your garden for a various number of issues known to be an insecticide, miticide, and fungicide.
The Neem oil can be used in getting rid of russet mites when applied at the early stage.
Do not use too often and not recommended in flower. It’s Recommended to use diluted with water.
Safer Soap is a 3 in 1 solution for mites, insecticides and a fungicides, this is USDA approved and can be used on organics.
It is not recommended to use past the second week of flower. Safer soap contains sulfur.
Green Cleaner is an all natural way to stop all kinds of mites hemp russet included. The ingredients are corn oil, soybean oil, iso alcohol, magnesium sulphate, quillaja saponaria, sodium chloride.
The great thing with green cleaner mites do not become immune to it! Check it out.
Insecticide soap is another way to stop the mites when first noticing them, made from plant derived fatty acids.
This soap will suffocate the mites and affect their feeding patterns. Remember to spray before the lights go out.
Enssentri ic3 is an insecticide that uses peppermint and rosemary wintergreen oil along with other organics.
Used to block the neurotransmitters of the insect. Also recommended for bed bugs.
This solution does not last too long on the plants only around 7-8 hours so multiple application may be required.
Diatomaceous earth is a natural food supplement that is made from fossilized plankton. Diatomaceous can also be used in the soil when growing to prevent hemp russet mites from infesting your plants it also contains silica.
This is just a preventive measure to stop the mites from infesting your plant.
For proper handling here is a resource from: The International Diatomite Producers Association (IDPA).
Beneficial nematodes can be used for growing outdoors when keeping soil out over the winter.
Beneficial insects can prevent a future outbreak in the spring and summer when your plants are starting back up.
Organocide is an organic 3 in 1 solution for miticide, insecticide, and fungicide. I have used it in root aphid outbreak.
Organocide uses all natural oils and ingredients. This may be an effective way to get rid of the mites for your garden.
Wettable Suplur is a great alternative it is inexpensive and last a while and is a known to kill russet and broad mites.
An organic compound sulfur is safe to use on your plants in various stages. This is from a reader of ours that gave us the heads up mentioned in the comments, 2 tsp per gallon of water and spray on affected area.
This ” will kill all of them and you can even spray it on affected flowers and will not burn the buds as long as its done in dark period”.
Another bonus of wettable sulfur is that is can help against powdery mildew.
Bonide Sulfur Plant fungicide is one type of sulfur your can apply is micronized perfect for spraying.
Safe for fruits and vegetables, organic and able to control mites, thrips.
Smite a proven killer for spider mites, also works for russet mites!
This miticide is a non toxic, biodegradable, organic solution for a preventative and to eradicate your russet mites.
Smite works by going inside the abdomen and suffocates the mites. What also is great is it works on contact and even kills the eggs left by russet mites.
The ingredients are all natural and contain Peppermint, Geranium,, Cotton Seed, and Rosemary oils which are micronized done to 1 micron by a special process.
Smite is safe to use on all fruits , vegetables and cannabis plants at all stages of growth.
After spraying on your plants the miticide with natural biodegrade and leave minimal to no residue after.
This can be a great solution to end those russet mites for good and make sure they do not come back.
Bugs and Predators
Lady bugs, a natural russet mites predator, can be introduced to your marijuana garden to try and eradicate the russet mite.
They like to eat the mites all day long. Usually, the ladybugs can be found at your local grow store or on Amazon with live delivery!
Predatory Mites such as Amblyseius cucumeris, A. fallacis, and A. swirskii). These predatory mites can be hung from the bottom of your plant’s branches which should be stripped of leaves.
Mostly available through a beneficial insect supplier in your area. Or even on Amazon!
Extreme Remedies
Avid is a crazy strong miticide that is not recommended because it is very expensive and harsh on your plants should be used as a last resort. Also, do not use avid when in flower if you attempt it.
Azamax is a product that can best use a s a 3 in 1 insect killer; it uses Azadirachtin with food grade formulation to stop your mites in its track, through starving a disrupting the nervous system.
