Hey GC, I'm using a cooked living soil for the first time and I have nice healthy plants that are thriving, however I noticed the other day, small white clear looking what I would reference to a mite crawling out the bottom plugs of the pots. After putting one under a 60x it's a clear looking mite. So, I was curious of anyone could throw out some 2 cents. I've considered the following, however am weary because they are only found at the bottom of the pots: Hypoaspis Miles Russet Mites Springtails I've been treating via soil drench aza but the 15 gals still have them crawling, the 1 gals show no signs. Both in different rooms though =\\
Hold up! Get away from the azamax. (Or whatever.) They may be predator mites and they are a good thing. Do they move pretty fast?
Faster then a spider mite I would say, fast enough that I have to follow them around the pot with the scope.
Those are good guys. They will catch and kill spider mite larvae, fungus gnat larvae and other soil pests. Let nature do it's thing.
Is it common to find these mites coming from the bottom soil and not the top? I see no sign of them a good 2 inches down.
I usually see them on the top. How heavily are you watering? And are you using plastic pots or fabric?
Adult Hypoaspis Miles can be a light to reddish brown. Young Hypoaspis Miles are whitish or clear. They crawl about at a decent pace. Faster than anything moving in my soil. They do not fly. They are the good guys. These are Springtail Larvae. A good sign of healthy soil. They feed on mold and other decaying organic matter and have been known to help with the spread of beneficial fungi. They move about the soil very slowly due to their short legs LOL. I have tons of these in my soil and worm bins. The Hypoaspis Miles feed on them too. Also good! -PG
I'm going to assume they are Young Hypoaspis Miles. Either way the plants are flourishing and I've yet to add any tea, just some high quality ewc. Thanks Chefziggy and PG, heres some candy.
One more thought, How do these Hypoaspis Miles come to be ? I haven't added anything to my soil that would create these things, that I know of?
Yes, Vermicompost Exactly, Is this a good source to receive them? Surprisingly for my first run with a living soil I have yet to run into this, They are lush green with green stalks. however I did top dress with Epsom salt. Thank you though, Root Aphids was considered and will be on the watch list. =]
Yeah. I'd be worried if they weren't in my compost/vermicompost. They are always there. At least mites that look like the pic' that you posted...
A very good general rule of thumb is, if your plants are flourishing don't go looking for something that isn't there. I think Poke's Santa hat is a bit too tight. Root aphids and 'flourishing' just don't go together. Just don't do a "If it ain't broke, give me a minute" move. Wet
I would not drench your pots with azamax. Those are decomposer mites, and are perfectly normal in a healthy soil. Get worried when you don't see them, or they start bailing the pot. To me this is a sign of unfavorable living conditions; often times over watering. Peace! P-
Excellent, Thank you to all three for the knowledge! First time doing a living/cooked soil after much following and digging of this forum and I must say its the best outcome I've had in a veg. If the flower does like the veg... I will most likely start cooking up living soils.