Please help... soil mite

  • Thread starter GroHi
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GroHi

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I'd really, really appreciate any advice on killing a soil mite. I can't say which specific type it is, but some variety of oribatid mite. Here's a general link to what they are:

www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/soil_mite.htm


Been over a year & they keep on keeping on. Simplest answer is they are spreading by travel and/or me. Tried just about everything including killing a handful of plants in the process. I've trapped some & they can live for at least 3 days w/o food or water... sprayed bleach on them at this point, which killed those. They definitely eat & breed in the coir.

Oddly, the only real harms that I can detect are that they breed in the thousands & litter my floor/liners... even forming dust balls of dead corpses. Have to coat the stems of the plants to keep them from crawling up & dying on the nugs as well. They also eat my bene's in the medium. ???

At my wits end... given up... they've beaten me. Killed off spider mites, thrips, gnats, nematodes, & springtails. I just can't get rid of these. sighhhhhh

Looking for a soil drench miticide that won't kill the plants & any advice on application...? Tried all of the soft approaches, several times even. Just don't know what to do except completely stop everything, which really isn't an option.

Thank you in advance. Broken me, they have...
 
N

Nashhash

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Try this stuff called Gnats, it made from real cedar oil. Totally organic, kills several type of pests besides gnats. It is also very gentle on plants. Hope that helps.
 
G

GroHi

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Tried all of the oil products... go gnats included... smells nice though! Even a 2% dormant/hort oil only slows them down~ afraid to feed roots a higher rate. They're a hard bodied bugger... oils don't seem to work by smothering... even on the eggs??? Thank you for the suggestion~ just a super soil mite.

RJ~ nope. I've given a lot of consideration to ordering a bunch... this is basically the only thing I haven't tried that is "soft/organic". Heard that the pops can be hard to establish & keep going... esp w a full out infestation. Gut feeling is that they won't be able to get all of them & it will end up being a population control measure, but w more bugs. ???

I've just been managing them... killing them back & trying to isolate. Really, really tried, but they even transferred over to another location. Must have piggy backed on me... only thing I can think of unless the eggs are in my coir bricks. Two things common... I'm everywhere & the coir is too... also the bugs, so...? Plants doing fine though... sigh...
 
D

Donk Frog

Guest
D.E powder top dressing will prevant adults from laying eggs and prevent larva from reaching full adult hood
 
sedate

sedate

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GroHi:

My pest experience has been - thankfully - rather limited - but if you've tried so many fancy products, why not try something kinda simple, like a h202 root soak?

I dunno, just an idea.
 
J

Jalisco Kid

Guest
To kill what is in the soil you can use a product called wisdom tm or if systemics do not bother you you can try merit 75wsp(2 oz $48).It is what bayer tree and shrub is but much,much stronger. Or you can bake your soil if it is a small grow. Suerte JK
 
F

fink

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Hey Grohi sorry to hear about your pest problem
I unfortunately dont have a solution to your problem but I have used predator nematodes against what I think are springtails without any success. I just have to keep the soil drier to reduce their numbers. Do you have any advice?

Might be worth giving the predator nematodes a try though they might work in your case. If that doesnt work then chems might be the only option then change soil brand and/or supplier.

Hope you get it sorted these bugs can be a nightmare!
 
L

Lost

2,969
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Try this stuff called Gnats, it made from real cedar oil. Totally organic, kills several type of pests besides gnats. It is also very gentle on plants. Hope that helps.

Its GoGnats.. Works well.. Leaves a white residue on res..
 
L

Lost

2,969
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My thoughts are to try something like GoGnats and then apply one inch of sand on the surface of the soil. Keeps the baddies from getting in and out. The sand suffocates the larvae.
 
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GroHi

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Thank you all for the suggestions!

I've been on these guys for a while...

DF~ played w the DE powder for a while. For starters, they crawl right through it & seem to keep on going. Didn't actually trap & observe over a few days, but w top dressings, they kept coming. Problem w the DE (I think) is that they go everywhere, including deep down into the pots. I'll catch them in the drain water from the bottoms even. They can even breed in the gunk that builds up on the bottom of drain trays... seen colonies breeding there b4. They seem to eat my bene's & LK. DE doesn't work wet, right? That never made too much sense because thought bugs ate it which scared up their guts, but that would be wet DE, no??? Anyway, didn't seem to work in the end.

Sedate~ h2o2 at a 3% direct spray did nothing to them. They soaked it up, dried out, then crawled away. Didn't even seem pissed off, nor deterred... nothing. Same thing w Physan 20, pyrethrum, insect soap, neem & other oils. Bugzyme, same thing. Maybe some of them died later on, but not on contact & drying...???

Fink~ the ST's were a little bit of a pain. They were hopping around in the drain tanks even. Tackled them effectively w diligent spraying of insecticidal soap (any I could see, anywhere) + x3 applications of neem (azatrol) at 60ml per gal (4-5 days apart). This was a full soil/medium drench. pH it though. Just have to be diligent w these... they can travel/hop.

Lost~ I've heard of sand for the gnats. Read that these mites can't dig, but go through cracks in the soil. Problem for me is that they are everywhere, coming out the bottoms even. I could try sand on tops & at bottoms, then my meshing...??? W maybe the Tanglefoot would be able to isolate all new plants...? If the sand keeps them in/out...? Interesting idea.

JK~ that's kinda where I was at... some sort of systemic that I can treat the early transplants, then isolate like all hell, then hit once again before transfer, then weed them out over a cycle & half. Just didn't know of a soil drench that is a true miticide (eggs even, if possible) & weed tolerant. Merit. What dosing would you recommend? Can it be applied w nutes, or just alone? Any precautions/care instructions for the girls after app? Can I repeat in a week, or even a third in another week? I'm at this point...

Heard floramite is the bomb, for foliar, but anyone tried it as a drench? Not listed on the instructions I could find...

Thank you all for the suggestions, really! Be well.
 
J

Jalisco Kid

Guest
I had meant wisdom tm in that first post. The directions that come with it is what I have seen used(merit 75). Both times once was it, and the plants looked as if nothing happened. I will only use floramite as a drench on plants if I had to use it. JK
 
J

Jalisco Kid

Guest
When I used the word drench I should have said submerged. I do not trust foliar spraying a plant,might miss something. JK
 
Oldsog

Oldsog

Supporter
100
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sounds like root aphids to me. i was one of the lucky ones to get them and they totally suck ass to get rid of...

mix 1-2 oz of Azatrol in 10gal of water put it in your rez or water by hand. i'd use some for a foliar too. may need to do a couple of applications.

soil mite or root aphids this will get rid of them.
 
T

Tanoakey

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I had root aphids in my garden in the last few months. Drenching soil for an hour with Bug Buster made by Monterey got rid of 'em. It's synthetic pyrethroid based so not too harsh but has a petroleum distillate carrier so it smells like fuel for a couple of days till it evaporates
 
G

GreenSociety

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The Hydro shops have Nematode Sponges that work wonders.
 
K

kushpheen

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Use azatrol as a foliar and then apply/soak the medium. Follow up with predator nematodes, the more the better. Then I would replace all medium and clean room thoroughly once cycle is complete.
 
B

bicycle racer

482
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im dealing with root aphids now quite a nightmare. although i think the thread starter has the little mites i have had those they but dont seem to do a lot of damage but make a mess as there tiny bodies get all over the place. if it is root aphids good luck. i recently did a full submersion of all my plants using high dosages of sm-90 pyrethrum/canola oil and h202 for good measure none have been seen(root aphids) for 2 days now but who knows if the eggs larvae and nymphs were killed in the root zone i will know soon.
 

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