Are these root aphids?

[Amber]

I've heard of this recently but can't find too much specific information about its efficacy in this situation. And $1500/gal is quite a price tag to experiment. Do you have experience with this product?

Give them a call I think I purchased like a 3oz bottle. Really don't remember how much I paid for it but they are really helpful answered all my questions. Although I do attribute it as a factor in the bug free roots of today I cant say for sure in effectiveness because I also got a new system, new genetics, and remodeled a bit.

 

[cctt]

So far the Triazicide has seemingly had some great results. The plants look like they're recovering and most roots are now white! I suspect I have the same kind of RAs Seamaiden has dealt with, as I found her old posts indicating the same kind of results. It's interesting that for some people imidacloprid is most effective solution and for others it doesn't work at all - and vice versa for gamma-cyhalothrin. I will definitely reapply at the next watering, and probably again. Does anyone have any info about how late it's safe to use? The longest PHI listed on its label is 21 days, but I know those numbers aren't always applicable to cannabis.

Additionally I found some spirotetramat (movento/kontos) and will use it as well as these are still vegging. Things look promising now but I know how fast RAs can come back and take hold, which would be devastating during flower.

 

[Seamaiden]

Just be sure to treat the WHOLE area. As for the PHI, I used the listed PHI as my starting point, then decided to round it out to a month, 30 days. I flooded trays instead of spraying the plants, too, several hours. I did spray the lights, all surfaces and hidey-holes.

 

[ECOutlaw]

I lost all my genetics in my battle but was able to save my grape ape mom. The rest were so far gone they never recovered. Seemed like they had a virus or some kind of disease. They keep showing damage but there were no root aphids. Treatments were Merit75 then two treatments of kontos/spirotetramat (great stuff btw foliared with it as well at each treatment) then one treatment of evergreen. Followed that up with treatments of cannazym and some caps tea drenches/foliars. I since vegged out the grape ape took clones and have 20 or so of them in a 4x4 bed looking like they did before the infestation.

I wish the abusive kush and ecsd clone (original i got from a hightimes bud battle like 8 years ago :sad: ) had fared better but they just never even vegged right after all the abuse. The grape got infested last while the other genetics had the aphids for a few months before I had done enough research and trial and error to fix the problem.

Oh and I did try spectracide as well and its good stuff just had that gasoline smell that kind of turned me off to doing more applications.

 

[Seamaiden]

Oh yeah, the smell of Spectracide is awful, isn't it? Broke my heart to use it, but if I hadn't I, too, would have lost everything. Ultimately, I lost everything anyway (but not to root aphids).

 

[Classic Remix]

sharing is caring. give homies cuts and share! did anyone else have those cuts?

if its as good as you sentimentally feel for it, people will hold onto it. i have yet to lose a worthy cut going this way, and i feel like a good guy. haha.

sorry i know that was no help and basically turnin a knife, just thought i'd throw that out there....

 

[Capulator]

Thank you, I may be ready to try this before deciding it makes more sense to start over. I found a paper you linked to about a year ago about that process - they were using 125F for 5 minutes. Is that what you've had luck with? Do you notice this hurts the plants as well? Can Met52 keep living after such a treatment?

Hot water flush will temporarily get rid of them, at the expense of your plants. You will fry the roots. I had a thread on this a while back.

 

[cctt]

Triazicide doesn't smell that bad to me. It smells like they used some kind of non-polar solvent to help spread the active pyrethroid around when you apply it instead of leaving it all oily like Pyganic. At least that's my guess. As long as it's safe (I'm vegging still) and it works (it definitely does!) I'm pretty damn happy with it. I don't want to speak too soon but I intend to flower these plants and hopefully they can keep up their newfound vigor all the way through. I'm glad I didn't turn to the hot-water flush but will keep it in mind in case things ever get that bad.

 

[ECOutlaw]

Glad

sharing is caring. give homies cuts and share! did anyone else have those cuts?

if its as good as you sentimentally feel for it, people will hold onto it. i have yet to lose a worthy cut going this way, and i feel like a good guy. haha.

sorry i know that was no help and basically turnin a knife, just thought i'd throw that out there....

Ya the thing is alot of people will take your cuttings here in the east and not really understand what you went thru to obtain them. They don't really have to work for it so they do not appreciate its real value. I have people offering me 5k/lb (5 packs!) from that ecsd cut. I gave it to some glassblowers in Ithaca and they passed it to some other dude when they got to busy lathe work to continue growing in there closets. This dude might still have it but I hear he has a mom room with over a hundred strains so whether or not he kept it IDK. Been trying to reach dude but I've never met him and hes been very elusive due to health issues. Ive got my fingers crossed though. Sorry to thread jack.

cctt, very glad that the spectracide is working for you and you did not need to spend a bundle on kontos/movento.

 

[Classic Remix]

damn man mad unfortunate. I hope you find her thats for sure.

best of luck my friend

 

[cctt]

Well, I did another root inspection today and was able to pick out the worst looking roots and found some live ones crawing on them. Either the Triazicide was not able to kill them all, I need to reapply it again, or I failed to cover all the spaces they hide in.
I purchased the Kontos anyway, for good measure. I hope it helps.
Sour D is one of the moms I'm currently trying to save. Maybe not the same cut you're seeking, but I like her and hope she pulls through.

 

[Seamaiden]

sharing is caring. give homies cuts and share! did anyone else have those cuts?

if its as good as you sentimentally feel for it, people will hold onto it. i have yet to lose a worthy cut going this way, and i feel like a good guy. haha.

sorry i know that was no help and basically turnin a knife, just thought i'd throw that out there....

