Mysterious Symptoms - Wisdom Required

[lucyfur]

i have a garden wide problem that is puzzling. I had a mite infestation recently and i watered the heck out of the garden for about a week to drive up humidity levels. i am not sure if i rotted the roots or not.

important info
•GreenHouse
•lots of ventilation
•dense soil
•super dry climate
•no fertilizer or nutrients
•minimal superthrive floodings
•mite infestation that wont quit
•tobacco plants in the greenhouse
•no ambient light


i had a bunch of super lemon haze clones that have been struggling and going in and out of flowering. its more confusing than than the moon phases. i havent really concerned myself with them much because and i have given up trying to figure out what they are doing. until yesterday
i noticed that all the small flowers turned brown and looked like they were drying and dying.

Now my healthiest plants are getting the same sad symptoms.

I have two tobacco plants that are in the garden and thought perhaps it could be TMV but the tobacco plants are ripping and there are no signature curving/glossy leaves anywhere.

Every plant that is not being destroyed by mites is now drying at the flower and the leaves are curling upward at the edges and tightening. It has all started at the bottom branches and a few of the top branches are still looking good.

Sad Sad days in Lucyfur's garden

 

[GrowGod]

You say you have mites buy what kind? Spider mites russet mites broad mites?
100x scope the brown flowers and see if you have movement. You may have hemp russet mites from your description.

 

[lucyfur]

@GrowGod Thanks for the reply
its spider mites. lots of webs and orange/brown colored buggers with white eggs.

I will get me a microscope and have a look asap.
if it is the russet mites what is a good organic solution?

 

[GrowGod]

@GrowGod Thanks for the reply
its spider mites. lots of webs and orange/brown colored buggers with white eggs.

I will get me a microscope and have a look asap.
if it is the russet mites what is a good organic solution?

Get the scope, 100x magnification, your pics are kind of hard to see but could be russets.
The only organic way I know is death:)

 

[Ned Kelly]

predator mites .

 

[Ned Kelly]

 

[Albatross]

The upturned edges suggest russet? not visible, if you can see webs and others there may be multiple species. Only truly organic solution is predators, only other option is to spray, russets have a reputation for surviving anything less than a full dunk so go heavy on the attack until you are sure they are gone. If you are going to use predators you will want to do multiple large releases, they are very effective as a preventative, much less effective as a treatment, be sure of your prey when you do the russet requires a specific predator, A. cucumeris will feed on russet, Persimilis and N. Californicus will not, you will also want to verify the species will survive in the conditions of the garden, some are only suited to greenhouse, others to outdoors.

 

[lucyfur]

Russet Mite treatment is in full effect. Hopefully the plants will survive to produce enough green matter for tincture and balm. The flowers of most of the plants seem stunted enough that i doubt much flowering will occur.
I am working on the overall process of the garden now and increasing humidity with an electric humidifier and moving the air more with an oscillating fan. I made the mistake of overwatering to compensate for humidity it seems like it could create different problems.

if there are additional suggestions for russet mites i would love to hear.

Right now I sprayed the plants with a combination of 2fl oz Monterey Take Down and 1 cup Garlic Barrier : 2 gallons water.
I will give a slightly stronger brew tomorrow and then give them a couple of days off before i hit them with safer soap.

Give them a few days off and resume the Take Down/Garlic Barrier bath.

Hopefully these combinations will save the lemon haze.

cheers

 

[GrowGod]

Did you scope them yet? Montereys and garlic will do nothing against russets bruh.
The only way to eradicate these is with harsh pesticides and your really just to late at this point.
Predators may help but will NOT eradicate them sorry. It's only a matter of time till your whole garden is taken over.

 

[Albatross]

I agree, pyrethrin, neem, hort oils will do little to nothing to Russets, and will not eliminate the spider mites without repeated applications, does not kill the eggs of either species so with that regiment you are going to have to continue the use well past the appearance of new damage as you are really only holding them at bay, the russets will shake that one off without even a pause, you are looking for things in the class of Avid or stronger, possibly in conjunction with something like Dr. Zyme to weaken them first. If it is going to be effective you have to be thinking along the lines of a prolonged attack with nuclear weapons, what you are using is closer to an m-80, spraying does not result in 100% coverage, fill a 55 gallon and dunk them up to and including the surface of the soil, wait a couple hours then water the soil to wash it through. Increased humidity also means plenty of water for the mites, I seem to have better luck with dryer conditions when treating.

in the long run the chances are slim if they are well established

 

[outwest]

You also mentioned your plants have no nutrients. Pests aside, how do you expect the plants to survive with no nutrients? A starving plant will have no resistance to pests or disease.

outwest

 

