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Mites.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Coir
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Mites.

Coir 56 Replies 7,466 Views
Page 3 of 3 · Replies 41–57 of 57
#41
Coir said:
Hypoaspis miles for fungus gnats FTW! They are all that I use. First thing I do before I plant out the greenhouse slabs is to put a tablespoon of them onto each one. They last all season and you never have to worry about gnats being an issue. They work in soil, coir, rockwool, and other soilless mediums. For water culture, there are some better alternatives.
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Fungus gnats haven't been am issue since I found hypoaspis mites in my garden...not sure where they came from but happy to have em :) they also make fast work of thrips too
 
#42
Seamaiden said:
Thanks for the link. ;) I happen to have permanent populations of spider mites in every toyon we have on our property, so this is useful. If I can find a good 'tode for dealing with the fungus gnats...? Aaahhhhhh.....
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Plant Cleanse per the maintenance on the bottle. Mites wont wanna come nears ur plants. Wont ever run into mildew either, i'd also use the Vital Rinse it's pretty damn good stuff.. skunk labs horticulture they have other stuff too but havent tried em.
 
#43
Thanks Gifted0ne. Is that organic, approved for organic production? Also, does it come in bulk sizes? Right now I've found some good looking bug netting that would solve several problems; no moths that lay bud caterpillars (I think they're white moths, don't know the species) that ruin the very best, top colas, no more weed seeds from the thistles that grow around me, no birds will be able to get to the plants and thus, no more spider mites on the OD girls again.

That said, SMs have never given me the headaches fungus gnats do. Or root aphids. <sigh>
 
#44
Seamaiden said:
Thanks Gifted0ne. Is that organic, approved for organic production? Also, does it come in bulk sizes? Right now I've found some good looking bug netting that would solve several problems; no moths that lay bud caterpillars (I think they're white moths, don't know the species) that ruin the very best, top colas, no more weed seeds from the thistles that grow around me, no birds will be able to get to the plants and thus, no more spider mites on the OD girls again.

That said, SMs have never given me the headaches fungus gnats do. Or root aphids. <sigh>
Click to expand...
Hypoaspis eat fungus gnat larvae, root aphids, thrip larvae, and pretty much anything else that spends time in the root zone. In your climate, once you had a well established population, you probably wouldn't have to worry about all those nasty bugs ever again!
 
#45
Seamaiden said:
Thanks Gifted0ne. Is that organic, approved for organic production? Also, does it come in bulk sizes? Right now I've found some good looking bug netting that would solve several problems; no moths that lay bud caterpillars (I think they're white moths, don't know the species) that ruin the very best, top colas, no more weed seeds from the thistles that grow around me, no birds will be able to get to the plants and thus, no more spider mites on the OD girls again. <sigh>
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According to the site they sell Plant Cleanse & Vital Rinse by "gallon only" on there main website says smaller sizes arent practical and larger are likely to be mixed improperly. So it seems like something u'd shake real well before use. Took away my mildew for sure hasnt come back yet, and mites are gone, i been spraying it every few days though just to be safe. found it on amazon and ebay also. As far as organic is say non toxic and labeled as vegetable wash so check it out urself skunklabshc.com

how do u get images to work here
 
#46
There may be some issues uploading for the moment, with the new server and all. How are you trying to upload, via computer or smartphone? Make sure your browsers are up to date, that usually resolves folks' problems.
 
#47
I had a mild case (caught very early on)of two-spotted mites & I researched what worked & what could or didn't so I decided to get predatory mites. They had a buffet with them! I was so involved with their process that I spent countless hours watching a few devour the mites. It was the best invest, although a little pricey, I've made & am spider-mite free for bout a year now I think.
I know it could be tougher if the infestation is severe so early detection is vital & key. As preventative care, I inspect leaves from bottom, middle, & top of each plant w/60x & 100x loupe every 2 weeks. Can be very time consuming for larger gardens but I only have 5 - 10 plants combined (veg & flower) at any one time so it's fine for me. Besides I love spending quality time in my garden ;)
 
#48
ElManiaco said:
I had a mild case (caught very early on)of two-spotted mites & I researched what worked & what could or didn't so I decided to get predatory mites. They had a buffet with them! I was so involved with their process that I spent countless hours watching a few devour the mites. It was the best invest, although a little pricey, I've made & am spider-mite free for bout a year now I think.
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I tried this with not much success, anyways how did u get the predatory mites off the buds that were harvested to smoke. or u just smoke them.
 
#49
IIRC, @Coir has been observing them under scope for quite a while, and reports that they move off the bud in search of more mites, and if you think about it that does make sense. Perhaps it was the species you were using..?
 
#50
Gifted0ne said:
I tried this with not much success, anyways how did u get the predatory mites off the buds that were harvested to smoke. or u just smoke them.
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The key to using the predators is releasing a LOT more of them than you have of the bad bug. Once they run out of food, the migrate in search of something to eat. They have no interest in staying on the plants if there is nothing to eat so it will be hard to find one if there is no food left for them which is the goal. If you manage to catch them before you are too far into flower the finished buds should be clean. If you have webs all over your flowers then it's pretty much a lost cause and should never have gotten to that point in the first place.
 
