soil mites that dont eat plants???

iHearAll

iHearAll

Well-Known Member
so i'm getting soil mites that dont seem to care about my plants but love my soil. i read up on another grower's experience with them to which he/she claimed that the soil mites rid him of his fungus gnat problem. anyway, these guys are pin head size and pretty much tan colored. I fear they may be chiggers but i have not spent enough time sitting in my grow room to see if they willl nibble on my flesh. and i dont plan on trying.

QUESTION IS:

should i try and exterminate them?? they dont seem to be bothered by neem oil. i used an alcohol solution previously and that did a number on them but i have to be extra careful not to let the spray touch the leaves b/c it fries them.
 
Chiggers...........ug. I hope not for your sake. How warm is your soil surface? Don't they like over 70f?
Did a job once and ended up in a location that had an infestation. Nasty fuckers. Burned even my shoes that time, lol.
Got a scope?
 
Oribated mites are harmless to plants. Sounds exactly like what you got.

They actually help in the organic process. They like the fungus strains that begin the decay of wood, leaves and other organic matter that maybe in the soil....

Use FF soils? The woody piece's decay over time. Those mites love that...

Not a problem = ignore.
 
Wilderb said:
Chiggers...........ug. I hope not for your sake. How warm is your soil surface? Don't they like over 70f?
Did a job once and ended up in a location that had an infestation. Nasty fuckers. Burned even my shoes that time, lol.
Got a scope?
Click to expand...
my room is upwards of 80F, i dont have an electronic microscope only a little loupe. i used to garden outdoors in a plot that had a bad chigger problem which is why im considering this. but i also purchased some black hen compost and mushroom compost a few weeks ago and thats what my plants are in. that came from lowes and i imagine they could have pests
 
Dr. Who said:
Oribated mites are harmless to plants. Sounds exactly like what you got.

They actually help in the organic process. They like the fungus strains that begin the decay of wood, leaves and other organic matter that maybe in the soil....

Use FF soils? The woody piece's decay over time. Those mites love that...

Not a problem = ignore.
Click to expand...
interesting, i have a fair amount of actual forest floor in my soil mix. i dig out some of the peaty fibrous layer under the leaves and straw as a water logging substrate.
 
iHearAll said:
interesting, i have a fair amount of actual forest floor in my soil mix. i dig out some of the peaty fibrous layer under the leaves and straw as a water logging substrate.
Click to expand...

AH HAH! That is exactly what they are then! They live mostly in deciduous forests of our climate zones! You got them in the material you dig up and use.

They will be a good thing in helping break down the heavy organic material. That will actually help feed the plant..

Leave them be!
 
iHearAll said:
so i'm getting soil mites that dont seem to care about my plants but love my soil. i read up on another grower's experience with them to which he/she claimed that the soil mites rid him of his fungus gnat problem. anyway, these guys are pin head size and pretty much tan colored. I fear they may be chiggers but i have not spent enough time sitting in my grow room to see if they willl nibble on my flesh. and i dont plan on trying.

QUESTION IS:

should i try and exterminate them?? they dont seem to be bothered by neem oil. i used an alcohol solution previously and that did a number on them but i have to be extra careful not to let the spray touch the leaves b/c it fries them.
Click to expand...
are you growing organically?
if so you want the there, if not, well, either way they are harmless.
they are detritivores
 
last seasons grow I was finding tiny bugs after top dressing with ewc.they were everywhere just under the top layer of soil,some went about a foot up the stalk but climbed right back down to the soil.they weren't hurting anything that I could tell.think I inadvertently drove them off when I scratched some insect frass into the soil.
 
natureboygrower said:
last seasons grow I was finding tiny bugs after top dressing with ewc.they were everywhere just under the top layer of soil,some went about a foot up the stalk but climbed right back down to the soil.they weren't hurting anything that I could tell.think I inadvertently drove them off when I scratched some insect frass into the soil.
Click to expand...
I was seeing these in my ewc trays. I thought they were going to be problematic so I stopped harvesting the castings. I then planted potatoes in the trays and covered everything in cedar mulch in case they were chiggers or spider mites. Good to know I can resume my ewc.


They closely resemble this but there are a few that have a more narrow body.
category68.jpg
 
It's Oribated mites...they have several versions in the family that have differing body shapes..

Google image that...
 
Dr. Who said:
It's Oribated mites...they have several versions in the family that have differing body shapes..

Google image that...
Click to expand...
Pretty fucking neat. Kinda freaky to see the soil moving indoors but heck in trying to replicate nature lol
 
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