HELP! Pest in my soil

[Ingwe]

Hey everyone.

I am stuck ... I could really use your help.
here is the situation :

The plants are grown in some organic supersoil hempy buckets.
They are in week 6 of flowering currently. Feeding is water and Aact.

I have recently been noticing the leaves showing strange symptoms , curling, chlorosis, burned tips, dark spots, burnt edges and more. The rate they were drinking also slowed down.

I have been digging a little in the soil and found a huge ammount of small white mite like insects in the soil as well as slightly bigger and elongated white insects.
the small one are very hard to take picture of but I managed with the larger one.
The root in the top soil were quite numerous though and looking healthy , I didnt see a massive ammount of them around those , although I havent dug further to the larger roots.

I did top dress with some kelp and other nutrients recently and I know some insects help in the breaking down of organic matter , but it just seems like there is too many. And plant is not happy.

 

[Potted]

Looks like termite or ant larvae to me, haven’t a clue what to do. Other’s May chime in later with more info lol

 

[Ingwe]

Cool man thanks a lot. Its very small though , and I haven’t see any adult termites or ants.
i’ll look around again to be sure

 

[KTM690]

I'm trying to find your bug atm

 

[KTM690]

Can't find that exact larvae u have there but found a few close. Have u seen any adult flying or crawling around??

 

[KTM690]

Gotta b something laying the eggs. I would look a bit deeper also make sure its not some sort of maggot or other root eating monster. Dry out top of your soil and top it off with a thin layer of sand to make a barrier

 

[Ingwe]

KTM690 , thank you very much for your effort bro !

no there is nothing flying around, except 1 or 2 flies that sneak in every now and then.

I have tried to dig further, but nothing , just lots of healthy roots in the top soil , I also can’t seem to find a difference in concentration near or away from small roots.

I am currently doing just that , dry to soil.
i will try your idea to make a barrier.

Thanks a lot, i’ll let you know if I find anything else.

 

[KTM690]

You got it good luck double check those flies. Might b white flys which would b another suspect. I've used peroxide and water like a cap of peroxide with a couple cups of water add to top of soil that will also protect you. Don't freak out when it fizzes up lol its normal

 

[starramus]

Nukem with Neem oil. Usually takes out everything.

Will eradicate anything else lurking on the side lines. A good preventative.

 

[kingfish]

No starramus, don't use Neem oil this far into flowering. His weed would taste like shit. Spinosad would be the only thing I would use. It won't effect you plants, but will kill the bastards.

 

[D.A.A.S.69]

Exactly what kingfish said, He knows !!

 

[Ingwe]

Thanks a lot for all your input guys !

I still haven’t seen a single flying insect. So thats a good sign.
The media is drying up slowly and it seems there is a bit less of them.

Yes neem oil at this stage won’t be the best. And unfortunately spinosad is not available in my country...

I have taken a few snaps form the buds which are starting to show some wierd signs ....
could it be something else than bugs ? What do you guys think ?

 

[kingfish]

Classic sign of Nute burn. Looks like too much nitrogen. Just give them PHd water for the next couple of times. Keep the PH between 6 and 7. Good luck my friend.

 

[Ingwe]

kingfish Alright cool , thanks a lot.

i’ll flush them properly and see if it imporoves.
it is strange as I havent really given them anything i a while. It could be my soil too high in N...
I am starting to get a quite a bit of yellowing though.

thanks all of you guys. I’ll let you know how it turns out .

 

[D.A.A.S.69]

Ingwe I don't know what kind of plant your growing, but if they were mine, I wouldn't be giving them anything but phed water and molasses from now to harvest,
Looks to me like you don't have to long to go before harvest anyway.
Good Luck

 

[Ingwe]

D.A.A.S.69 absolutely , I agree with you. I will flush properly and maybe inoculate with a basic microbial/fungal tea and trichoderma. Except for some beneficial bacillius or nematode that feed on whatever insect could be infecting them , i dont see what else. And thats not even sure , still not 100% sure what is the cause.

As for what it is , 2x chocolate haze and 1x dance world from royalqueenseeds.
The chocolate is a 9-10 weeks and i am currently entering week 7.

 

[D.A.A.S.69]

Ingwe, exactly bud, you know what your doing, keep up the good work !!
I've never grown either one of those, they sound wonderful, though.
But I have grown several RQ seeds before, chocolate is on my list, can't wait to hear your smoke-smell reports.
Ain't nothing like organic, imo.
Later

 

[Redwasp]

You can try SM-90 if you don't have spinoside. It wont affect the buds but I would just use it in the soil. It is not listed as a insecticide but it works. It is mainly for root health and mostly by those using hydroponics.

If you dont have that but can get fresh coriander you can make a tea with it. That will help.

I am guessing that is a termite. You said it was organic super soil. Most are made with wood chips etc that could have been infected with them when it was made. If they did not let the soil get hot enough when composting, it could leave some alive.

To prevent it you can take whatever you are using for soil, put it ontop of a black tarp and cover it with the tarp. Do this in full sun. If it is composting keep it moist. If it is not letting it completely dry out will help kill everything.

I'm sure someone will yell at me, tell me I'm wrong, that you need to do it this way or that way but it's all good. Country boys dont get much schoolin. All we know is dirt, mud, animals, and fishing.

(P.S. that was kind of a joke. Just seems there has been a bit to much controversy for a few days. So if you want to tell me I'm wrong please use small words.)

 

[Ingwe]

I think you are absolutely right !
It is a super soil and your are right it does contain some wood chips. Termite is a very strong possibility , especially looking at the larvae.

I did do exactly that in order to cook all the bad stuff away, i did not let it dry though. But The last few days before any of it was used it was cold and rainy. Good possibility some insects made their way back into the soil.
You are 100% right drying it does kill everything but a little tea and vermicast will bring back all the life.
You are definitly not wrong there or anywhere else as far as i am concerned.

I do not have access to sm-90 either as far as I know , but corriander absolutely!
I will try this !

Thanks a lot for the input , greatly appreciated !

 

[Ingwe]

D.A.A.S.69
Thanks a lot man!
Shweet i’ll carry on.
This is the second time I grow the chocolate, and it definitly deserves its spot on your list !
Delicious strain , that hazey taste is there with a beautiful spicy sweet chocolate body with hint of berries. Over the curring time the hint of berries slowly turns into a fruity hash smell.
I have never encountered a strain that goes so well with a cup of cofee ! Just delicious ! Makes me drink way too much cofee though 😂