Thank you! …and I agree about not wanting to use any sort of chemical to kill then. It seems in the past when I had spider mites on my Hibiscus I would spray with a solution of dish soap in water….what do you think about that idea?
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Thank you! I hadn’t even noticed the bugs until you pointed it out!
I’ve done it, but I waited some extra time to make sure nothing was affected negatively. Of course, I only grew for myself, so… Some may say Neem, but, personally, I wouldn’t.
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You are the second person in this conversation to not recommend Neem oil. I do use it for outside flowering plants but would not want to use it on something I smoke. I’m curious about the mention of silica….do spider mites live in the soil and lay their eggs on the leaves?
I just found this!!
“ How do I get rid of spider mites in my soil?
Diatomaceous earth, which is made from fossils of aquatic organisms, is an organic pesticide that is lethal to arachnids and insects but non-toxic to humans. Sprinkle the food-grade version on infected plants and soil. It will dehydrate the spider mites’ exoskeletons, killing them.”
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I just went and looked it up as I wasn’t sure if they burrowed. I found this, though:
“Spider mites are one of the more difficult groups of landscape pests to control. Infestations are easiest to control when detected early, before the mite populations have reached very high levels. Twospotted spider mite infestations can often be traced to the purchase of infested plant material, especially bedding and houseplants. When buying new plants, it pays to inspect the lower leaf surfaces for evidence of mites. Spraying plants with a strong stream of water from a garden hose or faucet can dislodge many mites from leaf surfaces. The approach is generally more effective on smaller plants (e.g., houseplants), with non‑dense foliage and low mite populations. Water sprays should be directed upward against the lower leaf surfaces, and the technique will need to be repeated on regular intervals.”
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Right, but then you also wipe out other beneficial bugs and other foragers could be affected by breathing it in, like opposums, etc. Dogs/cats/small humans. If I use it, I’m always sure no one is home. I know others say you can use it as a tx on pets, but never on cats, which I’ve always had. Then, of course, you put it down, it rains, then it starts over, I would think?
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Use Azamax is natural and is very good , I use it preventative.
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Hummm….the household does have a dog that is outside near the plants. When I had a problem with fleas years ago, I did use 20 Mule team borax on the carpet (I believe it is a sort of non food grade D.E.) to help dry up the fleas. I had two Himalayan cats and it didn’t seem to bother them…maybe I was lucky it wasn’t on them, just on the carpet. Geeze…it doesn’t seem like any easy answers. What a bummer to have this problem weeks before harvest 
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Hey, just discovered from reading spider mites love coniferous trees and plants. Are you covered up with pine? If so, there’s your local silica base right there. Test it out? You’re in Virginia, right?
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Thank you so much for your help. We and they don’t have any pine trees. We do live in Va. Beach, VA. Are you thinking that putting pine needles on top of the dirt would take care of the problem? That confuses me because I’ve read that they like pine trees?
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No. Using the same premise for infusion/decoction of horsetail. Put them in a pot, infuse 20 minutes, covered. Decoct two hours with cover. Pour into a container and let ferment ten/fourteen days, top slightly off for obvious reasons. No idea if it helps, I’ve tried horsetail and stinging nettles with positive effects, but not without trial and error. I wouldn’t recommend for beginners who aren’t okay with non-attachment. 
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yes they do Kris…Do you have an insect problem? DO you still have any of my solution left?
I am about to make you a new package as my seeds have matured…
let me know
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I second mr g Geatvalue. That type of spotting is almost always due to spider mites. If you are that close to harvest I would do a defoliation of any affected leaves. Then burn or toss in the garbage outside. The good news is I could not see any webbing. Check the tops and nodes at the main stem closely for webbing since we couldn’t see them in the photo. No webbing means a light bug load so far.
They (mites) don’t seem (in my opinion) to like the trichomes on flowering buds and do more heavy webbing over the smaller bud leaves and buds frosty w trichomes. I think to avoid them. That’s when you know it’s a lost harvest cause and the bugs won that battle. While it’s isolated to the lower sun leaves those plants are totally save-able.
Defoliate the affected leaves and then blast the affected leaves with the soap solution. I don’t know if hibiscus helps but I bet it smells good (like Hawaii) and can’t hurt. The ( all ready mentioned) pepper oil added a few drops helps too. But Mainly spider mites hate it when it gets too moist. They like it nice and dry. Spraying them in their face every morning and evening pisses them off without any soap. The dish soap coats their little bodies and makes it harder for them to climb back up onto the plants and rebuild their webs.
I would agree with everyone else who mentioned to skip the Neem. Neem is great at killing bugs, but it’s odor would definitely carry onto the harvest. I only like to use neem on vegetative plants. Anything laying on flowers the neem flavor and odor just seems to stick to no matter what.
Lastly, I’ve never done this, but a very respected grower friend of mine swears by this method. Specifically for light spider mite infestation’s on plants too far along (buds) to spray with strong pesticides. He likes to fill a bucket or a large tub with water. Put a couple drops of dish soap in it. Then invert the plants capping the dirt with the palm of his hand or a small dish towel. Then the (inverted) plants are stirred through the bucket of water and soap solution for about 30 seconds to knock loose any bugs.
