Who's battling root aphids?!

I have thes e motherfuckers right now .. i am in hydro just noticed them .. i think they came in with some clones i bought damn it..

I have been spraying the roots and the rest of the plant with nemo concentrate when i repot.. they are still here and there but only a few i cant seem to get them all beat down my crop looks great but i see trouble a head...

hey brainfood i wrote ya could ya post a little bit more info ..please


anyone else?????

^Just to let you know how my personal experience has gone, it's gone something like this. So far, I haven't been able to rid my plants of them entirely. Something I will not suggest at this point is doing a root soak the same way I did. I used a pyrethrum based oil concentrate (Take Down) diluted in water and dipped/soaked each and every 4" rockwool cube that had them. It appeared to have killed them all. I did NOT seek a second dunking since it appeared I'd gotten all of them the first time. Obviously, this was not the case. Their eggs must've survived and hatched and I'm still battling this fuckers in my flowering plants. The Take Down dunk may have killed the live fuckers, but it also stunted the root growth, possibly suffocated some of them for a while, but they eventually came back. Do NOT take this same approach if you can't afford the "pause" in growth. (Btw, this is exactly what was a concern from a couple people that posted in the other thread from ICMag that I posted) What I WOULD recommend, is basically using gravity, and large doses of falling nutrient solution throughout the medium you're using. Basically, just FLUSH them out! They don't seem to be affecting my plants as much as I thought they would, but then again who knows? I want them DEAD! I want their kids DEAD! I want their kid's kids DEAD! I want their entire family DEAD! Die fuckers DIE!!!

Other than that, things are going ok in the other stages.

just found this............... HOW TO BATTLE ROOT APHIDS......... good info

Root Aphid Info
Root aphids colonize and suck juices from roots in many mediums including rockwool, “grow rocks”, coco, and soil. If plants
appear to wilt, to have stunted growth, or have unhealthily coloured foliage and lose leaves prematurely, and the normal problems (pH,
over-watering, nutrient levels, etc.) are not responsible, then suspect root aphids. Root aphids are voracious eaters, and are known to
be persistent, so it requires some discipline to eliminate them. Some experts suggest treatment every other day, for a minimum
of six treatments.
Root Aphids are small light green or off-white oval-like creatures with or without wings, which live on the roots of plants. Just like their
counterparts above ground, they feed by sucking sap, but from roots instead of stems or leaves. There are several species of Phemphigus
(root aphids), and unfortunately, when they are feeding in the soil there are few, if any, winged adults around to warn you. Many times
root aphids will apear with or without wings, but in either case will not fly.
Once a problem has been identified with the plants, the first thing growers will notice on the infected root system is the white wax that
looks like snow-flocking covering the infected spot. The affected roots often split. Root aphids tend to build up populations at the edge
of rootballs. Female aphids give live birth to nymphs, and a clustering of aphids builds up on concentrated areas of the root system. Small
populations are not a problem; however, when populations become high, the plants are reduced in vigor.
Azatrol:
After ingesting Azatrol an insect can’t feed. They feel full all the time. The insects cannot shed their skin to molt, and they can’t form a
pupae. Ultimately the insects end up paralyzed and they die. See other ---Info Sheet--- on Azatrol/Patrol for more information.
Azatrol Application Rates:
Start with 1-2 gallons of Reverse Osmosis (purified) water and add Azatrol (1-2 oz. for every 20 gallons in the reservoir.) Mix it well inside
the bucket, and then add the concentrated solution to the reservoir. Mix into your reservoir. Example: In a 20 gallon reservoir one would
mix 1-2 oz. of Azatrol in a separate container of 1-2 gallons of water and then add that concentrate into the reservoir. Mix well.
Use every week in hydro or soil (1-2 oz.to 20 gallons) and then after control is established, maybe every other week as a preventative. We
recommend using with Patrol for an even more lethal combination.
In the reservoir Azatrol may raise the ppms by 100-200 ppms but Azatrol is all OMRI organic stuff and it is not a fertilizer, so it’s not that
big of a deal if the ppms are raised. Every garden is different so monitor your plants and adjust if necessary.
Green light Tree and Shrub Systemic:
Green Light Systemic uses a nicotine derivative to control aphids. It is called imidacloprid and it works. It should be used as a
systemic feeding to plants over time. Ideally start using before population is too Large.
GreenLight Tree and Shrub Systemic Application Rates:
Apply 1 - 3 tsp./ Gal. Soak the roots.
Bonide Systemic:
This is the harshest stuff that we have found. It will kill larvae, root aphids, and just about anything else in the medium. Make sure
you apply, then FLUSH 3-5 hours after application. Apply to one plant first, then apply to rest of garden.
Systemic killer Application Rates:
Mix 1oz. per 10 Gallons of solution or 1/2 oz. per 5 Gal. After application, make sure to FLUSH 4-5 hours later. Repeat as necessary.
Nematodes:
These microscopic worms are pretty awesome. They only effect soft-bellied insects like fungus gnat larvae (no animals - so don’t worry!)
Nematodes get sucked up into the guts of the larvae, and begin to colonize and multiply and multiply and multiply until they finally burst
open the stomach of the larvae (dealing it out a very nasty death) and releasing more nematode colonies into the medium in the process.
Nematode Application Rates:
Apply 1 Million (1 packet) Nematodes per each “grow light” in your grow space. Each packet of nematodes is dropped and mixed into a
1 Gallon container of water (pH as normal) then hand applied to each plant. Then remove sponge and toss into reservoir

