HELP ME identify these Mites on my Steem OG!
Don't get me wrong - I'm not anti-mite. I believe in equality - I'm not speciesist! There are plenty of really nice mites out there, and they're people too, etc etc.
And I'm aware that some mites are beneficial (soil conditioning, fungus breakdown, etc). These guys could be here to help me. I had something similar in my last crop's soil, and it didn't appear to do any harm.
But come on, look at that thing. It's like a tiny crab or something. Yuck.
I noticed them a couple weeks ago but there weren't many of them, and they weren't on the plants, so I decided to 'wait and see'. I've given the plants NO water in the past several days, really letting the soil dry out.
I waited. Now I see:
They're walking around on the soil, the pots, and sometimes even the plants. I haven't seen them doing anything to the plants. They seem to be exploring. They don't stop on the plant anywhere, and most of the time there's none on the plants.
They are white, or slightly off-white. There don't seem to be any further adult stages - these seem to be the adults. They're not larva of gnats or flies, for example. And they really don't have the body shape of thrips. I think they're mites.
They're intelligent, in that they notice when I try and squash them, going into a panic and running from my finger. Their movement is somewhat ant-like. They don't appear to be able to fly or jump, but they can walk pretty fast for something so tiny. They're the size of a fleck of dust.
There is NO webbing. I've dealt with spider mites before, and I know they're in the area, but these aren't them, which is nice.
Still, what are they? If they continue to multiply, will they start to be a problem for the plants? If so, what are some completely natural (and inexpensive) solutions? (Don't suggest neem!)
I'm thinking diatomaceous earth.
Also, I could take the plants out of the soil, wash their roots under cool fresh water, and replant them in sterile pots with fresh soil. The plants are 5 weeks from seeds, indoor organic, 20 hours of light per day.
I'd love some help identifying them so I can make an informed decision about how to proceed. Thanks everybody!
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A lot of my favourite people are mites.
Still, it would make me feel better if they weren't sometimes walking around on the plants.
Even indoors, plants need living soil. These mites may be innocent. I hope so.
I have yet to run across any problems with bugs. But I would say just watch out for them under your leaves. If your not getting any spots then there probably the good kind.
No spots, no webs, no mites dwelling on the plants for long.
It's just that there are a lot of them. I hoped by drying things out they would suffer but they don't seem to care. The plants aren't wilting yet so I'll keep them dry for now.
Do you know if the soils you use have diatomaceous earth in their mixture?
I’ll find out.
Cool, danks.
Either way, I'm on the hunt for some diatomaceous earth. From what I know it can't hurt anything. It helps with aeration and holding moisture. Really messes with most mites. Doesn't affect the plant directly, just improves the soil.
Sorry didn't get back to you soon. So my soil or soil mix does not have that. But hey like you said, why not get some. Being pro active is not a bad thing.
Another tip, is to have a fan blowing on soil. Just keep an eye on it drying out to fast. But Your plants look great, and the previous ones did too, so I would say it is benign. Happy growing!
Okay, I'll treat them as innocent until proven guilty for now, but I'm still going to get some of the diatomaceous earth. Thanks again!
I’ve been really fortunate with bugs. Only gnats, which there not bad but the larva is. However the other day I took my loupe and looked at a bud and saw a worm like creature. It was only one. So I’m not tripping. I suppose I should take a peak tonight and see if I have a problem. Even so I’m not going to spray anything. Wanna hear something funny? So I haven’t sprayed anything for a long time, and I have zero white mildew!! I’m starting to suspect I did way more harm by spraying, not counting that stuff is no good, but I was the one creating white mold!! So funny
That's very interesting, I bet you could work it up into a useful post if you wanted.
Good!