Got mites. Need help with identification/treatment please!

[Fnipernackle]

Hello everyone. 1st time grower here, I'm new to this community. Hello!

I'm at the end of week 4 veg. I noticed tiny bugs crawling on one of my plants earlier in the week. Upon further inspection, I have also found them in the soil and rim of my fabric pots, and all plants seem to be infected. I cannot identify them with the 10x glass I have, nor my phone camera. I have a jeweler's loupe arriving tomorrow, so I should be able to obtain better visuals soon.

What confuses me is that these mites seem to be everywhere, and not just confined to anywhere specific. This conflicts with most information I have been able to find, which states that they tend to congregate in one area and don't stray far from it. However, it would appear that they are feeding on the leaves, as I have noticed damage appear in the days since I discovered them, and they do seem to stop at the leaf edges to either feed or lay eggs, I can't be sure. This leads me to think spider mites, but without the more telltale signs and a lack of a clear visual, I can't be certain.

My treatment so far has been Grower's Ally Crop Defender 3, mixed at the curative rate. I sprayed all plants to runoff, including the stems and underside of leaves as best I could. I also watered with Mosquito Bits tea to be safe. That was 3 days ago - if it had any impact, it was only to slow down the mite infestation. Tonight, I plan on using Captain Jack's NeemMax as a foliar spray/wipe down, as well as a soil drench in case I have misidentified the species (Following the label, of course).

Included are photos of the damage I believe these pests are causing, as well as some truly awful pictures of one of the pests themselves. The straight-down shot into the FIMMED stem looks like aborted growth, if anyone is curious. Sorry, I will update with better pictures once I have my loupe.

 

[Docgrows]

Captain Jacks Deadbug, every 3 days for 2 solid weeks will kill them, then get on an IPM schedule to keep them gone. Neem is smelly and won’t kill like Deadbug. You can rotate with Defender and Deadbug, so they don’t develop resistance.

 

[Fnipernackle]

Captain Jacks Deadbug, every 3 days for 2 solid weeks will kill them, then get on an IPM schedule to keep them gone. Neem is smelly and won’t kill like Deadbug. You can rotate with Defender and Deadbug, so they don’t develop resistance.

Thanks for the fast response! I've heard good things about Spinosad products. I really should have just picked that up when I got everything else.

Do you recommend any sort of soil treatment, since I've noticed some movement there as well?

 

[Docgrows]

Thanks for the fast response! I've heard good things about Spinosad products. I really should have just picked that up when I got everything else.

Do you recommend any sort of soil treatment, since I've noticed some movement there as well?

You can water with mosquito bits if you have fungus knats, most pests are leaf dwellers such as mites and thrips. The 2 week treatment is to get any that hatch after first spray, you have to break their life cycle. Some treatments don’t kill eggs, just live ones.

 

[Thatoneguyyouknow_]

there is another valid option many would recommend against.

In a single instance, indoor infection scenario, i prefer pyrethrin. It kills faster, and if you use it every evening for 4 days, mites gone for good by the end of the week. Treat plants, soil surface, and tent. Move to preventative steps after that, will never have to use it again, and itll break down in a few days anyway, especially with ample light and airflow exposure. Any issues with pyrethrin come from large scale repetitive long term exposure exposure, inhalation or large amounts of concentrated aerosols (for treating lice and stuff like that on livestock), and it is *non carcinogenic and 100% organic. It's the reason insects dont bite your wife's/mom's/granny's Mums in the fall.


Its just not very water soluble, so keep a sprayer shook up if you do use it. And that also means it absorbs very slowly through skin and can be washed off with any soap, even after it dries.

And dont use on flowers, even if theres ample time for it to break down, people report headaches from the flower if you do.

I also employ pyrethrins for bringing clones into my garden from outside, and other growers.


Pyrethrins even break down quickly into nitrogen rich substances that a plant can actually absorb through their leaves, and its not uncommon for a vegging plant to look VERY happy starting a few days after pyrethrin treatments ime.

 

[Fnipernackle]

there is another valid option many would recommend against.

In a single instance, indoor infection scenario, i prefer pyrethrin. It kills faster, and if you use it every evening for 4 days, mites gone for good by the end of the week. Treat plants, soil surface, and tent. Move to preventative steps after that, will never have to use it again, and itll break down in a few days anyway, especially with ample light and airflow exposure. Any issues with pyrethrin come from large scale repetitive long term exposure exposure, inhalation or large amounts of concentrated aerosols (for treating like and stuff on livestock), and it is *non* carcinogenic and 100% organic.