Floramite is a very strong miticide just like avid and is not recommended to use with cannabis plants. If you do caution is strongly advised.
Conclusion
The hemp russet mites are a big problem for cannabis plants out there because they can go undetected for so long do to the fact that they are so small.
It’s best to have a microscope to spot these destructive insects.
Make sure to treat on a regular basis if you have problems because it’s hard to get rid of russet mites.
If you’re growing outdoors or in greenhouses in the western coastal us, your are bound to have them show up if you’re not too careful.
Just try and keep diligent in preventive measures and keep an eye out for these cannabis plant killers.
These mites are very hard to kill and seem to become immune to some of the solutions recommended as noted from other growers in the community.
Don’t let that discourage you.
Keep up the fight.
Have you had russet mites infest your marijuana plants?
What did you use to stop them?
Let me know in the comments.
Grow on my friends.
I just noticed these on my veg crop out here in San Diego so I did a solution of 1:1 91% rubbing alcohol and water. That killed them on contact and didn’t hurt the plants at all as a foliage application as the alcohol quickly evaporates, now for the eggs left behind I am going to try one of the above methods to completely kill everything off until it’s time to sterilize everything and put them over in the flower room.
Hi Bruce,
That’s awesome, I have heard alcohol works but wasn’t certain. I will definitely keep it in mind if I these bastards are in my garden. Thanks man. I will update the post. Good Luck in getting rid of the rest.
Will Pyrethrin work on the russet mites
I am not sure on that. I know miticides work the best.
I have be come the latest one I know to have an outbreak of these bastards, I didn’t even realize it at first. I am in week 1 of flower and about to weeks ago noticed one or 2 leaves with some spotjng but thought it was a ph issue as my air stone in my DTW res shut off the other day and PH rose so I figured that was why. Last few day it has spread a little more so I took my 100x loop and looks like I then loose in my one tent. I have organicide as I used to use it as a preventative(didn’t this run just moved to a new place thought pest wouldn’t be an issue in my setup, guess I was wrong) I sprayed as light where about to go off. I have some smite coming in along with some Wettable sulfur. I was thinking of alternating few of these to see if i can beat them back and save this run since it is week 1 flower. I had a few quick questions for those who have dealt with these before. Would it be worth it to get some predators in also does the Wettable sulfur kill those also, could I combine a series of sprays and then predators will it work better to just do sprays or just predators. I also have some azamax from spider mites a long time back, I’m pretty sure that will kill them but don’t want to have to do that if I don’t have to, but I know my window for azamax is closing as I’ll soon have preflowers and buds and don’t want to do azamax then.
So I guess should I A) just spray azamax now then continue to hit it with the spay more appropriate for flower. B) try an wait a little longer see if other products work a little if not spray azamax like end of week or next. C) basically do everything and just hope.
Any suggestions would help as it’s my first time having these fuckers in my grow
Floramite..unfortunately nothing really touches it. Happy to hear other options
Floramite does not work for russet FYI
Safer soap liquid sulfur- omri listed and extremely effective on russet mites, nothing else I have tried will work like liquid sulfur- and never spray after week 2 in flower. May burn certain cultivars, but is worth it to kill russets- also eradicates PM
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the info, good to know safer soap works on organics and is USDA approved , will add it to the post.
Is safer soap the name of the brand
Safer is the brand name
Hi ive been devastated by russet mites. I never saw the effect of them before this year in my greenhouses in the coastal region of Oregon. The early signs look as a nitrogen deficiency with curling at the edge of leaves. My plants were 10′ tall and just starting in flowering. The buds looked brown as well as the trichomes as if they were past harvesting. Noting the sativa strains were not affected as much as the indicas. For the past 2 weeks i’ve been heavily foliar spraying with a few different methods to eradicate including Red Tail Microbial inoculant by Enviro, LCC (very pricey), Big Time Exterminator @ 3oz p/gal and finally Dr.Zyme’s Eliminator @ 1 cup per gallon. I seem to be gaining ground.