just found this............... HOW TO BATTLE ROOT APHIDS......... good info

Root Aphid Info
Root aphids colonize and suck juices from roots in many mediums including rockwool, “grow rocks”, coco, and soil. If plants
appear to wilt, to have stunted growth, or have unhealthily coloured foliage and lose leaves prematurely, and the normal problems (pH,
over-watering, nutrient levels, etc.) are not responsible, then suspect root aphids. Root aphids are voracious eaters, and are known to
be persistent, so it requires some discipline to eliminate them. Some experts suggest treatment every other day, for a minimum
of six treatments.
Root Aphids are small light green or off-white oval-like creatures with or without wings, which live on the roots of plants. Just like their
counterparts above ground, they feed by sucking sap, but from roots instead of stems or leaves. There are several species of Phemphigus
(root aphids), and unfortunately, when they are feeding in the soil there are few, if any, winged adults around to warn you. Many times
root aphids will apear with or without wings, but in either case will not fly.
Once a problem has been identified with the plants, the first thing growers will notice on the infected root system is the white wax that
looks like snow-flocking covering the infected spot. The affected roots often split. Root aphids tend to build up populations at the edge
of rootballs. Female aphids give live birth to nymphs, and a clustering of aphids builds up on concentrated areas of the root system. Small
populations are not a problem; however, when populations become high, the plants are reduced in vigor.
Azatrol:
After ingesting Azatrol an insect can’t feed. They feel full all the time. The insects cannot shed their skin to molt, and they can’t form a
pupae. Ultimately the insects end up paralyzed and they die. See other ---Info Sheet--- on Azatrol/Patrol for more information.
Azatrol Application Rates:
Start with 1-2 gallons of Reverse Osmosis (purified) water and add Azatrol (1-2 oz. for every 20 gallons in the reservoir.) Mix it well inside
the bucket, and then add the concentrated solution to the reservoir. Mix into your reservoir. Example: In a 20 gallon reservoir one would
mix 1-2 oz. of Azatrol in a separate container of 1-2 gallons of water and then add that concentrate into the reservoir. Mix well.
Use every week in hydro or soil (1-2 oz.to 20 gallons) and then after control is established, maybe every other week as a preventative. We
recommend using with Patrol for an even more lethal combination.
In the reservoir Azatrol may raise the ppms by 100-200 ppms but Azatrol is all OMRI organic stuff and it is not a fertilizer, so it’s not that
big of a deal if the ppms are raised. Every garden is different so monitor your plants and adjust if necessary.
Green light Tree and Shrub Systemic:
Green Light Systemic uses a nicotine derivative to control aphids. It is called imidacloprid and it works. It should be used as a
systemic feeding to plants over time. Ideally start using before population is too Large.
GreenLight Tree and Shrub Systemic Application Rates:
Apply 1 - 3 tsp./ Gal. Soak the roots.
Bonide Systemic:
This is the harshest stuff that we have found. It will kill larvae, root aphids, and just about anything else in the medium. Make sure
you apply, then FLUSH 3-5 hours after application. Apply to one plant first, then apply to rest of garden.
Systemic killer Application Rates:
Mix 1oz. per 10 Gallons of solution or 1/2 oz. per 5 Gal. After application, make sure to FLUSH 4-5 hours later. Repeat as necessary.
Nematodes:
These microscopic worms are pretty awesome. They only effect soft-bellied insects like fungus gnat larvae (no animals - so don’t worry!)
Nematodes get sucked up into the guts of the larvae, and begin to colonize and multiply and multiply and multiply until they finally burst
open the stomach of the larvae (dealing it out a very nasty death) and releasing more nematode colonies into the medium in the process.
Nematode Application Rates:
Apply 1 Million (1 packet) Nematodes per each “grow light” in your grow space. Each packet of nematodes is dropped and mixed into a
1 Gallon container of water (pH as normal) then hand applied to each plant. Then remove sponge and toss into reservoir

sorry for the duplicate my connection fucked up and then it resent the info oppps .... laptops

Are those directions something you found on the Azatrol bottle? The Take Down product I used has the same basic ingredient as Azatrol. As I mentioned though, be careful with your dosage because you don't want to suffocate the roots with the oil. IMO, that's as big a deal as killing off the aphids. You don't want to kill the bugs at the expense of the health of your plants. Good find though. If you go that route, let me know how it worked out for you.

