igrowhydro.com Info Sheet – Controlling Pests with Azatrol and AzaMax, and Dilution Rates.

Once again, here’s the link right upfront.

http://www.igrowhydro.com/InfoSheets/InfoSheet-AzatrolPatrol.pdf

I came across this looking for some information on root aphids. Random googling, you know the drill.

I thought this info sheet was fairly informative, and enlightening. I did not know that Azatrol could be used in dilution rates like 1-2 ounces per 20 gallons for reservoir use. In fact, I haven’t double checked that information, so that could possibly be incorrect. I say that because it seems a lower dilution rate than any other ~1.5% Azadirachtin product that I’ve seen. I’ll do some more research and hammer this one out.

As far as I knew, purified neem products like AzaMax, Azatrol and Azasol had a dilution rate of more like 1-2 ounces per gallon. And as far as I could calculate with those dilution ratios, refined neem products that can be used in reservoirs would cost some serious money to run in your reservoir. Note that Purified Hydrophobic Extract of Neem Oil (PHENO) is not the same type of product as these newer AzaMax, AzaSol, Azatrol products.

PHENO type products include Garden Safe brand Neem Oil Extract, which I use, and costs about $15 a quart. It’s more affordable, but more old-school, and cannot be used the same way with reservoir treatment without careful consideration and testing. The newer Neem extracts, the ones that actually list Azadirachtin as an ingredient (Garden Safe brand Neem Oil Extract says nothing of Azadirachtin), are far less oily, and therefor less likely to clog the leaves stomata or coat the roots in superfluous oil.

For example, if you went out to your local hydroponics shop, or went online and bought a quart of General Hydroponics AzaMax, it would set you back $50, at least. Most stores list it $10-$20 more. Since a quart is 16 ounces, and if you used an ounce per gallon dilution ratio, you would need that whole quart for just 16 gallons of solution in your reservoir. For $50? Please.

I see a discrepancy here.

On the GH Blog, a particular page I’m looking at here titled How To Use AzaMax, located here http://www.generalhydroponics.com/blog/2010/10/26/how-to-use-azamax/, says to use 1 ounce per gallon.
Looking at that information sheet from igrowhydro.com, AzaMax can be used at a dilution rate of 1-2 tablespoons per gallon, and used once every other week once control has been achieved.

That looks like conflicting information. However, you just have to figure out what works for you. I’ve heard from a source, one I can’t remember, that even very low levels of neem compounds can be effective against pests. So, should you use 1-2 tablespoons per gallon or 1-2 ounces per gallon of this stuff? Well, I’d say go on the lighter side. See how it works, and if your pest problem persists, double the dose. That should do the trick. I’ve had a ounce-per-gallon old school neem oil spray method that’s never done me wrong, and has controlled spider mites, aphids, caterpillars, and whatever other non-beneficials I didn’t know I had that were killed off in the process.

I like the idea of those products, they’re just out of my price range. It would seem simpler to run the product in your reservoir, but then you do have to use more to get the job done. However, it would also help control soil-dwelling insects, or for those growing hydro (like us), medium-dwelling insects. I’m not sure if foliar applications of neem products would be enough to control root-zone insects effectively. In fact, if it does work, it hasn’t for me, because I’ve been using neem for that last couple of years as a foliar spray, and it’s never driven away those little critters.

In our indoor grow, for the last couple of years (perhaps even since we started growing cannabis indoors) we’ve been experiencing the occupation in our root zone of some type of creepy-crawly insect. We’ve never been sure what it is, and it’s one of our only recurring pests indoors.

We’re not even sure if it’s a problem, but we know it’s there. If we had a telephoto lens on our DSLR we could take some pictures and examine them, but unfortunately we don’t have a telephoto lens for a nice macro shot, and they’re just too tiny to shoot otherwise!

Perhaps we should ‘squish’ a few, to look at them under the 30x magnifying scope that we have. I only suggest to squish them because those little fuckers are like flies and won’t stop moving unless they’re eating. Good luck getting them to eat under examination.

I believe they’re gray? Definitely not arachnids/spider-mites. They live and die in the root zone. I’ve never ever seen one on the plant, aside from on top of the roots. They have 6 legs, and little antennae.

I have noticed that when our ebb and flow system floods, many of them get pulled out of the root-zone and down into the reservoir. Then they just lay on the skin of the water, unable to move, and die. It’s just another thing I’d rather avoid.

Who knows, maybe my intermittent use of neem hasn’t been constant enough to ward them off. Maybe they would die out if we were more vigilant about destroying them through their life cycle. I have no idea what they would feed on in our root zone, as we use coco and perlite as a medium. That’s what makes me suspect that they’re eating the roots, and damaging the plants, even those they seem to show no signs of stress from it. They have to eat something, and our media is inert.

What gives?

Anyways, read up on neem. It’s wonderfully effective on many things. You’ll find peer-reviewed studies that suggest that it doesn’t work in as many instances as it can, and I believe that just comes down to methodology, and the circumstances present in the grow.

I’ve never found anything that was as effective and innocuous at such a great price, as we pay around $15 for a quart of hydrophobic extract of neem oil. We pick it up at Lowes currently.

We use a dilution rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon, which comes out to less than a teaspoon per quart. We mix a up a quart of the solution and use it all that day, and once a week, or every other week. Simple =)

Gots to go, the day is calling!
<3Basil

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