My question is to anyone with russet mite damage, the affected flowers (brown) is there any potency left to them, can i processed the damaged flowers into oil concentrates with any positive results ? Or am i throwing good money after bad ?
Hi Dusti,
That’s a real good question , my thoughts are the buds are badly damaged, It may be to late. As a medical users I would not even use it for concentrates. This is just my opinion. I am not sure if your herb would be salvageable. If there is anyone out there that could provide a answer it would be greatly appreciated.
I am your man. I have been forced to grow and harvest multiple rooms that have been ravaged by these russet mites- unsuccessful the first time attempting to get rid of them, they can be a pain. They come back with a vengeance. the buds will be a little less potent- a little fluffier and depending on the strain all our worthless. Growing organic usually gives them a better chance- your weight will be half of what it should be or less- but not alot of people will be able to tell if you do what you can to keep them down. Some really potent strains like the GG5 i just grew is still very potent so i wouldnt give up on it just yet. Gavedo works.
Gavedo. also get some human grade diatomaceous earth. once you water it in, it isn’t much good but small amouts wont affect your roots. do soil ph and compensate. nothing is really as devastating to an impassioned grower as finding little bugs killing your plants. Also Lady bugs eat those little things but you need a lot of them and def don’t use diatomaceous earth if you are incorporating them. will kill them, too. there are mite predators you can order. gavedo. early on neem works great. If I see them I spray my plants down with ph kelp water first to help them and then do neem the next day. keep it up even when they are gone for a month and this is exactly why not to reuse anything that hasn’t been sterilized or use soil from outdoors. I do. I mix soil outdoors in huge loads so am armed for mites. terrible things. really hurt plants even before there are signs of damage. keep up the good fight guys. save the world
also neem works wonders for your skin and shiny hair but taken internally its quite toxic. do not spray buds down and then think you can flush or wash the plants and get that out. you wont. even if you are half way in bloom. so get everything right before flipping. hold them in a veg an extra month to treat those mites, clean your space over and over and over, transplant in clean soil and new pots. youre talking about a thousand dollar plant. its worth it.
I have had russet mites for 2 years, but I was to ignorant to see them and I asked a hundred times and everyone gave me a different opinion .mmy grow was a beauty ontil flowering time,I harvested and dried no potency, I had to throw every thing away, It was not woth keeping,the 2nd year ,after I had bought expensive chemical Oxidate , the same ,1 plant looked beautiful ,but when ot started with the trichomes It looked like there were less amd less never turned amber then it turned brown n, I cut it same shit no potency,next plant I waited the few trichomes never turned amber, last plant i waited for it till december in a greenhouse same shit. Finally some one told about russet mites, I hope I got it right,I brought Venerate { cost $70.00} for a small yar] 3 tbps to a gallon of water Spray with pump sprayer, my plants look find,but I am waiting to see the outcome when I harvest about 2 1/2 more months
{let you know if it work}. But it seems every one I know within 75 miles has the same problem .No potency.I even got stuff from a dispensary same shit.
update on venerate have been using it on russet mites for 34 days ,I do not see them ,but they are still here I can see eggs and black droppings, can not eliminate them with Venerate
The russet mites will affect your thc as they suck the carbohydrates from the plant before it can be turned into thc , Cbd or terpenes . Seen test results as low as 7 percent thc on a plant that was infected to 17 on a plant that was not . Pyganic works wonders for them . I read the article but didn’t seem to find much on the eggs and killing them . I used heat 115 degrees and it seemed to kill a bunch . But they always come back
Hi Chet,
Thanks for the info on these mites. Amazing the difference in thc count. Good to know Pyganic works for them to I hear its derived from chrysanthemum flowers. These mite are very hard to kill just like spider mites, even with extreme heat. I heard safer soap or green cleaner are good for getting rid of them.