Its just not very water soluable, so keep a sprayer shook up if you do use it. And that also means it absorbs very slowly through skin and can be washed off with any soap, even after it dries.

And dont use on flowers, even if theres ample time for it to break down, people report headaches from the flower if you do.

I also employ pyrethrins for bringing clones into my garden from outside, and other growers.

I actually ordered Pyganic after reading about using it as a root drench. I have since decided against using it for that purpose, since I've read it can be hard on the plants and destroys the microbiome within the soil, and I don't believe my pests are soil dwellers. It's still on the way though, unfortunately won't be here for a week.

Lowe's was out of Jack's Deadbug, so I'll have to go get some tomorrow. I'm opting not to treat with the Neem tonight so I can treat with Deadbug tomorrow. Not sure if waiting is the move, but Spinosad does seem like a better option than Neem.

 

[Fnipernackle]

You can water with mosquito bits if you have fungus knats, most pests are leaf dwellers such as mites and thrips. The 2 week treatment is to get any that hatch after first spray, you have to break their life cycle. Some treatments don’t kill eggs, just live ones.

Cool beans. Couldn't get any Deadbug tonight, Lowe's was out. Will get some tomorrow and treat in the evening.

 

[Thatoneguyyouknow_]

Cool beans. Couldn't get any Deadbug tonight, Lowe's was out. Will get some tomorrow and treat in the evening.

def go with dead bug over neem. But im also biased. Im very sensitive to neem, i can absolutely tell when its been used on and around flowers when i grind and smoke them.

Spinosad is great stuff, its what im using atm on my outdoor girls and indoors both. im just partial to pyrethrin for very specific pest purposes. mites indoors gone quick, and clone quarantine are the main reason id ever reach for it.

On leaves at least, plants always seem to love pyrethrin to me. Im thinking the pyrethrin they make breaking down is probably why marigolds and chrysanthemums are always so deep and dark green, even in crap soil and unfed. They have an additional nitrogen source

Mums and marigolds actually repel garden pests by generating pyrethrins

 

[Fnipernackle]

def go with dead bug over neem. But im also biased. Im very sensitive to neem, i can absolutely tell when its been used on and around flowers when i grind and smoke them.

Spinosad is great stuff, its what im using atm on my outdoor girls and indoors both. im just partial to pyrethrin for very specific pest purposes. mites indoors gone quick, and clone quarantine are the main reason id ever reach for it.

On leaves at least, plants always seem to love pyrethrin to me. Im thinking the pyrethrin they make breaking down is probably why marigolds and chrysanthemums are always so deep and dark green, even in crap soil and unfed. They have an additional nitrogen source

Mums and marigolds actually repel garden pests by generating pyrethrins

Good to know! I'll definitely keep pyrethrin in my arsenal and won't hesitate to use it if the Deadbug doesn't deliver definitive results. Thanks for the info!

 

[Fnipernackle]

def go with dead bug over neem. But im also biased. Im very sensitive to neem, i can absolutely tell when its been used on and around flowers when i grind and smoke them.

Spinosad is great stuff, its what im using atm on my outdoor girls and indoors both. im just partial to pyrethrin for very specific pest purposes. mites indoors gone quick, and clone quarantine are the main reason id ever reach for it.

On leaves at least, plants always seem to love pyrethrin to me. Im thinking the pyrethrin they make breaking down is probably why marigolds and chrysanthemums are always so deep and dark green, even in crap soil and unfed. They have an additional nitrogen source

Mums and marigolds actually repel garden pests by generating pyrethrins

You can water with mosquito bits if you have fungus knats, most pests are leaf dwellers such as mites and thrips. The 2 week treatment is to get any that hatch after first spray, you have to break their life cycle. Some treatments don’t kill eggs, just live ones.

Out of curiosity, what are your opinions on Captain Jack's Super Soap? It actually contains more spinosad than Deadbug, and also acts as an insecticidal soap. I would imagine that this helps spread the spinosad more effectively?

 

[RootFarmer]

there is another valid option many would recommend against.

In a single instance, indoor infection scenario, i prefer pyrethrin. It kills faster, and if you use it every evening for 4 days, mites gone for good by the end of the week. Treat plants, soil surface, and tent. Move to preventative steps after that, will never have to use it again, and itll break down in a few days anyway, especially with ample light and airflow exposure. Any issues with pyrethrin come from large scale repetitive long term exposure exposure, inhalation or large amounts of concentrated aerosols (for treating lice and stuff like that on livestock), and it is *non carcinogenic and 100% organic. It's the reason insects dont bite your wife's/mom's/granny's Mums in the fall.


