Spraying Natural Insectizidal Soap - Pistils Turned Brown

[flexy123]

I had a MASSIVE spidermite problem so I sprayed all my plants good with natural insecticidal soap, including the flowering ones. I know that "usually" you shouldn't spray anything on flowering plants, but I did it after reading the instructions and it says the soap is all natural, non-toxic and can be used up to harvest.
What's more, they say that the insecticidal potassium soap actually turns to potash, so it becomes a fertilizer even. I also sprayed outside and the plants got dry very quick, so mold etc. from spraying wouldn't be a problem. After 30 mins I put the dry plants back into my greenhouse.

For example, Neem I would NOT have sprayed since I know that oil is bad for the buds, the THC...

So the pistils are now turning orange, and I want to know whether this is "bad" in any way.

I didn't get much information on the net about whether brown pistils are actually really a negative, in fact it looked to me as if SOME people were harvesting based on the colors of the pistils alone (which is silly, this doesn't mean a thing, I always harvest by checking on trichs) - and those people sprayed insecticidal soap, their pistils also turned orange and then those folks HARVESTED because they thought that their plants are done already. And then they said that the soap spoiled the harvest. (Which of course is silly, the soap MERELY turned the pistils brown).

So, short: Despite the orange/brown pistils...does it mean anything? Said differently: Should I worry about the brown pistils?

 

[flexy123]

So I literally sprayed the ***** out of my plants on Monday with my pressure sprayer, not just some little spraying with a hand sprayer. I used insecticidal soap.
Yesterday I checked the plants again with a microscope, and it was LIKE FROM A NIGHTMARE or horror movie ;( You can see them very well with that microscope.
So I sprayed them AGAIN and will do again on Friday.

On the other hand I am "glad" it's only spider mites because for a minute I already though I have broad mites.

I also noticed that the chilles I am growing seem to attract EVERY bug known to mankind. As soon as a small sprout shoots up I seem to get any living nasty on earth into my green house. Getting really frustrated.

Plan is now to move out everything in soil as soon as it's warmer (it's still a little chilly here) and then switch the green house to hydro only.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Pistils are quite delicate, and a direct spray will kill them. They turn color when they die, and this can be a useful gauge of what flowering stage a plant is at. Besides any worry about smoking residue, spraying is very hard on the flowers in my experience. A little mist is ok, but a little mist of insecticidal soap won't kill the mites.
A spray like the one you're using has no residual effect and only kills the mites that get wet. It also won't kill eggs. Since some mites will be missed, and new mites are always hatching from their eggs, it's essential to spray regularly and thoroughly.
I'd recommend neem oil. It's not great to use during flowering either- but you could probably get away with it in early flowering. It is absorbed by the plant and turns the plant into a toxic meal for the mites. It should be reapplied after a few weeks.

 

[flexy123]

Weaselcracker,

thanks! Yes I know that a simple mist won't do, I actually try to wash them with the soap almost. On Friday I can put them upstairs again and actually HOSE THEM OFF with water well, then spray again. I know it must be done in some days intervals.

When I saw hundreds of mites through the microscope I was thinking I'd rather spray despite risk for spoiling a harvest, it was THAT bad ;( The pistils turned already brown, so what (I also used the soap last summer on flowers and I didn't have negative effect from what I remember).

Neem I actually have but then I heard you should never use any oils etc. on flowers, it washes off the THC?

I also heard good things about Karanja oil respective mixing Neem & Karanja oil.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Because neem is a systemic pesticide (absorbed by the plant) - you don't need to spray the flowers. Just get most the foliage, avoiding the buds. It can eradicate all the mites with a couple thorough treatments two or three weeks apart. It did for me, at any rate, and that was after throwing a lot of other things at those mites over a two year period. But if your grow is continually reinfested from outside sources (mine was but eventually I removed the outside source)- it will not be possible to eliminate them, just control them.
I wouldn't spray anything within the last four weeks before harvest.