indoor Keeping insects out - indoor grow

[pecker88]

I started a Jalapeño indoors last winter, it stayed inside 100% of the time.h eres a post:
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/55610-indoor-jalapeno-bud-drop/page-1#entry1190260

Just yesterday I banished it to outside, it was crawling with what I think were thrips. I dusted it with sevin dust.I didn't want them to spread to my 3 WK old toms and Hab.



My question is, how do I prevent pests in my winter indoor grow?

Thanks.
 
 
Jalapeño that got kicked outside:

 

 
 
Indoor setup, 400W MH bulb, (currently running at 75% power)
 

 
New Big Dwarf Toms
 

 
Red Robin Toms:
 

 
best of 3 Purple Jalapeno:
 

 
Totem Toms:
 

 
Habanero:
 

 
 
 
The soil mix didn't have any nuts, so a few days ago I gave them 1/4 strength masterblend, Mag. Sulfate, Cal. Nitrate mix.
Still look yellow to me, minor leaf curling also. I water every 3 days or so, fan blowing on them 24x7. Lights 16/8.

 

[CAPCOM]

I dont believe you can be 100% pest free indoors. Not without going through what I would consider outrageous precautions. And there is still no guarantees.

 

[cruzzfish]

Neem oil for the winter. I don't like it during the summer because it harms good things, but in the winter it's fine.

 

[megahot]

You should pretreat the indoor plant with a strong but yet safe insect control. Keep on treating as directed.

 

[oldsalty]

Is this common with indoor growing, I will be wintering some citrus plants inside this year.

 

[John1234]

If you stay on top of things and scout frequently it's possible to live without pest infestations. That doesn't mean it isn't going to happen but with proper treatment any situation can be resolved. With good cultural practices and a controlled beneficial environment (many pests prefer hot and dry) you can reduce the chance of carrying something in or creating a situation favourable to a pest. Pest free for over a year now and many others have done the same.
 
Don't garden outdoors and wander in to tend indoor plants (prime example of good cultural practice). The other way around is fine. Pets are frequent carriers of hitchhiking pests from outside in. Hang yellow cards above and below canopy, monitor frequently. Mild preventatives are helpful re: Mosquito Dunks (crushed as a top dressing or added directly to soil mix), neem, etc. but not absolutely necessary. Treat all incoming plants and soil as if it were infested re: isolate, set up a two or three week rotation of spraying (combining different MOA re: contact, systemic, residual) and treat soil (bagged, binned or the soil in the potted plant) with Bti and beneficial microbes or your prefered bug killing/beneficial promoting solution. Ignore anyones assertion their plants are pest free, whether from a friend trying to share pepper starts or the grower at the nursery. Treat it like it there are mites building circus tents.
 
Growing from seed exclusively greatly reduces chances of infestation.
 
When an infestation does happen, be thorough. Clean everything, spray everything and maintain the schedule well after the issue is under visible control.
 
Basically treat it like a little pot garden. Some type of filter on incoming and outgoing air if you're running intake/outtake with outdoor air on a tent or room, though obviously you don't need to go as far as a carbon can.
 
Keep things clean above all.

 

[pecker88]

**added pics to my initial post.
 
I bought "green thumb" insecticide spray, label specifies OK for indoor use and also kills about 100 insects, thrips included.
I soaked the outdoor Jal and also the indoor seedlings out of precaution. I looked close at all the indoor seedlings an didnt' see any of the critters.
Yesterday after removing the infected Jal, I wiped down the growing area with a bleach/water solution.