Mites in the rootzone

[medicalmj]

Update: I have no more mites in the rootzone! Here's what they looked like under scope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_Sa7x1AxeU
My hypothesis is that they were indeed fungus/mold/bacteria feeders. And nothing would kill them. I made a ACT(aerated compst tea) and drenched and added to res. Under a scope I noticed that the tea not only had a diverse microganisms but also free living nematodes, which also feed on fungus/etc. Seems the nems along w everything elase created their own ecosystem that eliminated the mites. Crazy. Now I am innoculating w tea but not running in res. I used the progress earth 3 part brew your own tea mix and added mycorrhizae. Stuff rocks!

 

[michigan.mmma]

medicalmj - glad to hear you got rid of your problem!

the mites in my rootzone look different from the ones in the youtube videos you refer to. i tried ACT many times on my coco plants and it didnt phase these at all.

an update on my garden: i have been able to keep the gnat population down to a normal level and the plants still have the same damage as before. You can see some pics of mine in this thread where there are literally hundreds of gnat larvae all over the outside and inside my airpots. I thought maybe they were part of the problem but like i said there are no larvae on the outside of the pots, a very small amount of gnats in general in veg or flowering area, and the plant damage is the same as before. this leads me to believe these mites are causing all the damage. they are only located on the rootzone and when the plant is at the end of its life there are hardly any roots left at all.

 

[medicalmj]

medicalmj - glad to hear you got rid of your problem!

the mites in my rootzone look different from the ones in the youtube videos you refer to. i tried ACT many times on my coco plants and it didnt phase these at all.

an update on my garden: i have been able to keep the gnat population down to a normal level and the plants still have the same damage as before. You can see some pics of mine in this thread where there are literally hundreds of gnat larvae all over the outside and inside my airpots. I thought maybe they were part of the problem but like i said there are no larvae on the outside of the pots, a very small amount of gnats in general in veg or flowering area, and the plant damage is the same as before. this leads me to believe these mites are causing all the damage. they are only located on the rootzone and when the plant is at the end of its life there are hardly any roots left at all.

Don't underestimate the damage FG can cause. Not only do they feed on roots, they're vectors for other root problems. 1 flier can mean 100 ready to hatch, or already hatched and eating roots. I would nuke em. If you're at least 45 days out Imid will knock em down. I did Imid, azamax, pylon, azamax drenches w/in a 2.5 week period and I have 0. So Pylon is a miticide (also kills fungus gnats tho), which probably contributed to mite demise. If you have mites and are really concerned, that might be an option, but it $400 pint. Also, with a 20x mites look like the pics, not until you get to higher x that they start lookin pretty strange.

GL

 

[mcfly420]

i notice these clear/white mites sometimes when algae/biofilm? is present and the moisture levels are stable. Cant find pics of any mites with such long strands? from the rear besides the dust/storage mites. Plants seem unnaffected

 

[mcfly420]

http://old.padil.gov.au/pbt/index.php?q=node/23&pbtID=184

This is what I think they are- Mould mite (Tyrophagus putrescentiae)

How often are you hand watering at the different stages of growth/container sizes and did your DWC have a float valve?

 

[Norkali]

Maybe it's because I skimmed through the thread.....but I am so damn confused right now as to what/how many different pests have been positively identified in this thread.

Time for a second read through.....but I already know that I don't want to have to battle another fucking growroom invader.....ugh, and I'm trying to kick a small bout of fungus gnats at the moment too....hopefully they really are FG and not some other satan-spawn.

 

[medicalmj]

Yes there is much confusion about soil mites. And the reason is that in 1m^3 of forest soil you will find no less than 200 species of soil mites. I had at least two species of mites that I identified. The following is a Histiomatidae mite. Notice the mouth parts and the fast moving feeder part. The other mite was an Oribatid mite. There are 1200 species of Oribatid mites in North America. Many mites are found in the Canadian peat bogs, which live in moist areas. And they can go into a state of "suspended animation." These mites are all fungus, algea, and dead matter eaters. If you have mold growing all over the place they could be a type of mould mite, by not as likely as these other types, which are going to be in all soil and soilless mix containing peat. One of the very few bad mites that you "mite" encounter will be the bulb mite. That's trouble. Greenhouses will use hot water drenches to treat as nothing on market listed to treat. Steam injection or solarization of soil is common in areas where bulb mites are dectected.

This mite is almost too small to see w naked eye and will be clear, whiteish under 20x lope. Looks dark at 100x -400x tho.

http://www.youtube.com/watch.?v=1_Sa7x1AxeU

 

[mcfly420]

no visible mold here, just algae and no soil/peat

T. putrescentiae is saprophagous or mycetophagous and known to feed on decaying organic material in soils and on products stored under poor conditions.
This species also feeds on different fungi including moulds (Eutorium and Penicillium), Fusarium, Alternaria, Geotrichum, Mucor and Trichophyton (Bahrami et al. 2007).
Bilgrami & Tahseen (1992) report that T. putrescentiae feed on nematodes and other microorganisms in culture, including Acrobeloides, Cephalobus, Rhabditis, Panagrellus and predaceous nematodes Mononchus aquaticus, Monochoides fortidens, M. longicaudatus, Dorylaimus stagnalis and Aquatides thornei.

