[QUOTE=efisakov;488768]No, here is remedy that helped me. I got that from RobinB:

“…diatomaceous earth and an empty spray bottle, put one T of DE into a 32oz bottle, fill with water and shake until the DE dissolves. Then spray those plants with spider mites. When it dries you will see a white film on the plant. Reapply after it rains.”

And it is safe organic method, there is no way of overdoing it.[/QUOTE]

What kind of DE do you use and is it easily available or do I need to order it online? I would like to try it this year and see if it works better than soapy water and permethren. Sulfur works great but it is far too hot to use it down here after May.

Bill

In Lowe's it is relatively inexpensive. It looks like a flour.

Wonder how this would do on aphids?

[QUOTE=efisakov;488996]In Lowe's it is relatively inexpensive. It looks like a flour.[/QUOTE]

Gracias!!! On my shopping list for next Lowe's visit.

Too bad we don't have that here, but I do have a pyritrhine spray, should do the job.

Last year, I learned the hard way that marigolds do not stop aphids or other insects - in fact, they were covered in spider mites web just like [B]efisakov[/B] mentioned above..
Bye bye marigolds, this year I have mint, chives and basil on my balcony, but am not sure they will be enough. Thankfully, it has been so cool and rainy that no spider mites yet...

Is this product the same as regular DE? I looked it up and it says it is 15% "other products" but I can't seem to find what that is.

I think it may be too late for my garden now, but if this works I will try it, and for sure have it ready for next year. I resisted spraying anything on spider mites this year as it only seems to make them stronger and more resistant in the future. The beds I have solarized and cover-cropped have produced tomato plants that have not YET completely succumbed to the mites, they are strong and robust and still producing. The plants in my untreated beds have all fallen. After this season is over, I am going to solarize ALL my beds as this seems to control the mite population in the soil.

Luigwu, your pic looks just like my cukes did before they started dying from mite damage. I tried 3 times to replant cukes but each time they succumbed quickly. Cukes and beans seem to go down fast, even in my beds that were solarized. I have a hunch they even attract spider mites, which seem to leave peppers alone.
If this DE does not work for me, I will try NOT growing any more cukes and beans just as an added precaution.

Peebee,

I started growing tomatoes many years ago and it was at different location (my old house). I new nothing about spider mites then. I taught it was decease that got my tomatoes there. I had no cucumbers near it. Tomatoes died first year from it. Second year I was spraying them with soapy water (soap, soda, epsom salt combination). It was helping to keep them down. But I had to spray every week. I used spray bottle and I had calluses on my hands.
DE is much better.

[QUOTE=efisakov;489173]Peebee,

I started growing tomatoes many years ago and it was at different location (my old house). I new nothing about spider mites then. I taught it was decease that got my tomatoes there. I had no cucumbers near it. Tomatoes died first year from it. Second year I was spraying them with soapy water (soap, soda, epsom salt combination). It was helping to keep them down. But I had to spray every week. I used spray bottle and I had calluses on my hands.
DE is much better.[/QUOTE]

I was reading online from message board and the company says not to use on vegetables. Your tomatoes were okay?

================================
Can I use this on my vegtable garden?
June 14, 2013

Is it safe to use on my vegetables? I have tiny leaf eating beetles on my eggplants and I want to make sure it is food safe.

Response from Garden Safe
Marketing
June 27, 2013
Sorry, you should not use this product on your vegetables.

From their website:

"It is, however, 100% natural, untreated diatomaceous earth."

"Our EPA registration limits this product to home use only, and as such, this product isn't federally approved for use around edibles. In the future, we recommend Garden Safe Brand Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer instead. You can eat your tomatillos when they ripen, however."

I searched Google for [B]diatomaceous earth[/B] and [B]vegetable gardens[/B] and get thousands of results of people successfully using it. Numerous experts say as long as you use food grade vs. pool filter DE, you are good to go. Not sure why Garden Safe is having trouble meeting this standard.

As for their Garden Safe Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer, the concentrations seem incredibly low to be effective. Just 0.02% Pyrethrins and .20% Piperonyl Butoxide.

There are different grades of DE. The two most common are food grade and pool grade. If you buy it from lowes or home depot you are most likely getting pool grade. I had bought the Safer brand DE that is omri listed from home depot. When i called the company they informed me to not use it in my garden as it was not food grade. As far as i know they are the same however the food grade DE has stricter purity guidlines and is therefore safe on food products. If you ask me they are probably both safe to use in the garden but that is just me.

The pool grade DE has more silica.

Darn, just ordered the DE not the food grade one, even though I was wondering what the heck this food-grade DE was, on Amazon. But when I clicked on one food grade product, it said food grade was packed using machinery and that it was therefore more pure and less prone to contamination than hand packed regular DE.

SoI figured if that was the only difference, I'd get what was recommended here.
Maybe Garden Safe is just trying to be overly cautious. I bought their BT powder last year and noticed that the one vegetable not mentioned on their label was lettuce. Other greens were listed. So I called them and was told not to use this stuff on lettuce. When pressed why not lettuce but other greens, the guy was very vague and finally said he wasn't sure, but if cabbage and other specific vegetables were listed but not lettuce, it is not recommended. He said it could be because lettuce is not cooked.

Everything I read about DE and insect control says it doesn't work after a rain so why would it work after being mixed in water and sprayed on? Does it clog the nozzle of the sprayer? It also seems that for this kind of use the pool grade might work better since it has more silica which would damage insects more but also be worse for your lungs if you breathed it in.

Bill

I am so curious about this DE spray for mites. Yup, I've got it now. Sigh.
I guess dissolving and spraying it ensures there is a fine layer of the DE powder once the water evaporates?