1st Grow: Flowering 2nd week. HERMIES?? :(

i dont see any balls yet look like a female to me

 

Picture three is definitely a female pistol. Most of the shots are too blurry to really tell if there are pollen sacks. If you think you may have hermaphrodites, start looking for the male bus on the bottom of the plant and work your way up. Mild hermaphrodites usually bud male towards the bottom of the plant. Check for male buds every couple days until harvest if you’re not sure. If you find any, just clip them off.

 

Picture 3 does look female, picture 2346 looks somewhat female but its too blurry and may be too soon to tell.

Wait a week, get some more shots Should be easy then!

My last harvest had no hermies or so I thought. I got about 15 usable seeds and maybe 30 half formed seeds. I never saw a single ball on any of them the entire flowering process and have never grown a male past its starting to show its sex. No clue where I got pollen in there from, hermies can be devious..... and hide! just like trannys in real life. Check extra close!

 

you probably see the calyx, which is totally normal, and is a part of the female plant. It's where seeds WOULD grow if it were pollinated. I thought I had hermies my first grow too, but htey were just calyx's

 

They could be fruit fly maggots, but I honestly don't know. Someone else would have to confirm that.

Like everyone else has been saying so far too, I definitely don't think you have hermies on your hands. It just looks like they have elongated calyxes.

 

They look like Sciarid fly larvae. Google them. Bad news.

Sciarid flies, also known as fungus gnats, can be serious pests of herbs. The larvae damage the roots of young plants, leading to poor vigor, wilting and even death. Adult sciarid flies can also carry important fungal pathogens e.g. Pythium. Sciarids are often present as secondary pests on plants affected by root disease, the larvae feeding on the rotting plant tissue and fungi.

 

From Buzz Organics:

Data Sheet - Sciarid Fly

To the naked eye, Sciarid and Shore flies are dark midge-like flies found on and around the growing media of glasshouse crops and plants in interior landscapes. It is important to distinguish between the two flies. Shore flies are mainly just a nuisance, although their back frass can reduce plant quality. Sciarid fly on the other hand is a damaging pest. Their larvae feed on plant roots, checking growth and sometimes leading to the plant’s death. The adult flies are capable of transmitting plant diseases.

Sciarid flies, which are also known as fungus gnats, are attracted to organic matter in the growing media and decaying plant tissue. It has been suggested that they are particularly attracted to media containing composted material. They are especially troublesome in some pot-plant crops such as poinsettias, and in the warm, humid environment of the propagation house where life cycles are quick to complete.

Some of the newer chemical controls are granule formulations targeting fly larvae, which must be evenly mixed into the growing media for best results. Trials by the HDC have included an evaluation of the effect of insecticide granules in the plant plugs when control is difficult to achieve.

There is a reasonable choice of biological controls for Sciarid fly but creating the environmental conditions that discourage flies goes a long way towards keeping them at manageable levels. In interior landscapes such as offices, that includes finding somewhere else for staff to empty the dregs from tea and coffee cups as such action can foster ideal breeding conditions for this pest.

How to recognise them

Adult Sciarid flies Lycoriella auipila are 3mm to 5mm long, black with long, tapering antennae. They run or hop more than they fly over the compost surface. They are most often encountered in heated glasshouses but the can be found outdoors too.

Larvae are legless and translucent 6mm to 10mm in length with dark, shiny heads. They mainly inhabit the surface layer of the growing medium so are difficult to find although you may see them underneath leaves flush to the media surface.

Shore flies Scatella stagnalis are slightly longer and broader. They have stunted antennae and white spots on their wings. The larvae feed solely on algae.

Biology

Both types of fly lay their eggs in moist potting media or wet patches of soil under gutters or around the edges of polytunnels. These hatch after several days. Larvae feed for about four weeks before pupating.

Symptoms

Plants attacked by Sciarid fly larvae are weakened and stunted. Young roots are eaten away. Larvae can sometimes mine into cuttings. Feeding damage creates entry points for root disease such as Pythium. Adult flies have been shown to carry fungal spores.

Treatment – Biological Control

Hypoaspis predatory mites feed on Sciarid fly larvae in the surface layer of the soil or growing media. They can survive for several weeks in the absence of prey so are a good choice for a preventative treatment or where pest populations are at low levels. A minimum temperature of

11C is needed for mites to be active and for eggs to hatch. Hypoaspis also has some activity against Shore flies.

The parasitic nematode Steinernema attacks Sciarid larvae, including those that have tunnelled into stems. Apply as a drench when compost temperature is between 10C and 30C.

Adults and larvae of the predatory Rove Beetle Atheta coriaria eat Sciarid fly, Shore fly and Thrips larvae and will kill more than they need where pests are at a high level. The advantage of the control is that, introduced as a mixture of beetles at different stages of development, they are effective over a range of temperatures.

Treatment – Cultural Control

Large numbers of flies can be caught on sticky yellow traps, such as roller traps, which are sticky on both sides.

Avoid over-watering. Sub-irrigation helps to keep the compost surface dry, preventing Sciarid fly from breeding. Alternatively, a topdressing or mulch will have the same effect.