 

[CuriousJorge]

Hey y'all,

I realize this thread is over a year old, but I just found these bastards in my garden and the symptoms are exactly as described here. Nothing has killed them, but I was attacking RAs, thinking these were the same beast in a different phase. turns out they are bulb mites. Just wondering if anyone had any success eradicating them, and what methods worked. I can't believe I've gotten something harder to kill than RAs! I've attached a photo of the pest, just so nobody insists they are RAs

 

[medicalmj]

Hey y'all,

I realize this thread is over a year old, but I just found these bastards in my garden and the symptoms are exactly as described here. Nothing has killed them, but I was attacking RAs, thinking these were the same beast in a different phase. turns out they are bulb mites. Just wondering if anyone had any success eradicating them, and what methods worked. I can't believe I've gotten something harder to kill than RAs! I've attached a photo of the pest, just so nobody insists they are RAs

No pesticide you can buy today will kill soil mites. Hypoaspis Miles is about your only hope as they eat all stages of other mites including the bulb mite.

But do you really have bulb mites and if so are they eating and damaging your roots. The bulb mite is in all types of soil evrywhere around the world. They can survive off basically anything, but don't thrive until they find their preferred host, tuberous, bulbous roots. That's not to say they won't munch on your roots, but research indicates they don't cause economic damage to non bulbous plants.

Your pic has some resemblance to a bulb mite but it also looks like several different sp of Oribatid mites, which do not eat roots and for which there are 1200 species in North America alone. Interestingly, bulb mites and other soil mites are attracted to plant pathogens like pythium and fusarium. This opens a whole new can of worms.

Regardless of what mite, you need to find out what they are eating and eliminate the food source, or at least determine what they are after. They show up to feed on a variety of things like fungus, bacteria, mold, decaying matter, organic matter, etc. If they are bulb mites then you also must have issues since they are attracted to root pathogens, which I believe is what is really causing your problems. And again, all research indicates that the bulb mite alone does not cause economic harm to non-bulbous plants.

I have countless hours watching mites that look like yours guys under a scope and they didn't feed roots, rather they walked along the root cleaning up the bacteria and/or fungus on the root. This could have helped spread disease however.

In conclusion, I suggest treating with something like Actinovate, which is Streptomyces lydicus, to address any root pathogens and then apply the predator mite Hypoaspis Miles to attack the mites.

 

[CuriousJorge]

Thanks for the reply! I suppose I can't be positive that these guys are not Oribatid mites, since I don't know what all 1200 species look like. The thing that makes me doubt it is that the information I've found on Oribatid mites says they don't breed quickly, and the little guys I have showed up in massive numbers seemingly overnight. I am certain that they come around when there are already problems (mine being rotting roots due to Root Aphids). I've decided to start fresh and am undergoing a massive cleaning process before bringing anything new in. I intend to innoculate new soil with Nematodes, Met 52 and Botanigard to fight the RAs, and I'm wondering if I should introduce H. Miles from the beginning, or if they might eat my beneficial nematodes, allowing RAs to take hold? Any thoughts?

 

[Granger2]

Yes, that's what I'm wondering too, Jorge. Also will the Hypoaspis Mites go after beneficial nematodes? And will Met52/botanigard/OGBioWar hurt the Hypoaspis Mites. Are the worms in the video nematodes? And are the mites eating them? This is getting interesting. Thanks, medicamj for the info and video. -granger

 

[medicalmj]

Good point on the slower growth rates of Oribatid. I suggested in a thread by frankobud this week that "I suspect many mites we see are from the Histiotomatidae family". Histiotomatidae are from the Astigmatid order (unranked).

Astigmatids have shorter life spans and breed much quicker. The Oribatids breed indirectly by collecting sperm that was previously deposited in/on the soil/media. Astigmatids perform direct copulation.

There's no important reason to ID the mites as either Astigmatid or Oribatid. They're just soil mites and generally don't themselves pose a problem. The concern, which I repeat like a broken record, is why are they there in large numbers.

 

[CuriousJorge]

There's no important reason to ID the mites as either Astigmatid or Oribatid. They're just soil mites and generally don't themselves pose a problem. The concern, which I repeat like a broken record, is why are they there in large numbers.

I see what you're saying. If I can manage to keep the RAs away, the Mites will have no reason to be there. Which I believe to be true. If I can keep the RAs away and the roots healthy, they will likely not take hold and, that's my goal. Pest-free!