[Albatross]

how do you expect the plants to survive with no nutrients?

same way they did before humans started jacking up sterile media with more nutrients than plants can use.
( relevant- Dr. Elaine Ingham, soil food web )

 

[outwest]

how do you expect the plants to survive with no nutrients?

same way they did before humans started jacking up sterile media with more nutrients than plants can use.
( relevant- Dr. Elaine Ingham, soil food web )

Even in the soil food web the plants have nutrients.

outwest

 

[Albatross]

not out of a bottle.... didn't mean to offend, if you are up for a light hearted exchange of perspectives this is how I see it…… just an opinion

Do you consider the statue of David or the current Mr Universe sticking needles in his ass to inflate his pecks to be the better example of a healthy human?
IMO….. a boost using teas and mild blooms is one thing, using sterile medias, jacking plants with gallons of nutrients from various sources plants have not previously had access to, with only %ages in usable form, in rates the plant cant absorb anyway, while putting them in what amounts to a life support scenario is another. I see the words "feed them" used a lot in forums, what they often mean is FORCE feed them, its artificial, like steroids, that can also easily result in a reduction in the plants natural ability to defend itself from attack. And whats more its perpetuated by people that want to sell you more bottles, resulting in buildup in the soil, unstable conditions for the biology, lockouts, deficiencies, ph fluctuations, etc etc, each with their own potential problems...... just as steroid use causes cancer and blows out glands jacking up a plant to make it look like Mr Universe while dealing with potential issue after potential issue is just not my way. While I agree a starving plant is also weakened I was not able recognise any specific evidence of those plants being under fed, and I think overfeeding is the root cause of many issues growers end up dealing with, and while there are plenty of suggestions to treat the symptoms there seems to be little discussion of the reason a species of plant that evolved just fine without us all of a sudden requires human interference to such an extreme degree to achieve its full potential.

Obviously to pull off a process like hydro an adjustment to this view is necessary, but I still think that over feeding of processed nutrients has a similar effect on plants as it does on humans...... who is more likely to get sick, the guy that lives on pizza and Mc Donalds or the guy that eats mostly raw and clean from the coop.

Just an opinion......many ways to skin a cat.

 

[lucyfur]

what tragic news. I wish i could dunk them but the best i have is to hit them with a hudson sprayer until drenched. these things have roots 3' deep in the ground and 1"+ stalks.
With regards to nutrients i should say that i have not added anything to the soil it didn't already have. the soil started out as a combination of tilled earth and 300lbs of black gold potting mix it. It spent 3 years being turned by chickens in the chicken tractor and another 2 years baking in the sun with the quarterly turning. i occasionally throw powdered eggshells and hair from the hair brush into it.

Its tough to clean the area because this is an outdoor environment. I hope that i can reuse the soil and area.
tragic.

anyone experiment with sonic frequencies to control pests?
I wonder if there is a frequency they just cant handle?
Little Bastards.

 

[Albatross]

Ive heard Alanis Morrissette causes them to jump ship and run

 

[lucyfur]

Thank You all for your wisdom. It seems the plants will be little more than stem and leaves this year. I will spray avid next year while they are still vegging and hope i do not see these russet bastards again.
Good luck with your crops.

Asprin water did work amazingly as a mitigation tool. The areas with most damage by the russet mites mostly uncurled looks pretty good. The flowers are obviously not thriving and all the white pistils on the healthiest areas of the plants are turning signature brown without the amazing white bloom that usually follows in a healthy plant. Even the healthiest plants in the garden just look like they want to explode with pistils but nothing is happening. For being a weed these newer strains are tenable to say the least.
I miss the sexy mexy seeds that turned into bushes wherever you emptied the baggie.

 

[We Solidarity]

Those are russet mites, and it's definitely too late to save your crop unfortunately. Best thing you could do would be to kill those plants and burn them in place...keeping those plants around and being around them will only benefit the russet mites and help them spread further.

 

[Fox Farms]

What are better for this case of Russets. Lady bugs vs. Predatory mites. Let's start a good forum for Lady bugs vs predatory mites. Also I'm still not exactly sure what my infestation is.. I have magifted the tan powdery dust.. and I do see moving larva. These photos of this condition have stumped many experts.. I'm looking for someone who knows there cannabis bugs.

 

[Albatross]

"What are better for this case of Russets. Lady bugs vs. Predatory mites. Let's start a good forum for Lady bugs vs predatory mites."

smaller mites can actually ride on ladybugs while being too small for the ladybug to concern itself with......while the ladybug larva feed on some larger species of mite the adults will simply transport Russet and broad mites, they will hitch a ride. very few options, one maybe two, for predators of russets