Root Aphids

[itchybromusic]

first time i saw them on my pots i thought i had dropped some malted barley powder on the sides of the geopots 

than i noticed these lill white specs were moving 

 

they turned up in force or maybe multiplied very quickly after a seed sprout tea was given to the plants without straining 

all the little crushed seed bits , they were left in & covered the surface in & around the mulch 

 

this was the first time i'd seen soil mites indoors after that tea mentioned & freaked out , not the best of pics 

  

 

if your plant looks healthy i'm more inclined to think they are soil mite , tell us about your soil mix & what organic matter you add 

if any while your growing a plant 

 

 

[Mr Brown]

Hey itchy, when you've got a good living soil full of these soil mites does it become harder to sprout seeds directly in the soil? (do they eat or damage freshly rooted seeds).

 

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[Allblue]

The soil is made of home made compost, coco, pumice, perlite, zeolite, guano, neem cake, alfalfa, manure, rock dust, shrimp meal, azomite, lime, gypsum, fin and feather, blood n bone.

 

 

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[Allblue]

I also do a compost tea every week. Last week I used a OGS brand microbe mix. It seems to of started about that time but could be coincidence

 

 

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Top dressed with alfalfa meal

 

 

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[itchybromusic]

Hey itchy, when you've got a good living soil full of these soil mites does it become harder to sprout seeds directly in the soil? (do they eat or damage freshly rooted seeds).

 

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hasn't been my experience Mr B , i'm generally not sprouting seeds in larger pots though only transplanting seedlings

 

soil mites live mostly in the top soil 

 

They eat algae, fungi, dead plants, tiny dead insects, and tiny live worms. 

For the most part, these are scavengers and not predators. You can find these

mites in the top layer of soil and also on lichens and mosses. They're also found in compost.

 

The soil is made of home made compost, coco, pumice, perlite, zeolite, guano, neem cake, alfalfa, manure, rock dust, shrimp meal, azomite, lime, gypsum, fin and feather, blood n bone.

 

 

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I also do a compost tea every week. Last week I used a OGS brand microbe mix. It seems to of started about that time but could be coincidence

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using OZ Stoners

Top dressed with alfalfa meal

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using OZ Stoners

lots of organic matter there

seems you are feeding the soil & not the plant which is good 

 

although be a little careful with the amount of Nitrogen you add to your mix 

as it has a tendency to burn plants but also excess nitrogen might be a aphid attractant  

Edited August 16, 2019 by itchybromusic

[Allblue]

Cheers itchy. No nute burn at all and I actually sprouted in the same pot / soil as it is in now without a transplant. Won’t do that again. Very slow growing to start in big pot and a bitch to water.

 

 

 

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[itchybromusic]

that's good you didn't get any burn

 

def can be challenging starting seeds in large pots / final home 

you can put half a small coke bottle over the top to help retain moisture around the seed

but you'd need to be very careful of the sun heating up the inside of that coke bottle

& cooking the seed

 

i really like using cover crops because i find they help to inoculate the soil with lots of beneficial 

microbes which helps to give you more rapid growth , although that's transplanting seedlings 

into a half chopped cover crop not seed stating , if that makes sense 

 

might be having a go with some auto's this year , so i'll have a play round with starting 

seeds in there final pot outdoors maybe 

[Mr Brown]

Just curious cause last season when trying to pop seeds in the auto tub after dropping the cover crop (already composted) I had heaps of drama getting them to sprout, soil mites everywhere, if a seedling came up it looked like shit, (some will say yeh, Just an auto). Things did end up sorting itself out and got some good yeilders out of it. Just wasn't too sure how the mites were with freshly sprouted seeds and their roots. Next full moon coming up will be putting some auto seeds in so fingers crossed

hasn't been my experience Mr B , i'm generally not sprouting seeds in larger pots though only transplanting seedlings

 

soil mites live mostly in the top soil

 

They eat algae, fungi, dead plants, tiny dead insects, and tiny live worms.

For the most part, these are scavengers and not predators. You can find these

mites in the top layer of soil and also on lichens and mosses. They're also found in compost.

 

 

lots of organic matter there

seems you are feeding the soil & not the plant which is good

 

although be a little careful with the amount of Nitrogen you add to your mix

as it has a tendency to burn plants but also excess nitrogen might be a aphid attractant

Posted from the OZ Stoners mobile app

[itchybromusic]

Just curious cause last season when trying to pop seeds in the auto tub after dropping the cover crop (already composted) I had heaps of drama getting them to sprout, soil mites everywhere, if a seedling came up it looked like shit, (some will say yeh, Just an auto). Things did end up sorting itself out and got some good yeilders out of it. Just wasn't too sure how the mites were with freshly sprouted seeds and their roots. Next full moon coming up will be putting some auto seeds in so fingers crossed

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don't know MrB , i haven't red anything to suggest soil mites could be a problem 

in fact most suggest there beneficial 

 

i would have thought that sprouting seeds in big pots with a cover crop ,

the biggest prob possibly would be snails & slugs taking the lill sprouts out 

 

small outdoor seedlings & gnats don't go well together , could they of had a roll in germinating difficulties , if you had gnats that is

 

did you start seeds in a plug & transplanted the plug when she popped or you went straight in as most suggest to do with auto's ? 

ever tried transplanting auto's &/or transplanting the whole pot , plant & all , for possible less stress ? 

ever planted auto's much later in the season in higher summer temps ?

 

i've never grown one but will most likely have a go this year , i'll get to come up against the same things you have already in growing them no doubt  

 

know much about flash seeds ? 

[Mr Brown]

don't know MrB , i haven't red anything to suggest soil mites could be a problem

in fact most suggest there beneficial

 

i would have thought that sprouting seeds in big pots with a cover crop ,

the biggest prob possibly would be snails & slugs taking the lill sprouts out

 

small outdoor seedlings & gnats don't go well together , could they of had a roll in germinating difficulties , if you had gnats that is

 

did you start seeds in a plug & transplanted the plug when she popped or you went straight in as most suggest to do with auto's ?

ever tried transplanting auto's &/or transplanting the whole pot , plant & all , for possible less stress ?

ever planted auto's much later in the season in higher summer temps ?

 

i've never grown one but will most likely have a go this year , i'll get to come up against the same things you have already in growing them no doubt

 

know much about flash seeds ?

Pretty sure there was no gnats and never had a prob with snails or slugs. With the auto's I've always started in what they finish in (the tub) never tried transplanting or plugs just straight in.

Planted some in middle of summer only lost 1 out of four I think.

Haven't tried any flash seeds as yet but trying some Dutch passion seeds for the second grow (trying for three grows in tub this season).

The cover crop now has pree much decomposed now so I'll reamend the soil 2 weeks before planting (plus a bit of extra neem meal).

Hope you don't get the mealy bug prob I had.

Good luck with yours

 

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