I think the defoliating be important to do first on any of the leaves that are showing signs of damage. I am not normally a big defoliator on my plants during smooth grows. Only in this case (spider mites) do I think it’s important for getting them out of the garden. On plants that are still worth saving.
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My apologies kris. On hibiscus plants. Not a hibiscus/soap solution to spray.
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Drowning them was what we did YEARS ago…you know, like when we used to walk 5 miles to school, in the snow, uphill. We had no feet, we used to hobble to school…Oh the memories… 
Today, I use my own organic nano micelle solution ( I get insect control, mold control and residue cleanse all for 1 treatment). I add a few drops of liquid dishsoap for a little better adhesion and make sure I spay the buggers and coat the soil every day for about 5 days t a week. My solution even works on FLOWERING and even DRYING Stages with no ill effects. The soap adds the dehydration part directly to the little buggers…works for thrips too, gnats, white fly, some caterpillar, aphid…etc. I do not add any type of oil to my plants…All oils leave residue and can destroy a bud (taste, budrot, etc). If oils are anywhere near the flowers, even though I can submerge my flowers in a bucket of my solution, that taste gets in there and without being able to breathe properly, it does affect the terpene and trichome growth, potency and flavors
With how far we have come with organics, I cannot see continuing to use the old oil based methods when Plant based, It’s a nano particle that can clean an oil on one end, but it’s connected to a water (WATER BASED IS THE KEY HERE along with Ph levels) molecule on the other end (water miscible). They are nano-sized colloidal dispersion’s prepared from amphiphilic molecules, with a hydrophobic tail and a hydrophilic head. The hydrophobic core acts as a reservoir for hydrophobic drugs (or nutrients, enzymes) and the hydrophilic shell stabilizes the hydrophobic core. All this means is that it can prevent and cure mold (to a degree, if the mold is tunneling inside the flower…too late), control insects and WASH without touching the THC…Thanks to my partner chemist and Bio-Med Engineer daughter on her way to her PhD, working for the water district, using micelles to treat our drinking water. Appears our local agencies are on the right tract for a change
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Hi Mike, are you selling your solution yet? & if yes, how can i get some? thanks…hope im not angering the forum gods…
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Mike it is so good to chat with you again. It has been a while. I still like to walk 5 miles up the hill barefoot if it still gets me there haha.
Totally not trying to argue, just a chemistry discussion. But aren’t micelles just nano drops of oil polar bonded to their own phosolipid head? Basically oil drop to hide a “package” inside.
I agree with you fully to never use any “strong scented” oils on flowering plants that’s why I said skip the Neem. That would include all the other common natural oils used as pesticide such as garlic oil, peppermint oil, orange oil. But I have to humbly disagre that pepper oil is different. Capsaicin is totally odorless and tasteless. The only way you know it’s there is if you rub your eyes or balls on accident afterwards before you wash them. Burns the bugs just like your balls.
Honestly, in almost 30 years of growing I’ve only had to add capsaicin oil once or twice to kill some very tenacious spider mites. Usually just the dish oil and water does wonders.
And sticking with the honesty: if the bugs stayed around these days I would not hesitate to toss out a
plant for bug fail. Like when I tossed out my agent orange for attracting every caterpillar in my neighborhood. (I know that’s not an option if you don’t grow year round and have clones or seedlings ready to rock. )
Also, if I didn’t have your micelle colloidal spray handy I would still have to do something. Spider mites go from small problem to big problem in just 3-4 days. Or if I had lots of big outdoor plants that the coverage could be hard to do or run out of spray quickly.
Mike I am excited and intrigued by your product. I remember you talking about it a few months ago. I am glad you are moving along with it. Seems like a good thing to have in the war chest. The mold fighting potential sounds great. Mold is the number 1 thing I breed and select plants for. So many strains have sadly FAILED the mold test for Seattle harvest rains.
How big of batches do you make? The demand seems high in this forum. I would love to try a bottle this fall around harvest to specifically target botrytis.
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Hi Mike! Glad to see your posting….how are things going? I never got any of your solution. I know you were creating one to help with a multitude of problems. I have been very fortunate so far about bug issues or mold issues. My daughter is the one having problems. When I went over her house today I took my jewelers loupe to look closely at the back side of her leaves. I saw bugs, but it wasn’t spider mites…I saw what I think are aphids. She/we aren’t sure what to do since her plants are just a week or so from harvest. I do have some food grade D.E. And read that a spray solution can be made that might help. ……a new package? Is it Christmas again??? Please let me know what you can use that I can help with :).
LOL…reading your ‘walking 5 miles to school, uphill….’
Thank you for your response. I agree, I don’t see any webbing. Today I used a jewelers loupe for a closer inspection and it looks like it might be aphids on the back side of the leaves.
Years ago I did have a problem with spider mites on my Hibiscus tree and I did use the soapy solution as you suggested. It did help, but it had to be done over and over. …and actually I couldn’t invert the entire plant, but I did try to get the leaves completely wet.
Thanks again!