Ok look i killed mine off i had them bad so bad. The way i did it was i got safe soap and made a drench with it as the directions say to, I applied it to the top of the cubes and all around on my roots a cup at a time to cover everything.I let it stand for like 2 or so hours. Then i did a good flush and new nutrients. I weighted two days and then added beneficial nematodes. I did this by putting them in one gal of water and then added the beneficial nematodes rinse the sponge good in the bucket and then added one more gal of water and mix. Then one cup at a time to the tops of the cubes slow not to fast let it soak in good. Apply it good to all the cubes and root zone. Dont forget not to over water when you are flooding the tray if you do so you can drowned the beneficial nematodes and use the mix with in 2 hrs of mixing the beneficial nematodes in your bucket. If you knead more info just hit me up. Hope this helps you all out. Sorry if it is a bit scrambled i am pretty baked right now lol.

What are your symptoms? I cant figure out WTF is killing my plants. Halfway thru flower the lower fan leaves start falling off, get real weak, and turn brown/yellow necrotic areas. Ive ruled out bad nutes and bad water. I do have a pretty bad fungus gnat problem. Trying to use BT and Spinosad makes them worse I think, the extra watering, and its only toxic for a few days to the larvae. Really sorry to hijack thread, just wondering if it could be root aphids. I never see anything in the soil. Ive seen just a few orange small bugs crawling that look like tiny aphids or maybe mites. Humidity about 50%, temps 60s-70s.

I put a no pest strip in 3 days ago. Thought it was killing the gnats but now Ive got a ton again. Maybe a new crop, that will die hopefully. Im surprised the no pest strip wont kill the root aphids, and wonder if it kills gnat eggs/larvea/pupae?

Mcgician said:

I can't possibly be the only one that's had to deal with these fuckers. Nobody has a recipe for success? Seriously?

Click to expand...

i had them very small little bugs in my hydroton. white and crawls looks almost like a mite. picture i found said root aphids. try lots of things to kill them nothin seamed to work tried diff solutions in a glass of water pyrethin 2 percent put 8 tbl spoons 2 a gallon killed them in glass. called hydro store said can put in resv with nuts got drip system keeps hydroton wet. also i made a dunk tank and lowered them into pyrethin bath for about half hour each them back to there pots no diff in plants handling it fine.

here's a link to a thread i recently started about them

https://www.rollitup.org/marijuana-plant-problems/321646-root-aphids-zero-tolerance.html

here's what root aphids look like.

I Got rid of them. I wasnt in flower thank god. I used ortho max, 5ml/gal i think. I put it in a sprayer and sprayed the root aphids rights off/ while geting the ortho max into the roots. It was one of the greatst feelings ive ever had. Mass root aphid massacre. Watching them drown in ortho. Fucking root aphids bitchs, I hate you. fuck shit bitch!. And then they were gone. Never had them agian. My plants were fine and Had a beautiful hrvst.

Her's a HUGE and active thread about root aphids/fungus gnats.
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=159960

Sounds like systemics (like the Bayer products) containing IMID are the only real cure, otherwise scrapping all your plants and soil and starting over is you next best bet. Good lick everyone and share your successes and failures so we can all learn!

Has anyone used Spectracide Traizicide Once and Done Insect granules to control root aphids? It contains Gamma Chyalorthrin and non systemic.

Yep, peregrinus; alllllllll too familiar with that thread...
These bastiges completely blindsided my grow.

As an aside, these lil' buggers have been partially responsible for wiping out most of the wine vineyards in France back in the late 1800's and also contributing to the Irish potato famine...

I was on a hunt for all kinds of 'difficiencies' when I found heavy batches of aphids in 4 out of 6 buckets. (RDWC)
I'd missed seeing them for about 3 weeks; they ate good roots and multiplied rapidly.
I used Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Protect and Feed to kill em; contains Imidacloprid @ 1.4%. (Yes, organicos, Imid is a 'chem'...y'allz can chat amongst yaselvz to play 'yay or nay' with Imid...Obtainable at Home Cheapo, even WalMart had it!)
I tossed 50 ml/gal into about 35 gals of nute juice; it did the trick and knocked 98% of the bugs dead.


