HELP! Itty bitty bug problem

[bettybird]

Hi Fam
Still plodding along, and have had so many plant issues I am struggling to stay positive.
Previous issues from germination and now believe problems have stemmed from soil infestations.

Basically everything is stuck in a stunted time warp!
Thought initially is was gnats... have driven myself nearly demented not watering, trying to achieve good watering practices.
Growth is a twisted in spots.

Today was doing some LST on some of the better plants.
Noticed on the really stunted- twisted growth plant little itty bitty bugs marching along the rim of the pot.
Have a few photo, best that I can upload for now.

Any ideas what they may be, and how to get rid of them to save my mental health 😂
Thanks for taking the time to read and any advice welcome

set up
indoor under cfl (beginner)
using living soil- aka gro dirt
have tried- various insecticide soap, neem oil,
not sure how often this should be repeated (have tried weekly)

[desertdan]

Looks like root aphids. Check to see if they have little tailpipes coming out their butt. This positive ID for root aphids. If so, by the time you see a lot of them on pot rim infestation has begun and it is too late. Best thing to do is get rid of everything. Destroy it burn it or take it to the dump. You could try OG Biowar. This is supposed to irradicate them but I have not tried it. What ever you use to try and get rid of them it will be expensive, time consuming and frustrating. Root aphids are the worst of the worst and hardest to get rid of. If you have enough stash and time you should start over if you have root aphid infestation. Sorry.

[bettybird]

Thanks desertdan
Yup have been doing a bit of research and was tossing up between root aphids or broadmites.
Naturally had to be the worst of the worst!
Such is my luck....
Didn’t want to be a negative Nancy but can not deny the evidence.

At the moment it seemed like only one plant but by the sounds of the chuck everything I may as well say goodbye to all of them.
Guess growing weed isn’t that easy after all.
So appreciate your help

[desertdan]

Please don't give up. For years I had problems with my grow and never new it was RA. Sometimes I would lose a few plants sometimes most. When I would get a crop most would be scrawny and larfy. A few would be very good smoke but small yield. Finally after years as it got legal more info became available. It was not until 2018 that I found out about RA. I thought I would have a great crop that year because i finally knew the problem and thought I could eliminate the bugs. I lost the whole crop that year. Complete failure. I killed most of the plants trying to kill the RA and the RA killed the others. I almost gave up. Last year I learned to control them and had an excellent crop. This year I know I will have RA because they are endemic here. I have learned how to control them and I will have an excellent crop again. DON'T EVER GIVE UP!

[YYCannabis]

I’m with Dan. Don’t give up.

[desertdan]

If you do toss everything make sure to sterilize your grow area. Do not get your soil or clones from same source. This is most likely were the RA came from if you are growing indoor.

[bettybird]

Thankyou
Obviously this has been the source of not being able to grow anything for sometime, the tent and lights are new.
When I threw out the last lot I scrubbed and scrubbed everything, and bought everything again.
This time I think I will just chuck it all.
I have never cloned as nothing has taken off to get that far. Everything has been from seed, which has been less than successful lol.

Bit soul destroying- was frustrated and really wanted to stick with it. Never realised it would be this difficult and expensive.
Been a very painful 12months

Anyways I appreciate your knowledge and appreciate the help- can stop flogging the dead horse!

[SoOrbudgal]

Hey bettybird please don't beat yourself up too much. You can and will get over this issue. Just be careful buying soil and were it sits. Seeds are great way to start learning. Once i open a bag of soil i place it in a sealed tub. I hope you keep trying i like to see more women growers take to it.

[bettybird]

Thanks for the encouragement
I really appreciate you taking the time to reply 😆

[dilvish]

you can also use organic pest control, there are some good ones out there. Personally I have a pump action garden sprayer and I put 2 tablespoons of Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade) in with 3 liters of lukewarm water and spray the plant from the underside up. Leave it on for a day then spray it off with plain water. rinse it well. then sprinkle a light layer over the surface of the soil in each pot and do this after each watering until the bugs are gone.

[bettybird]

Yes I totally agree with the afterlife!
A few I would like to see again too....
Thanks for the tips!

[bettybird]

Morning update
Well friends, I have spent hours and hours trolling through the inter webby- watching endless you tube vids
AND I am going out on a wobbly limb to consider my little itty bitty marches may be ‘good guys’!
Hypoaspis Miles... because they are quick and on top of the pot (s)
I will try and get a better pic today so we can finally see those little buggers.
Initially thought I was dealing with gnats and have thrown everything at getting rid of them...
SO
I promise I will ‘let it go’ if they turn out to be the bad guys! 😂

[PLreef]

Thats great news.

[bettybird]

Ok here are the best pics I could manage....
What the actual heck are they 😂?
Hoping for good guys... naturally no microscope handy so would really appreciate experienced eyes

Thanks

[desertdan]

I can't tell from the pic if they have tailpipes. Look at them with some magnification and if they don't have tailpipes they are not root aphids.

[bettybird]

No, they do not seem to have tailpipes.
The problem is they move so darn quick I cannot seem to get a good pic.

From ALL the info I have read and seen... if the antenna is bigger than the body then they aren’t root aphids.
And also the consensus is, if they move fast then they are also unlikely to be root aphids.

Then I discovered the exact same bug on Nebula’s Instagram- dated 11 September 2019 good bug or bad bug?
Not really sure what the verdict was- but essentially my plants look fine, if not better than they EVER have.

As initially my battle with the gnats seemed to have me demented.
If they are good bugs then it’s a effective ecosystem. Or it could all turn to poop 😂

Staying positive for now.
Thanks so much for the support and encouragement.
Really great to have people to chat with x