Okay, im new to this, this is my first post but lets get to the point, now this morning I was checking on my datura plant, its indoors cuz its cold out, its also in a small pot for as im attempting to make a bonsai style datura. The soil is very fertile and fast draining. So I noticed that there is several little tiny white-ish mites, some are actually more brown than white, but they are very small, its very hard to take a good picture of them but I'll get a couple as good as I can get it. Im not noticing any damage or harm to the plant but i also dont want any mites in the soil. I dont know the type of mite it is.
Not good. Iv'e never had mites (spider mites) but you need to jump on this ASAP. They can mess up your stuff in a very short period.
had those in a mint plant before, didn't treat it, couldn't identify what it was... I just put it whole in my oven at 500 for an hour then reused the soil
Are you guys kidding me? Those are most likely springtails or Hypoaspis Miles, both beneficial decomposers. You are aware that healthy soil has life in it correct? Why on earth you would ever put your soil in the oven, I have no clue..
I wasnt sure if they were harmless or not, I actually put my plant outside overnight while it was below freezing and it killed most the mites... But thanks for that bit of info tho bro
I have lots of mites, springtails etc. It's a sign of healthy soil. There are some bad mites out there but lots of good ones too. From my experience if the darker ones are fast movers they could be some sort of predator mite possibly. They will kill pests in your soil. They help break matter down and turn it into a nutrient source plants can take in. Look up the soil food web. It's quite interesting. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
These mites are ORIBATID mites, probably the most ubiquitous and important creatures in the soil - although springtails may challenge that. The ones in the photos are in various stages of development. The paler ones are youngest, with adults completely dark brown. They will go through 6-7 stages in that development. They spend most of their lives chewing bits of debris , which means they also produce a lot of poo - the next essential stage of turning plants back into minerals - to feed the next generation of plants. So they are vital - and when I go and buy compost from a store, I add a handful of leaves from wood, as I know they will be in the leaves and make the nutrients in the compost more accessible.