Only prob was, the bugs had done such damage to the root systems that the grow seemed to be in a 'holding mode'; no growth, no reach...just stunting and with some real pretty blue and yellow leaves...awwwww...I ended up heavily smoking out before I played taps for the grow and trashed it.
Appears to be much simpler to start the whole gig over than sit and wait to see if your plants recover enough to keep growing; they may, but what will the yield be if they've been stunting and fighting aphids for a period of time?
I didn't want more headaches and a higher electricity bill for something not worth the effort expended.

Imid is a systemic additive, and should be used in veg only, as some of the juice will stay in the plants for a bit.

I could be off-base with the following, as I hacked my grow before I could run a second phase of Imid.
What appears to work is: One big dose (ie: my 50ml/gal); let it run for a couple days to knock out the current adults.
Drain the sys and flush for another couple days.
THEN: Add a much smaller amount to the sys along with your nutes to knock out any remaining youngsters that haven't reached full adult stage.
Kind of like running a small amount of H202 throughout the grow to fight off root diseases and such.

From what I've read on the 2 phase handle, it seems to work well, as long as you catch the buggers before they start building a city in your hydroton!

I'll be keeping it in mind once I start my next grow...I'd REALLY like the new one to go full on, start to finish.

Hi All,

Two of my plants are nearing death after a treatment with Imidacloprid to take care of root aphids; the two largest of my 8 plants in my waterfarm 8 pack hydro are now extremely droopy, to the point of dying (I don't know if they are already dead).

I will summarize the details at the end and include pictures (before/ after).

For details please read below. Please help me figure out how this happened and if I can fix my plants, any help will be greatly appreciated!

---------------------------------------
I am fairly new to hydro, I only have one other small hydro grow under my belt in an 8 pack Drip/DWC Waterfarm and luckily during that grow I did not get a case of root aphids, just fungus gnats which I took care of with gnatrol. All of those plants were pretty healthy and did not exhibit any serious problems, so I know it has to be related to this treatment I did. (The Jack Herrer I'm now having trouble with is cloned from the previous hydro grow)

After doing research , I came across user spleebale's post where he states: "I HIGHLY recommend Bayer Total Insect Control at 30-45 mL/gal (equiv to 15-22 mL/gal T&S). At this dose it seems to immediately kill any aphids that cannot quickly fly away.Bayer tree & shrub dosage between 1-5 tsp / gal (4 tsp for heavy dosage, 1 tsp recommended)". I couldn't find any product named "Total Insect Control", and "Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer" had the same ingredients as spleebale described, so I purchased it and assumed it is the same ingredient as spleebale discusses "complete insect killer" in other posts.

I had discovered root aphids in one of my "The White" clones when I was adjusting the height of my airstones in the buckets, and came on ICMag to look up a solution to this problem. The root aphids were quite numerous but seemed to be confined to only one plant, the back left one - I could not find a root aphid in any of the other rootballs.

I decided to drain the entire waterfarm system after the root aphid infection and treat solely with Imidacloprid mixed with RO water and hygrozyme (to clean out the dead bugs & roots) for a day or two, then flush, then feed a lower dose of Imidacloprid mixed in with the regular nute solution.

So, I drained the system, then mixed up a 12 gallon batch of water with Bayer Complete Insect Killer (with Imidacloprid @ .72% and B-Cyfluthrin @ .36%) at 40 mL/gal, so 12*40 = 480 milliliters. I also put in 10 mL/gal of hygrozyme, 120ml and then pH adjusted to 6.0.

The nutrient solution was quite thick, and I stirred it up and it smelled pretty potent. I tested it with an EC meter and it was still at 0 PPM. I then put it into my reservoirs and flooded the waterfarm buckets with the solution, and turned on the drip rings.

When I turned on the airstones in the bucket, the solution bubbled up so much it was like a bubble bath. In the infected plant, I saw tons of dead aphids floating to the surface, so I know the Imid worked and killed them on contact. I had to leave the airstones off because too much of the solution leaked out, I just left the drip rings on. A few of the aphid bastards somehow managed to escape and were crawling away and I crushed them with my finger.

I left the Imid solution running for roughly 22 hours and stopped it early because the two Jack Herrers were starting to get really really droopy, but the rest of the plants didn't look as bad. After this, I flushed it with flora kleen and RO water @ 6.0 pH, 0 PPM. The two JH plants still have continued to get worse and I fear they may die very soon.

These two were the biggest Jack Herrer I had, the other plants in there seem like they are doing much better than these two Jack Herrers, including the "The White" that I discovered with a case of Root Aphids.

