Whenever I buy clones I fully inspect each one. If they pass inspection, I give them a good spray of a neem oil mixture just to be on the safe side.

Let’s start with every indoor gardener’s nightmare. Spider mites are the most common problem when it comes to pests and are fairly difficult to get rid of, especially if you catch the problem too late. Bad infestations will suck the life out of your plants and rob your plants of essential nutrients. You have to get to these nasty suckers early. Thankfully, there are a few ways to spot spider mites before they take over.

Spider mites live on the undersides of your plants’ leaves and to the naked eye they will look somewhat like little specks of pepper. On the top sides of the leaves, you can also spot the damage they are creating, which normally looks like little white specks. Some growers might think those spots signal a nutrient deficiency, but most likely it's spider mites eating through your leaves.

Perhaps even worse than the spider mites themselves are their webs. If you catch them too late they can literally web your entire plant. Here are some ways you can avoid spider mites, webs, and the headaches they cause all together:

First of all, when buying clones, inspect them thoroughly. They should be a nice deep green with no signs of damage and no black specks on the undersides. I recommend that you bring a jeweler’s loop to inspect the clones before taking them home with you. After all, it only takes one spider mite to start a colony.

Whenever I buy clones I fully inspect each one. If they pass inspection, I give them a good spray of a neem oil mixture just to be on the safe side. If you already have established plants and think you may have a mite problem, use a neem oil mixture and spray the tops and undersides of the leaves until runoff. But be careful not to spray with the light on or in direct sunlight. If you do, it will burn your plants. Repeat this process every other day for a week or longer.

The reason you need to be diligent and repeat the process is that spider mites leave eggs behind that will hatch every day, even after the first application of neem oil. Spraying one time will not fix your problem; you must repeat!

Some severe infestations may require more drastic measures like a pyrethrum bomb or fogger. The bombs will kill all mites or any other pests in the entire room, but you still need to follow up with some neem spray every other day fora week or longer. When you start to get into heavier duty sprays, make sure you talk to an expert at your local hydroponics shop or drop us a line here at RosebudMag.com or on our Facebook wall. Some of the sprays must be applied with care for your own health, and you don’t want to go nuclear on bugs unless you have to. Please make sure you are educated about the stuff you are using to battle bugs, and use appropriate safety gear for yourself if you go with a fogger or chemical non-organic solution.

Make sure you get the right stuff to deal with your species of pest. Common garden sprays aren’t always the right solution for the kinds of bugs that show up on your particular crop.

It's also a bad idea to allow any animals in your grow room. You may love your dogs and cats, but they can bring all sorts of bad pests into your grow area, so keep your pets OUT!!

As for pests other than spider mites, you can identify them with a gardener’s handbook or via a quick internet search. Make sure you get the right stuff to deal with your species of pest. Common garden sprays aren’t always the right solution for the kinds of bugs that show up on your particular crop.

These are some simple easy rules to go by when dealing with the common nasties in your hydroponics indoor grow room. Spider mites and other pests can ruin your harvest, and then you’ve put in several months and several dollars all for nothing. Protect your investment. Good indoor growers are diligent about checking their plants and protecting their gardens from bugs. Until next time fellow growers, Grow Big Or Go Home. xoxo

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