Its just not very water soluble, so keep a sprayer shook up if you do use it. And that also means it absorbs very slowly through skin and can be washed off with any soap, even after it dries.

And dont use on flowers, even if theres ample time for it to break down, people report headaches from the flower if you do.



I also employ pyrethrins for bringing clones into my garden from outside, and other growers.


Pyrethrins even break down quickly into nitrogen rich substances that a plant can actually absorb through their leaves, and its not uncommon for a vegging plant to look VERY happy starting a few days after pyrethrin treatments ime.

Good to know about the headaches. Thanks for that. Considered a chrysanthemum mulch this year but didn't follow through. I might be glad about that.

 

[Thatoneguyyouknow_]

Good to know about the headaches. Thanks for that. Considered a chrysanthemum mulch this year but didn't follow through. I might be glad about that.

The mulch will be fine. Just don't spray pyrethrin on flowering cannabis lol

Rain washing thru that mulch will kill earthworm though

 

[RootFarmer]

The mulch will be fine. Just don't spray pyrethrin on flowering cannabis lol

Rain washing thru that mulch will kill earthworm though

I don't bother with them anymore. By the time the root mass fills out the pot they won't stick around. The root mass on my black raspberry kush last year was crazy. When I dumped the pots to solarize the soil in early spring it was impossible to break it up. It would be easier to tear an L.A. phone book in half. Part of of the netting ended up on/in the soil. I didn't do anything about it for awhile. By the time I did, it was totally bound in the roots and wouldn't budge so I left it.

 

[Thatoneguyyouknow_]

I don't bother with them anymore. By the time the root mass fills out the pot they won't stick around. The root mass on my black raspberry kush last year was crazy. When I dumped the pots to solarize the soil in early spring it was impossible to break it up. It would be easier to tear an L.A. phone book in half. Part of of the netting ended up on/in the soil. I didn't do anything about it for awhile. By the time I did, it was totally bound in the roots and wouldn't budge so I left it.

I can tear a phonebook in half. I learned how as a little kid from a street magician in Myrtle Beach, That's not actually a strength thing, there's a trick involved, you just have to know how to tear it properly


There's a lot of things like that tbh. Maintaining mystique = profit on most things lol

 

[Thatoneguyyouknow_]

I don't bother with them anymore. By the time the root mass fills out the pot they won't stick around. The root mass on my black raspberry kush last year was crazy. When I dumped the pots to solarize the soil in early spring it was impossible to break it up. It would be easier to tear an L.A. phone book in half. Part of of the netting ended up on/in the soil. I didn't do anything about it for awhile. By the time I did, it was totally bound in the roots and wouldn't budge so I left it.

Oh yea I forgot you do containers lol.

 

[Docgrows]

Out of curiosity, what are your opinions on Captain Jack's Super Soap? It actually contains more spinosad than Deadbug, and also acts as an insecticidal soap. I would imagine that this helps spread the spinosad more effectively?

I’m not familiar with the soap but will def check it out . If it has more Spinosad than Deadbug, it has to work. The soap very well may make wet leaves better…..

 

[Fnipernackle]

I’m not familiar with the soap but will def check it out . If it has more Spinosad than Deadbug, it has to work. The soap very well may make wet leaves better…..

Well, I went with Deadbug anyways. Will be doing a thorough rinse down of the plants with water in the sink to knock off some of the adults, covering the soil with plastic wrap to avoid them just ending up back on the plant, and then will treat with Deadbug, using paper towels and cotton swabs to get the nooks and crannies. Also doing a deep clean of the tent and surrounding area while the lights are out, and will be taking extra precautions from now on.

Will report back with results.

 

[Putthataway]

Good call going with the deadbug. Especially if you are talking about this stuff.

99.5%listed as other ingredients and it doesn’t include what those ingredients are.
Gets even sketchier on this page.

 

[Week4Bytch]

A natural predator is ladybugs, with all that food source (for them) they won't go anywhere.

 

[Docgrows]

Well, I went with Deadbug anyways. Will be doing a thorough rinse down of the plants with water in the sink to knock off some of the adults, covering the soil with plastic wrap to avoid them just ending up back on the plant, and then will treat with Deadbug, using paper towels and cotton swabs to get the nooks and crannies. Also doing a deep clean of the tent and surrounding area while the lights are out, and will be taking extra precautions from now on.

Will report back with results.

Don’t need the paper towels and such, SOAK them bishes top and bottom, don’t worry about it running off, just spray the chit out them until saturated without any doubt! I looked at the soap, I’ll just stay with the Deadbug concentrate.