Had a russet mite problem for a year. Killed everything and shut down for 6 months. Started agian and got them agian. Should I treat my yard with something
avid in veg, neem in flower will do the job…
Hi boo,
Right on thanks, I haven’t used avid, but if I had to it would be for sure in veg.
I hav had russets since 2014 and i have to spray sulfer monthly up to flower during out door season just to stay on top of them my question is will they ever go away
Same question man!!…do they winter over in your woods er what? I started clean and THEY’RE BACK ..ugh
My plants were attacked by russet mites this year and my question is….can I reuse my souls next year ? Are they living in my soil and should I treat the soil over the winter to avoid this happening next year?
I have had these apocalyptic bastards for 3 crops indoor. I had just moved into a new house and got these plants from a club for my first run and didn’t know they were infected until the leaves started yellowing and then turned brown and the plant died right where it stood. So on my 3rd run, again the leaves started yellowing. I am spraying Big Time Exterminator every day and some were still moving but hopefully if I stay diligent I can at least have a harvest. But I always have half the harvest I normally would have because of these mites. I think the leaf curling that happens is actually from broad mites guys not russet mites. Broad mites you can kill with DE powder and russet mites chew it up and spit it up. Good luck in the battle!
Hi Sandy,
I agree these mites are insane, good luck on your harvest.
I have been battling broad mites for 5 years I’ve sprayed everything under the Sun are the period I’ve used organic methods and I’ve also used non organic methods these bugs are so small that you can only control them you can never eradicate. As long as you stay diligent with your Spraying and give your plant good nutrition like kelp super thrive etc.. You will get good control of their population and as long as you control that population and keep it at a minimal you’ll have a good harvest. Good luck to you all.
Been battling these little bastards for almost a year. I have covered them with DE. They lay eggs in the stem, so there is not much you can do. You look real close after you think you got them knocked down, they will send scouts out. They will head straight up the vein to the end of the leave and onto the next. They head straight up the main stem all the way to the top of the plant. I started using Vaseline on the stems to catch them and keep some from heading up the plant farther. They are always there. The DE has worked great so far. Having to change soil and everything out. What a bitch!
Tanglefoot works best then Vaseline. Available on Amazon
I’ve had a heavy infestation before and the things i used to get rid of them were forbid f4, avid, and azamax. Stay vigilant and keep spraying. I also bug bombed the room with pytherin bombs.
Fast forward year and half later, i currently am fighting them again. Got them from infected clones i bought from a friend. I been having major trouble getting rid of them this time, so i went out and ordered hexagon and grandevo- my newest addition Miticides/pesticide. i bombed my room with pylon tr as well.
I would say the 2 best bottles in my arsenal would be avid and forbid. If you’re willing to wage chemical war fare, then these are your best bet.
Everything else is in case they build resistance, and for good measure. GL fighting the fight.
Good to know Alex keep on fighting
Can the forbid be used if I’m growing organic?coco
man I hope you’re not letting people smoke that crap after you spray all of that shit on your plants… that’s straight up fucking gross and honestly the easy way out…. wetable sulfur then hit it with venerate (which is omri listed) then do a few releases of predatory mites to keep things in check get out of here with that nasty shit
I’m a hemp/ med mj farmer in Oregon my infestation came on seeds from colorado . All the above work ! The best thing is preventative maintenance always assume you have a problem !! Never, never let up on weekly treatments until flower. Monterey Take Down, sulfur solutions and Neem oil with a dash of dish soap used in rotation will keep them at bay! Always remember this once you have them . They are there forever Peace
If I use predator mites and lady bugs will the green cleaner kill them too? I just dont wanna get them if the green cleaner if just gonna off them too
I would use either the bugs or green cleaner but not both together. I may kill predatory mites and the lady bugs.
I’ve been using alcohol, then green cleanser alternating every 2 days. Seems to be working. Flowers that were browned are now white and swelling. Leaf curl has stopped.
That’s great Sonny right on.
