So just ignore my soil mites?

Are soil mites worth getting rid of?

  • yes

    Votes: 3 100.0%

  • no

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    3
zen.garden

zen.garden

Member
I keep a very clean organized grow and generally the last thing I would want to do is just leave a mite infestation of any type to get worse. in my area spider mites generally fuck off and die after a good sulfur burn, some neem, and a week or so outside on my deck where there are few bugs (or in winter, a day or two here and there when it's nice enough) + a solid pruning including a very thorough lolypoping.. I deal with them about once a year, and have just grown accustomed to this practice. my fungus gnat problem has become extremely minimal over the years as I learned to deal with that to. I just like to take care of these problems before they become a nuisance. This year, I'm dealing with a new type of fucking pesky little pin point sized bug, however 99% of info on the internet says they are harmless and partially beneficial. I considered putting a lair of sand over my soil just so I wouldn't have to look at them, but If I just left them would it really be that big of an issue? there is lots of them, but I haven't found 1 on my plant and I really haven't found much info saying they do much more than clean shit up and break shit down... were I to simply ignore them (i'm 8 weeks into veg) does anyone know of any problems this could cause for me? and does anyone have any info regarding the benefits of putting about 3/4 of an inch of sand at the top of my pot? I've heard it's a solution to fungus gnats and soil mold to... any help is appreciated.
 
Allan421

Allan421

Well-Known Member
zen.garden said:
I keep a very clean organized grow and generally the last thing I would want to do is just leave a mite infestation of any type to get worse. in my area spider mites generally fuck off and die after a good sulfur burn, some neem, and a week or so outside on my deck where there are few bugs (or in winter, a day or two here and there when it's nice enough) + a solid pruning including a very thorough lolypoping.. I deal with them about once a year, and have just grown accustomed to this practice. my fungus gnat problem has become extremely minimal over the years as I learned to deal with that to. I just like to take care of these problems before they become a nuisance. This year, I'm dealing with a new type of fucking pesky little pin point sized bug, however 99% of info on the internet says they are harmless and partially beneficial. I considered putting a lair of sand over my soil just so I wouldn't have to look at them, but If I just left them would it really be that big of an issue? there is lots of them, but I haven't found 1 on my plant and I really haven't found much info saying they do much more than clean shit up and break shit down... were I to simply ignore them (i'm 8 weeks into veg) does anyone know of any problems this could cause for me? and does anyone have any info regarding the benefits of putting about 3/4 of an inch of sand at the top of my pot? I've heard it's a solution to fungus gnats and soil mold to... any help is appreciated.
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I think it will be important to know exactly what kind of bug it is. They sure move fast. I can't see their shape though.
 
outlier

outlier

Well-Known Member
Post some pics of the bugs if you can. If it's something like aphids, you'll want deal with it ASAP.
 
K

KryptoBud

Well-Known Member
Sounds like spring tails. If thats what they are, they're harmless. I don't think sand will help, they like moisture your best bet is letting your soil dry more between waterings.
 
zen.garden

zen.garden

Member
They were definitely springtails. I had yellow ones on my leaves outside, and brown ones in my soil inside. The indoor plants 'springtail' population died on it's own for whatever reason, which was good because they were extremely numerous and fast.... the outdoor ones don't respond to insecticidal soap, but don't seem to be damaging the plant and definitely eat each other... I just don't want them in my bud during flower, but i'l hopefully get rid of them before then somehow. growing right by my compost bins may have contributed to this. that and heavy rain lately.
 
K

KryptoBud

Well-Known Member
zen.garden said:
They were definitely springtails. I had yellow ones on my leaves outside, and brown ones in my soil inside. The indoor plants 'springtail' population died on it's own for whatever reason, which was good because they were extremely numerous and fast.... the outdoor ones don't respond to insecticidal soap, but don't seem to be damaging the plant and definitely eat each other... I just don't want them in my bud during flower, but i'l hopefully get rid of them before then somehow. growing right by my compost bins may have contributed to this. that and heavy rain lately.
Click to expand...
I don't think they live on the leaves. I'm not an expert on them, but you should make sure what they are before they do cause damage. I had a shit load of them when i first started growing. They would be in the runoff trays by the hundreds jumping around looked like a freshly poured glass of coca cola. I never seen one on a plant. I don't know if you've ever dealt with thrips they're yellow and as babies have a similar body shape of a springtail, but definately damage plants.They leave tiny white/silver specks on the leaves and adults fly. Good luck getting rid of them what ever they are. I wouldn't want them in my bud either.
 
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