However, most of the information I read about bulb mites states that they will eat the healthy roots at times, but I can't find any info on whether or not they have been found to eat the roots of my specific plants.

"Bulb mites are considered secondary arthropod pests commonly associated with decaying plant matter as a result of damage caused by fungus gnat larvae or soil-borne root pathogens. However, bulb mites will feed on the roots and below ground structures of certain plants."

All I know is that I see them in bunches hanging out on the healthy white roots, and that makes me incredibly suspicious. With my last round, I continued to see these guys long after the last RA was seen and my girls continued to suffer all the way through to the end.

 

[superstink1]

i found some older pics from when i was in DWC. this strain was good in veg but 3-4 weeks of flower and it went to shit.
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=38913&pictureid=920046&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=38913&pictureid=920049&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=38913&pictureid=920048&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=38913&pictureid=920047&thumb=1]View Image[/url]

in dwc the ph was 5.5-5.8 in veg and 5.8-6.0 in flower.

Hi i know your post is many years ago..unfortunately these nasty buggers dont seem to go away.
im dealing with exactly the same bugs likes yourself.i am in a i flood drain iws system, rooted in rockwool then on to pebbles.i see these same spiders.i was told they are root aphids however i am not sure.im hoping you habe resolved your issue and would be kind enough to shed some light on what this bug is and how to eliminate it.

 

[medicalmj]

Hi i know your post is many years ago..unfortunately these nasty buggers dont seem to go away.
im dealing with exactly the same bugs likes yourself.i am in a i flood drain iws system, rooted in rockwool then on to pebbles.i see these same spiders.i was told they are root aphids however i am not sure.im hoping you habe resolved your issue and would be kind enough to shed some light on what this bug is and how to eliminate it.

It's probably (need to see pic) one of thousands of species of soil mites that feed on fungus, bacteria or decaying matter. Note the lack of root feeding here. But also notice what they eat! Once a DWC or any recirculating system gets infected with bad bacteria you will always, and I repeat always have these guys show up to feed on the decaying matter left behind or to eat the bacteria/fungus itself.

My RDWC got infected a few years ago. The soil mites were crawling all over the insides on the bucket, on the roots on the cubes, in the hydroton, they were freaking everywhere! I tried to kill em to no avail. So I ditched the RDWC and went to a DTW coco in smart pots. No more soil mites. No more fade and shitty results!

Note: it's not the soil mites, its the infection causing failure.

 

[superstink1]

Thank you for your reply.
unfortunately i do not have any pictures as i have just finished and dismantled every thing.
i did however find a you tube clip displaying these buggers in action.if you type in " little white spiders" posted by "holesticselfhealing" its a 37 second footage of them in action.thats exactly what i have got.
i have been researching loads and iv narrowed it down to the latin name of " Hypoaspis miles" , its basicaly what you described.apparently they are no harm to the plant itself as they live of springtails and fungus nats.
I too have tried every method to remove them but the buggers are nook proof lol.
so my question is, are they any harm to the plant?
as like i memtioned i have just finished and my plants have never looked better..
my concern is they are now in my cuttings..
so im a little wery....
help much appriciated..

 

[Escape4csk]

I would like to know if anyone ever found a solution? I work with an RDWC commercial grow in oklahoma that has developed a pest very similar if not exact to this root mite listed above. We have tried many things to get rid of them including clone, dip clones in 4% h2o2 then. 375 ml of cleanse (hypochloris acid) then root and move to a freshly cleaned and sanitized room. Within a few weeks they are back, despite the precautions we use to visit clean spaces first, and fresh scrubs and shoes we change in when entering the facility. Also, we wear boot covers, gloves spray shoes and gloves with alcohol and have sticky mats at each rooms entry point. At this point we have decided to reset the facility. Clean it out. Fumigate, and start again. I would love to know if anyone has any recommendations based on their experience if any with this pest. Thanks!

 

[Creeperpark]

i found some older pics from when i was in DWC. this strain was good in veg but 3-4 weeks of flower and it went to shit.


in dwc the ph was 5.5-5.8 in veg and 5.8-6.0 in flower.

This plant had too much calcium in the water.

 

[Creeperpark]

I would like to know if anyone ever found a solution? I work with an RDWC commercial grow in oklahoma that has developed a pest very similar if not exact to this root mite listed above. We have tried many things to get rid of them including clone, dip clones in 4% h2o2 then. 375 ml of cleanse (hypochloris acid) then root and move to a freshly cleaned and sanitized room. Within a few weeks they are back, despite the precautions we use to visit clean spaces first, and fresh scrubs and shoes we change in when entering the facility. Also, we wear boot covers, gloves spray shoes and gloves with alcohol and have sticky mats at each rooms entry point. At this point we have decided to reset the facility. Clean it out. Fumigate, and start again. I would love to know if anyone has any recommendations based on their experience if any with this pest. Thanks!

Have you tried nematodes?