Hey everyone yeah I had a pretty bad outbreak of these f****** on my outdoor last year and I use neem oil pyganic and green clean don’t know if I actually kill them all but I stopped them at least about halfway up my plant and kept it from spreading to my other plants spreading to my other plants I took one outside clone in this year from a buddy and it has them too of course right in the middle of my garden but doesn’t seem to have affected any of my seed plants so I’ve been spraying the green clean and then I’m going to use predator mites good luck y’all they are a nightmare
Thanks for this post and thread. I’m growing outdoor in Oregon and saw leaf edges beginning to taco. Went to local grow shop (Roots, great shop and super helpful to a newb like me!) and they scoped my leaves and found Russet Mites. They recommended sulfur, but I didn’t see much success. This could’ve been due to user error. I’ve since bought a handheld scope (Carson 60x-100x) and was able to spot active mites and eggs. Based on advice here, treated with 1:1 of Isopropyl and couldn’t find active mites on five different leaves I tested 12 hours after treatment. I did spot a handful of eggs. I plan to treat with Green Cleaner for the next couple of weeks. I’m now hopeful I may still get a decent harvest.
Right on I am glad the post helped you out an good luck in gettin rid of those russet mites!
Avid , forbid , floramite are not intended to be used for cannabis! You are poisoning the medicine. It is really a tragedy that anyone would encourage anyone to use this. Friends don’t let friends use poison on cannabis. Use soap and alcohol and mineral oil or canola oil.
Grandevo and vererate
Wettable sulphur kills russet mites at all stages and is super cheap compared to using a pre mixed brand of anything. 12 bucks for a big bag that will last you a while. Dont get ripped off by hydro shops. 2 tsps per gallon of water snd spray on affected area will kill all of them and u can even spray it on affected flowers and will not burn the buds as long as its done in dark period.
Thank you Chef !
is this at any stage of flowering?
Predator mites are Amazing. We did periodic heavy releases of andersonis through grow season and our plants stayed healthy and strong. It’s nature’s miniature assassin, no chemicals necessary (unless you already have a large population, it’s good to knock them down first.)
Constantly spraying them with different chemicals is not only really bad for your plants but if you spray too much you will wind up breeding super mites that have built up immunities to the very chemicals you are using to kill them. Better off using organic methods to get rid of them. I know I have had russet mites that even avid won’t kill. I’ve been using predatory mites now and they seem to be doing a great job of killing them. Hope this helps somebody that is having similar problems
I have in the past made my own super hot pepper concoction. pepper flakes, the hottest peppers i could buy in the store, garlic and water .. simmered for about 4 hours and let cool. so concentrate, it will choke you. but for some reason the plants love it and it literally destroys the thin layers of the eggs and mites.. only thing that has ever helped me save my plants.. tried lady bugs.. they feasted but didn’t to it all. I need to make some more, this time I will use my instapot and have it ready sooner.
Thanks Sherri great info on a natural way to get rid of these mites
How do you apply the tea? Can I put it in an atomizer and spray?
Great so nothing really kills them ? And they keep coming back ? Mine as well trash all the plants and start from scratch .
Trash all the plants, sterilize everything, bomb it all, wait a while…start seeds in isolated area away from grow room. Start over.
This is my 3rd year of getting these russet mites. I bug bombed my greenhouse and took one year off and yet they return. I am thinking maybe the potting soil? I tried an experiment with Neem oil it does not kill the russet mite. I am going after predatory bugs. I sterilized pots, grow room, and still they come back. It is like end of times with these things.
I wouldn’t use it in late flower, not sure but it may effect the trichome development.
Are some of you really using Forbid (Spiromesifen), Pylon (chlorfenapyr) and Hexygon (hexythiazox)?? That’s obscene. Why not try Azadirachtin first? There are many alternatives. IMO The difficulty is getting efficacy on large scale production.