-------------------------------------------

Treatment:

I mixed RO water with 40 ml/gal Bayer complete insect killer (with Imidacloprid @ .72% and B-Cyfluthrin @ .36%), 10 ml/gallon Hygrozyme, pH adjusted.

PH: 6.0
PPM: 0

Temps: 80-86
Water Temps: 70-75

-------------------------------------------

I have included pictures with this post from before the Imid treatment, the Imid bubbling up with airstones, and now the droopy plants.

Please help me:
- Figure out how to save these plants if possible
- Why this happened, and how to prevent it again (I plan on treating new clones I get from dispenseries with imid to protect against root aphids)

Thank you so much for any help you can give!

-Blake Oleus

hi guys i just wanted to post about my aphid experience n maybe others can benefit from it. Im using an aero setup with 6 plants which i stupidly bought from a med shop i knew nothing about. First step of battling aphids if you using clones BUY FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE! first week into flowering i noticed little white blotches on some of my leaves i thought it was some kinda magnesium deficiency or something so i did a thorough search of my plants for anything else that was off and noticed some tiny little spider beetle looking things crawling all over the roots of 2 of my plants immediately i knew that was not right ( yes this is my first grow) and researched what it might be turned out to be aphids after further research i found that the quickest and surest way was to use Bayer's tree and shrub which has a high success rate.A lot of people used it in a buncha diff ways which i didnt really like at the time being all paranoid that something was wrong with my ladies. After consulting with a good buddy of mine who has had multiple successful grows i used a 5 gallon bucket of pure tap water and mixed in 35ml of the bayers and dunked in my plant and completely soaked all the roots and shook it around a little as i was doing this i could see the aphids dying! I did this to all 6 of my plants although only 2 showed signs of aphids i have no idea what was in the hydro balls( which is my medium btw) Then i measured 45ml of bayers and put it in my reservoir ( 10gal) and let it sit for a couple days. 2 days later i flushed the system refilled it with fresh tap water let that sit then 2 days after that i put in pure water along with my neuts and im happy to say my ladies are now aphid free i havent seen a sign of them since.O btw im growing pure power plant.

When I first posted this thread, I'd hoped I'd never have to deal with these fuckers ever again, but somehow they returned. They've been quarantined in the veg room, and are only on the blackberry kush plants I have now. They're teens and just are ready to start flowering now, but I won't put them in 12/12 until I know they're gone for good.

What I've tried so far:

Take Down- Works relatively well, but doesn't kill them all unless you continue using it for their entire life cycle. (around 7 days) Also, the oil content stunts root and overall plant growth. Will not use it again.

SNS 202 (?)- Worthless, didn't work well at all.

Monterey Garden Spray with Spinosad- Equally worthless as SNS product, and also has a big oil content similar to Take Down.

Azatrol- Totally worthless, didn't appear to slow them down one bit.

Ortho Max "Bug B Gone"- Finally!!! Success!! Having done my bit to stay organic as much as possible with the pesticides and it not working, I decided to the nuclear option. It worked. 2 nights ago I applied it to the nutrient solution at a rate of 3 ml/gallon and dunked each cube in the mild, ph adjusted nutrient solution and replaced them back onto their growing tray. It appeared to work somewhat well, but didn't appear to eradicate them entirely. At this point, I decided to add Ortho Max at a rate of 6 ml/gallon to their regular nutrient solution, flooded the tray, and when I checked back the next day, TOTAL DEVASTATION. I will continue using it for another few days in case any of their eggs haven't been killed yet, then do a flush and replacement of new nutrient solution. This method so far has been the only thing that's worked, and will be the only method I use in the future if I'm so unlucky as to have to deal with those little fuckers again. Be aware though the product is systemic for 6 weeks and should only be used if your plants are still in the vegetative phase or they have longer than 6 weeks of flowering to go. You don't want to be ingesting poison, so this is not to be taken lightly.

I bought a brand new bag a hydroton and saw those little fuckers crawling around the bag....I didn't know what they were but I figured if they were surviving in a brand new bag of rocks so they must not eat plants to survive.....Big mistake, my conspiracy theory is that they(hydrofarm/NGW) or other big distributors are putting bugs in our mediums to get us to buy more shit to fix our problems..
I used 1.6 oz of azatrol per gallon and that seemed to slow them down alot but they are def still there and it might have stunted my plants. I just tried greenlight 1oz per gallon...heavy dose it seems but the bottle was very vague. If this doesn't work its back to square on with new cuts..

oh yeah, and I used SNS 203 and gognats as well and they did not do shit.