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I ’ m an indoor hydroponic farmer ( culinary herbs and leafy greens ), and I recently had a bout with some spider mites . Being that we are a 100-per cent pesticidefree operation , I ’ m trying to source some other methods to deal with the problem . I tried using some predatory mites , and while they certainly helped , I ’ m still noticing signs of new problems . I stumbled upon ozone ( O 3 ) generators and found a Maximum Yield article regarding the use of them to kill pests . I also did some research and found that the O 3 generator may also cause some damage to the plants that are still growing . Can you recommend a method for using the generator , and the levels / duration needed to kill the pests while doing the least amount of damage to the plants ? Thank you !
Have a great day ! Billy
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a |
Hello Billy ,
Thank you for your question . Although there is not a lot of information on the subject , some indoor growers claim to have successfully used ozone to treat pest insects . For ozone to be an effective insect killer , the concentration of ozone in the air must be extremely high . Again , there is not a great deal of information on the subject , but it appears that a concentration of 1,000-2,000 ppm or even higher ( some people say as high as 10,000 ppm ) is required to kill spider mites . In an environment with a concentration of 2,000 ppm of ozone , pest insects will most likely perish in anywhere from a half hour to two and a half hours . However , ozone at this high concentration can be extremely dangerous for people and pets . In fact , ozone levels of 25 ppm and higher are considered immediately hazardous to human life . It is also very difficult to achieve this high of a concentration of ozone without a special ozone generator ( an oxygen-fed ozone generator ). High concentrations of ozone can also cause damage to plants , which is why high levels of ozone are usually reserved for treating or sterilizing an empty room . Horticulturists who decide to implement high concentrations of ozone as a method of pest control need to do so with the utmost caution . I do not know how your specific plants will react to ozone treatments , so I do not feel comfortable giving you specific recommendations for treatment . I can tell you that sensitive , leafy greens will probably be more adversely affected by ozone treatments than robust plants . If you want to experiment with ozone as a pest insect treatment , you could increase the level of ozone for half an hour to an hour and then wait 24-48 hours to see if it is effective or if there are any adverse reactions . If no noticeable plant damage occurs after 48 hours , you could slowly increase the concentration of ozone and / or the duration of the treatment time until you have achieved the results you desire . Just be sure to completely evacuate the ozone from the garden before any people or pets enter the area . I hope this helps .
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Keep on Growing , Eric Hopper |