It’s only a matter of a short time before proponents of GMO products gets involved. Large scale cannabis farms are fed up with pest control options. They have the resources to use CRISPR to graft the DNA sequence for THC, CBD or almost any other attribute into another plant that can be grown without certain pests and diseases. Perhaps it can be produced and excreted in horse pis* like estrogen. Compared to CRISPR, Monsanto’s Roundup Ready corn was done with stone knives and bearskins.
They have CRISPR at the university agricultural research station near me. It freaks me out. I heard the emphasis is on landscape ornamentals. I think they are trying to make citrus cold tolerant. Also, they want to block the ability to invasive (non native) pests from vectoring disease.
Had russet mires a few years ago, tried several different organic sprays that never really worked that well, were too expensive and required to much time to spray every day, sometimes twice a day. The last two years I have dusted with DE. The final dusting done at start of flower and just left it on till harvest. I still have some mites every year but the DE keeps the damage to a minimum
hey i hav used Grandevo an dr zymes elemenator to kick some russet mites ass those two products work great the only issue is a big bushy plant is very hard to spray and hit every spot on it so in trying to do so you go through alot of spray but thease products are.great for the buck they make alot of spray victory is in sight
Russet mites are a control of pot, black market has Taken a hit .just like the mushrooms did ln the 1980s .cops FBI whitehous
Plant thearpy. This is great stuff
ladybugs , add ladybugs to your room
Try Circadian Sunrise . It is OMRI Listed, safe for you, safe for your plants, and kills all types of mites by smothering, damaging cell membranes, and disrupting their nervous system. Applied weekly and you won’t have mites, insect pests, or powdery mildew. Compare growth of treated and non-treated plants.
Hey thanks for all the info guys abt 10 of my clones in my veg room are starting to taco I have been using plant therapy quite often for a few weeks and grandevo once a week twice so far giving a day in between each new spray gunna try dr zymes tomorrow and I have heard that cinnerate is also quite affective so we’ll see not gunna flip until I’ve been clean for a bit I also have been quarantining any that taco into a new room I’ll post back within update soon.
Good growing
How did it turn out?
How long after I spray the sulphur can I add the predator mites?
Great question Tim, I would wait at least 36 to 48 hours then try the predator.
What happens post harvest? Is there any way you can get rid of them AFTER harvest or will they continue to eat the flowers.
does anyone have any insight on how to mitigate if I’ve harvested and see russet mites on the dried buds?
I tried Neem Oil last summer which stunted the hell out of my plants, I tried PureCrop1, Mercenary, venerate, Nuke Em… and so on. However they were budding when the problem hit. I have found that Green Cleaner is pretty awesome and now food grade (it wasn’t last year). But alcohol seems to kill the adults the quickest. I am in the middle of trying an alcohol clean up followed by Green Cleaner to kill the eggs and hoping it works! Oklahoma is terrible with hot and humid conditions that they thrive in. I’ll update with my resulta
Thanks Brianna , Keep us posted !
John, I am new grower in Texas. Hot and Humid. In converted greenhouse. I have tried everything to get rid of white fly and what I think is russet mite. I did introduce 1000 lady bugs. Followed with release of Predalure (Arbico Organics). I have used beneficial nematodes. Still have the problem. 3 weeks into flower now. Am removing all non beneficial leaves (a place to lay eggs) thus opening up plant for better ventilation. I am open to suggestions. About killed plants early on with Neam Oil and Azamax!
Diotamacious earth in a rose duster will work on these nasty critters! This can also be added to water, sprayed on, will dry as a light layer of preventive. This worked for me and my meds.
That’s great Steve, glad to know it worked for you!
Have you tried iso and water 1 to 1 ?
A reader has tried this method and it works according to them. I have not personally tried it . I Don’t get russet mites on my plants. Knocking on wood
Absolutely pyrethrin works on mites for a fast knock down.
Pyganic is a good choice because it’s 100% Organic OMRI.
follow up with a insecticidal soap of fatty acids like Mpede or general hydroponics EXILE. rotate between the 2 or even tank mix together.