The cuts that didn't come with the caveat that they were not to be passed around would have been shared, had anyone near me been interested. But most of what I was running this last season came with a very specific request to *not* pass them around, and I honored that.

 

[Classic Remix]

and that is understandable. He made it sounds as if they were his strains and had no backups

if you get the cut from someone always respect their wishes IMHO... but furthermore you shouldnt have to secure it because they should have already done it!... and kinda did more so by given it to ya... if you smell what im steppin in.

 

[cctt]

I've found some information about insecticidal soap being particularly effective for this kind of RA. I intend to include it with my next Triazicide drench but am worrying about throwing the pH way out of nutrient uptake range. Does anyone have experience drenching with soap? Can I just mix it with acid to adjust pH back down to 6.0?

 

[Seamaiden]

Sorry, I don't have any direct experience with it in this area. I found it the only organic method to have any effect on cabbage aphids (those are some BASTARDS), but it was only mildly effective, and only for a few hours.

 

[click80]

Oh yeah, the smell of Spectracide is awful, isn't it? Broke my heart to use it, but if I hadn't I, too, would have lost everything. Ultimately, I lost everything anyway (but not to root aphids).

Spectracide as in Malathion? If so yes that stuff is terribly strong smelling. I still have some, unopened on my shelf. I now have a root aphid outbreak but since I am in veg I am ordering some Merit 75, or I am about to order it. Was thinking of doing a pyrethrin dunk, then azasol dunk alternatively but after reading this thread I think I will just get the Merit and treat my clones, clone my moms and do a housecleaning. DAMMIT...

I don't want to use any of that stuff. Very discouraged right now.

I can now see that I got too comfortable maybe. My pest problems seemed to solve itself after switching to soil and teas. I had a little outbreak of thrips, took care of that, but now I think I had root aphids at same time and didn't know it. I have to go back over my journals.

I think that when I stopped spraying my clones (my own clones) and drenching with Aza, that was a mistake. I think that a lot of success against pests involve prevantative measures, especially after reading post after post from people that have had outbreaks of different pests and can only pinpoint the vector as soil from the store.

 

[click80]

I don't want to thread jack so just tell me if I should start another thread. I have a huge (imo) RA problem and have to get rid of them. So I want to throw out some observations after rereading my journals for what it's worth. Short term plan is treating with Merit. Long term plan is if I cannot get rid of these things is that I am going to get this batch of clones through flower and then reclone my moms and throw everything out after flower is over.

I have two batches of clones. One was for a friend before I found these demons. One batch is doing much better. I thought it was originally because I put mine (batch not doing so good) under the MH a bit early and they started drooping some. Until then they were, and now are back under T5s. The same day, that I moved mine back under t5s, I sprayed hers with Neem and Spinosad and a few hours later put hers (good batch) under the HID and they did fine and still are, meaning they are looking much better than other batch and are still under MH. Both batches seem to be infested with the same amount. When I say good batch or bad batch I mean that the good batch is not showing any stress, leaves are totally green and full and pretty, not as much root mass though, will explain later. Bad batch is showing what I thought was light stress. Yellowing, some inward and downward curling, spotting. Still think that it's partly light stress.

Good batch was not treated with any teas, just calmag plus and Age Old grow. Bad batch (ones that are showing stress) have been treated with bennies, teas, and carboload. Molasses have been added in teas. Bad batch had root expansion much better, quicker and denser than good batch. (more food for RAs) or (could the molasses and carboload maybe feed the RAs?)

I can't find any on the leaves of either batch? One batch (good batch)is in Roots Organic soil, the other is in a Sunshine-R. Organic mix. The bad batch that is not doing so well was also sprayed but with Aza-Spinosad (I was running low). I sprayed to begin with since I spotted just a few spidermites. I am thinking that those were not spidermites but were RA's.

Can RA's be mistaken for SM's if someone is not really looking close enough? I did look but they looked like spidermites and I have had this happen with new soil before, just a couple spidermites appear. The leaves had speckling (freckling) exactly like spider mites.

I am wondering if the other couple times this happened (that I found speckling and SM.), and each time it was only on like three or four leaves max, if they were RA's? I do know what SM look like and even though I did give them a quick glance I do remember thinking how beefy they appeared and they were green. I know.....duh?

Anyway, I need to keep them as healthy as possible until I can get the Merit. Unless I can find a reasonably priced place that will do overnight shipping, I am going to spray with Neem/Spinosad again and do a root drench with same. I farmed a few RAs and full strength spinosad killed them within two to three minutes. I know it's the dilution that matters. I am going to do a couple stronger solutions. What the hell if I am going to lose some stuff might as well experiment.

If anyone knows the best place with overnight shipping for Merit I would appreciate the heads up, I am not going to order for a few more hours.

 

[click80]

Okay. If it doesn't kill my plants then this is like really cool. Just did DeadJacks bug brew (spinosad) at 7TBL/gallon. They died quickly. ???? Unless they are like playing possum.

 

[click80]

RA's are still dead, well the ones on the outside of root ball. Plant looks fine so far.... Keeping them under t5s with only four of eight tubes on. I am not really excited as am sure someone has tried this before. It could be that the ones on the outside of root ball were killed from being trapped between pot and roots and drowned? Or that it was some factor. I don't want to break into root ball to look, I expect any survivors will crawl out eventually. Still going to order Merit I think.

Oh, I should have mentioned earier I used Neem at label rate, not azamax, just DynaGro Neem at 2tbl/gallon and DeadJacks BugBrew at almost twice the label rate and added in Cocowet at 3ml/gal.

I can't believe that nobody has tried this before. Totally expecting plant do die.

 

[cctt]

I've never heard of spinosad being particularly effective for RAs, but that's great news if it is. Do your RAs look like the ones in my earlier pictures?