Foliar spraying, when to stop?

[scoobysnack]

Hi all ! I have an outdoor grow going along nicely, although i have been battling whiteflies the whole season. I have tried a few different spray mixes on them which have all been successful. I started with a mix of hydrogen peroxide and dish soap, then i tried a kelp mix with a few drops of cooking oil which both worked very well. The latest one i have used seems to be the best which is a mix of hydrogen peroxide, peppermint oil, and a few drops of dish soap. I am just wondering whether to continue spraying during the flowering period, the sprays i have been using are very diluted but i am a bit unsure if it will effect the buds. Is there anything that can be used that won't alter the taste or quality, but still keep the little buggers at bay. Any advice would be great thanks !

 

[Weaselcracker]

Re: Foliar spraying, when to stop ?

I'm not familiar with whiteflies, but any direct spraying on the buds is a very bad idea. Besides the chance of mold it seems to mess things up and turn the pistils red (ie-dead!). I don't need to explain how I know this! Any spray in the last couple weeks should probably be avoided unless you don't mind smoking whatever it is. Neem oil is organic and might do the trick. Another 'organic' product which is the Only thing that ever cured spider mites when I had them is Mite Rid, which is a systemic- so it's absorbed by the plant and continues to work for a couple weeks or more. It's basically a concentrate of the active ingredient in neem oil. I had to order it from Australia at the time but that was years ago and I'm sure there is more distribution or else knock offs since then.
Edit- the nice thing about the systemic spray was that I didn't have to get every part of the plant. So spraying the tops of the leaves while avoiding the buds was enough for the plant to absorb it and go to work on the pests.

 

[scoobysnack]

Re: Foliar spraying, when to stop ?

Thanks ! I was going to try neem oil on them, but i read somewhere that peppermint oil would kill them on contact and because i had some i used that with the hydrogen peroxide which is also supposed to kill them, and the egg sacs and it really did work a treat. The problem is, being an outdoor grow you never really wipe them out completely. But overall the plants are in excellent shape and i think all will be well without any further spraying, Thanks for the help !