Keep it OMRI
100× JEWLERS LOOP.
SCOUT- SPRAY – REPEAT. 3 DAYS APART.
KEEP IT OMRI!
THERE’S SOME VERY GOOD BIOINSECTICIDES AVAILABLE NOW.
(PYGANIC)
(CONSERVE SC)
(MPEDE)
(BOTNIGARD WP)
TO NAME A FEW.
REMEMBER YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL BROAD MITES YOU WILL NOT ERADICATE! AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THEIR NUMBERS DOWN THE PLANT WON’T EVEN KNOW THEY ARE THERE. GOOD LUCK
Did an experiment with this formulation on 5 mites. Killed all samples within a minute or two.
Here is the formula:
-A fuck ton, and I do mean a fuck ton, of used cigarette butts
-Coffee grounds (I used spent coffee)
-Approx. 1 tablespoon of sugar (I used granulated)
-Around a couple teaspoons of dish soap, I just eyeballed it
-Optional, but you probably should include: I bought some nicotine pouch things (called Zyn I believe) and threw them in there. A chewing tobacco alternative with no tobacco, just nicotine
-1/2 gal water or so
Used as foliar, no dilution.
The idea behind all of this was to:
1) use nature to my advantage by concentrating certain plants natural insecticides (nicotine, caffeine)
2) to somehow penetrate / force these natural insecticides into their hard shell bodies (sugar, dish soap)
3) to not entirely kill the plants
Very very effective against mites. I have literally witnessed them “take a stroll” through solutions of actual store bought insecticides without being phased. With this, it literally kills them instantly. What’s even funnier is plants do not mind it at all. No ill or adverse effects whatsoever. I suppose you could even take it a step further and add some oils like peppermint or thyme. This concoction is a life saver, and ingredients are easily accessible. Good luck to everyone.
Sulfer then rinse and sulfer again. All with no lights on is the only thing i could get to get them gone
I grow outside in Oregon. Late season 2019 i discovered russet mites. Tried many products including the latest very expensive organic insecticide and oil sprays nothing would kill these things. I burnt the crop. Discovered wettable sulfur spray and isopropyl alcohol. I cleaned the garden area with a fine tooth comb. Used a large blow torch on all surfaces- soil, planter boxes, lawn area, everything i could do safely. Sprayed several times with sulfur. Picked up 3 clones for the 2020 season and discovered russet mites on them. I drenched several times over 2 weeks with 50% isopropyl and a few drops of Dawn dish soap. Found no more mites. After planting i used sulfur 2 tablespoons per gallon plus several drops of Dawn dish soap. Cover the plants top to bottom soil and near by objects and plants. About every 9-12 days. Once flowering i used 50% isopropyl every other week. This combination did not have any negative effect on the plants unlike many oil containing sprays. I would scan 20 or more leaves every other day and never found another russet mite. An occasional 2 spotted mite which i plucked off the plant. These materials are cheap and easy to buy and extremely effective. They are easy on the plants! Prevention is key. Good luck
Thanks Scott. That was really informative.
Good info Scott… you mixed the iso with dawn, no h20 at all? I don’t have Russet (knock on wood), good to know for future reference.
I have dealt with these for years in large scale cultivation here is a tip that helps esp if you are treating hundreds of plants… PAINT SPRAYER. I alternate greencleaner, insect annihilator and a my own mix but whatever you decide to use try to run it through a paint sprayer and blast the fkers off. Nothing really kills them on its own it will only cripple them and make them unable to make it back to your plants AFTER you blast them off with the paint sprayer. Don’t worry about the plants getting beat up they can take it. Hit them one last time before flower and you will probably make it through harvest with zero damage and no sign of them. If green cleaner, IA is too expensive make your own.
Thanks Turbo, Never thought about using a paint sprayer before.