#51
Agreed, they simply move off or die off without their food sources. Early detection is key, extreme infestations need severe measures that require scrapping & starting from scratch... After first sterilizing, bombing , etc., the room(s) of course. Hope you get it sorted out. Peace
 
#54
Nice thread Coir. Perhaps I can get a little help here identifying some critters in my garden. I have been growing for about a year, so I am fairly green. I haven't had to deal with pests before and I am mighty freaked out about these little creepy crawlers I have been finding. I grow in coco and air pots. About a week ago when I went to remove some dead leaves that had dropped off the plant into the pots I noticed tiny little specs moving all over it. I busted out my 30x handscope and threw the leaves on a small tray. Sprayed the dead leaves with rubbing alcohol to kill the little bastards for a closer look. They moved pretty fast when they were alive so I needed to slow them down. They were very small, so at 30x it was still hard to make out the details. I took some pics anyways and headed up to the local grow store for some advice. I was told they were most likely root aphids, so I went home and cried in a dark room. Not really, but that is what I felt like doing. Instead I sucked it up, threw out some yellow sticky traps, and prepared to wage war. Knowing your enemy is keen in battle, so I decided before I started to make sure I properly identify these creepy crawlers. I dug out my other handscope with 100x magnification and went on a bug hunt. I started with the plant I found them in. I cut open the side of the 3g bag to look at the roots. I couldn't really see any on the roots, but I noticed they were crawling all over the bottom of the bag on the outside. They were really hard to see with the naked eye. I had to get a bright light and put my face inches away to even see them, and then it was only their movement that made me aware of them. I went back into the veg room and looked at the bottom of all the other pots, and sure enough, there they were. On every pot. Crawling around the bottoms, underside, and in the drainage trays. I don't really see them on the plants at all. I haven't notice anything too out of the ordinary with my plants. They look healthy except for a slight leaf curl on some fan leaves, the serrated part of the leaf edge is folded up. Upon closer inspection they appear to be some sort of mite. I will post the best pic I have of them. Please help me identify them so I can take the proper action.
 

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#55
DwnRvrRat said:
Nice thread Coir. Perhaps I can get a little help here identifying some critters in my garden. I have been growing for about a year, so I am fairly green. I haven't had to deal with pests before and I am mighty freaked out about these little creepy crawlers I have been finding. I grow in coco and air pots. About a week ago when I went to remove some dead leaves that had dropped off the plant into the pots I noticed tiny little specs moving all over it. I busted out my 30x handscope and threw the leaves on a small tray. Sprayed the dead leaves with rubbing alcohol to kill the little bastards for a closer look. They moved pretty fast when they were alive so I needed to slow them down. They were very small, so at 30x it was still hard to make out the details. I took some pics anyways and headed up to the local grow store for some advice. I was told they were most likely root aphids, so I went home and cried in a dark room. Not really, but that is what I felt like doing. Instead I sucked it up, threw out some yellow sticky traps, and prepared to wage war. Knowing your enemy is keen in battle, so I decided before I started to make sure I properly identify these creepy crawlers. I dug out my other handscope with 100x magnification and went on a bug hunt. I started with the plant I found them in. I cut open the side of the 3g bag to look at the roots. I couldn't really see any on the roots, but I noticed they were crawling all over the bottom of the bag on the outside. They were really hard to see with the naked eye. I had to get a bright light and put my face inches away to even see them, and then it was only their movement that made me aware of them. I went back into the veg room and looked at the bottom of all the other pots, and sure enough, there they were. On every pot. Crawling around the bottoms, underside, and in the drainage trays. I don't really see them on the plants at all. I haven't notice anything too out of the ordinary with my plants. They look healthy except for a slight leaf curl on some fan leaves, the serrated part of the leaf edge is folded up. Upon closer inspection they appear to be some sort of mite. I will post the best pic I have of them. Please help me identify them so I can take the proper action.
Click to expand...
Hard to tell from that picture but if they are crawling around the bottoms of the bags and in the drainage trays, they might be these:
If so, you should be doing the happy dance rather than crying in a dark room!
If they are a different mite then I am not sure what they are without being able to see them better.
Most bad plant mites will be on the leaves unless they are something like this: https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/bulb-mites-wtf.59532/
but they don't appear to be bulb mites from the length of the legs/body shape.
 
#56
I will try to snap a few more pictures tonight. I can't promise they will be much better though, since I was holding my phone up to the handscope to take the picture. Thanks for the quick response. I was hesitant to do anything without identifying these creepy crawlers because if they are beneficial I would rather leave them be than wage war.
 
#57
Like this thread coir. just called those dudes and looking forward to a feelgood solution to my spider mite problem. and also some preventatives - i'd be alright living the rest of my life without ever seeing a root aphid again, for example.
 
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