Have you tried Sulfer? I’ve heard good things about it…in veg at least
These are some of the worst pests i’ve ever encountered…. i was running a grow still being built out so people were in and out and it was really dirty so lord knows how exactly i got them, but they were probably there from the start, didn’t notice them til i had 4 of the 5 rooms filled and they hit like a freight train. i was spraying avid, forbid, flora mite. azatin, neem, plant therapy, and it was like it would feed them! I lost a 22 light gig because i couldn’t get it under control… bummer, at the same time the mites from that grow hit my personal 10 lighter and i was spraying athena ipm, avid, plant therapy and nuke em in random ratios and by the grace of god they went away… they’re back now and have been spraying the same rotation + power si control but it’s only really slowing them down at best… going to try sulfur and alcohol this week…. wish me luck
Did the Sulfur and alcohol work for you?
If u got them bad they don’t stop till nothing left and when there drying when u do pull out to trim there’s nothing to trim nothing but a bunch stems all plant material gone if any one has them bad don’t waist ur money pull them bag them seal them burn them but you will never kill them I tossed my whole house had them bad waisted thousands and hours100s for nothing start over cz in the end they will win always and don’t believe all the crop if u have them toss them start over not worth stress sorry for bummer news just save yourself the stress thanks Joe p. nor – cali
They have made it all the way to Maine. Sucks. I have a pretty decent sized outdoor full season patch. I also run couple of greenhouses. My older genetics got smoked in the first greenhouse run bcz I didn’t catch it in time, only salvaged The tops. The second greenhouse run was all first clones off of a seed experiment and they made it all the way to harvest with just a couple of timely azamax applications, nematoads, and finally beneficial bugs. Seems to me that running newer genetics definitely up your chances of making it to harvest. it’s funny because i noticed some of them, but the plants seemed far more resistant.
The full term patch has a lot of older tried and true genetics, and they have made it via wind to certain sections of the grow. I am going heavy on spraying green cleaner for a few days, then going to release an army of bennies and continue to spray pure crop 1, as it is safe to use with the beneficials. so far I am impressed with the green cleaner. nice quick (expensive) zap. It could definitely be a home made solution with ISO and Dr Bronner s or something like that.
These things suck though. they are a superbug. I understand that going nuclear happens to the best of us, but you are making the problem worse in the end. its poison and any seasoned head will feel it. there’s a lot of good advice here, stay away from the nukes.
I agree. Devastating here in Northern CA. The legal clubs clapping.
The sprayer puts an electrical charge on the water allowing thorough spraying.
Got them again this year I’m indoors.First got them in fall and winter run was perfect. Spring time they come out it looks like. Burning sulphur daily and ordered insect growth regulator for the eggs . Only spraying every inch of the rooms not on plants. Im also leaving lights on rooms so they don’t hibernate. Wish me luck
Wait the mites can hibernate? I thought it was temperature based lol
I discovered these on flowering outdoor plants 5 years ago. The plants were 10 feet tall and nothing i tried seemed to do anything. I did a lot of study over the winter! I sterilized the area outside where i grow. Spring arrived and i picked up a few clones plucked a few leaves and checked under the microscope-bingo there they were big as could be. Treated with Isopropyl alcohol 70% 1:1 with water and several drops of Dawn liquid dishwashing soap. Spray a few times a day first couple days and then once a week. Also use wetable sulfur powder 2 table spoons per gallon of water also a few drops of liquid soap. I use a 2 gallon sprayer with a wand and i saturate the plant everywhere especially underside of leaves where these thing live, stems branches, soil surface….We have to be smarter than these bugs!!! Assume the plant is infected when you bring it home!!! Isolate and treat for at least a week. Just got some seedlings, shoulder high, and they were loaded with russet mites 2 days of sulfur spray and i can’t find russet mites. I will spray several times a day no worries!!I no longer fear these mites!! Alcohol and sulfur is all you need and the plant seem to enjoy these sprays. You do not need expensive poisons or oils that suffocate the plants! Once a week either or both once flowering alcohol only and rarely. By keeping these under control early you do not have to worry much after flowering because it takes a while for these things to populate.