Ugh... Suspected Broad/Russet Mites... Someone Confirm

Hey everyone. I've been having mite problems here in the garden for the past few weeks.

I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with broad mites here, maybe russets. They are incredibly hard to find these buggers. I'll be headed back into the garden once I've finished this post to search more with my 100x.

I did a knock down regimine of daily sprays of Nuke Em, with 3 day cool off. It definitely helped a lot, and along with the aspirin feed in their water the plants started to look much better after recovering from the intense drying from the sprays.

I think they're still around. I've got an order with Natural Enemies with one of the anti-russet/broad predators. My plan is to hit them with another knock down run of Nuke Em and Green Clean, and then wash them well and introduce the predators.

Any thoughts appreciated...

Not sure if I'm looking at an egg here, or just a glandular trichome. This is on the underside so I doubt it is a trichome. There are numerous of these.

Doesn't look like a broad egg to me as those are typically spotted/speckled/dotted/dimpled.

Still haven't spotted a mite.



The internet seems to not have any solid identification for these pests, and to make matters worse there is lots of conflicting information on different sources as to how best to treat.

Did a Nuke Em spray (dripping) with my electric atomizer. Should knock them back a bit. Might hurt the pistils a bit, but much less than continued mite onslaught.

Spraying with plain water tomorrow, followed by another round of nuke em the following day. Watering with half dose nutrients with 325mg aspirin/gal (the aspirin helps immensely for anyone who's trying to fight these things. Really strengthens the plant and I saw a complete flip in vigor the first time I dosed it during this fiasco).

fn217 said:

Not sure if I'm looking at an egg here, or just a glandular trichome. This is on the underside so I doubt it is a trichome. There are numerous of these.

Doesn't look like a broad egg to me as those are typically spotted/speckled/dotted/dimpled.

Still haven't spotted a mite.

The internet seems to not have any solid identification for these pests, and to make matters worse there is lots of conflicting information on different sources as to how best to treat.

Did a Nuke Em spray (dripping) with my electric atomizer. Should knock them back a bit. Might hurt the pistils a bit, but much less than continued mite onslaught.

Spraying with plain water tomorrow, followed by another round of nuke em the following day. Watering with half dose nutrients with 325mg aspirin/gal (the aspirin helps immensely for anyone who's trying to fight these things. Really strengthens the plant and I saw a complete flip in vigor the first time I dosed it during this fiasco).

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Good luck having same issue as you I’m leaning towards russet mite

Crippykeeper said:

View attachment 4037066
Good luck having same issue as you I’m leaning towards russet mite View attachment 4037065

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I'm taking a double back... I scoped all around the room... I couldn't find a damn thing.

I'm almost thinking, I could be having severe nitrogen toxicity worsened by spraying Nuke Em, a drying agent, causing the plants to uptake more and thus making the nitrogen toxcicity worse. I'll be stopping the spraying for a week to see how things go, while scoping daily.

Do you have confirmed sighting of mites? What size are your photos?

fn217 said:

Hey everyone. I've been having mite problems here in the garden for the past few weeks.

I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with broad mites here, maybe russets. They are incredibly hard to find these buggers. I'll be headed back into the garden once I've finished this post to search more with my 100x.

I did a knock down regimine of daily sprays of Nuke Em, with 3 day cool off. It definitely helped a lot, and along with the aspirin feed in their water the plants started to look much better after recovering from the intense drying from the sprays.

I think they're still around. I've got an order with Natural Enemies with one of the anti-russet/broad predators. My plan is to hit them with another knock down run of Nuke Em and Green Clean, and then wash them well and introduce the predators.

Any thoughts appreciated...

Click to expand...

My bet would be either N tox, or overwatering or something simple like that. Because this is what russet mite looks like in veg

This is when I started tripping and then found out i had the russet mite.
In flower, you’de have brown pistils if you had russet.

Aeroknow said:

My bet would be either N tox, or overwatering or something simple like that. Because this is what russet mite looks like in veg
View attachment 4037209
This is when I started tripping and then found out i had the russet mite.
In flower, you’de have brown pistils if you had russet.

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Yeah, definitely not the upward canoeing you experienced. Also, there are burnt pistils, but I think it's from the aggressive spraying.

fn217 said:

Yeah, definitely not the upward canoeing you experienced. Also, there are burnt pistils, but I think it's from the aggressive spraying.

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Forbid 4f - cheap in 1 or 2 oz on eBay for $25 to 40. It will last you forever. 0.6 to 1 ml per gallon of water.

Spinosad - sold at Lowes, HD, Ace hardware, Amazon.

Lavender Essential oil - $4.87 at Wal Mart for one ounce. Use about 10 drops to 1/2 gallon and a few drops of did soap Dawn blue or Ivory white. Maybe get some Bronners Peppermint Oil soap too at any drug store or grocery store. Add a half teaspoon to a gallon of water.

Fels naptha soap. $1.00 a Wal Mart or any grocery store on the detergent aisle. Cheese grates 41 at Dollar Tree plus you will need a jar or plastic jar.
http://www.hansenfamilyfarm.com/blog/make-your-own-non-toxic-insecticidal-spray-soap

Don't wait around - spray today with the lights off and get under the leaves.

You said you have nuke em and an electric atomizer? Keep hitting em. Su[pposedly comml grow houses will use foggers with Lavender essential oil and water to kill mites.

Also maybe do an asprin spray. 1 asprin per gallon of water. Disolve and then add to water. The asprin (salicylic acid) supposedly triggers the plants defense system. Like white blood vessels fighting infection.

.

fn217 said:

Hey everyone. I've been having mite problems here in the garden for the past few weeks.

I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with broad mites here, maybe russets. They are incredibly hard to find these buggers. I'll be headed back into the garden once I've finished this post to search more with my 100x.

I did a knock down regimine of daily sprays of Nuke Em, with 3 day cool off. It definitely helped a lot, and along with the aspirin feed in their water the plants started to look much better after recovering from the intense drying from the sprays.

I think they're still around. I've got an order with Natural Enemies with one of the anti-russet/broad predators. My plan is to hit them with another knock down run of Nuke Em and Green Clean, and then wash them well and introduce the predators.

Any thoughts appreciated...

Click to expand...

Russets will cause the middle vein on the leaf to turn brown. Spider mites you can see with your eyes and a magnifiying glass. Russets need a microscope. Russets can often fool people into thinking they have a nute deficiency. Do you have any kelp you are using? Kelp is good for everything including foliar spray.

Are you watering enough? Leaves can sometimes sag from under watering.

Another good mite spray is liquid aloe and silica with water.

fn217 said:

I'm taking a double back... I scoped all around the room... I couldn't find a damn thing.

I'm almost thinking, I could be having severe nitrogen toxicity worsened by spraying Nuke Em, a drying agent, causing the plants to uptake more and thus making the nitrogen toxcicity worse. I'll be stopping the spraying for a week to see how things go, while scoping daily.

Do you have confirmed sighting of mites? What size are your photos?

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I do. I was scoping thinking I had thrips as I was looking I saw what looked like a headless trichome stalk start to move. I ripped the leaf I was scoping of the plant to view it some more and try as I might I couldn’t find it again. I have video of it but site won’t let me load.

fn217 said:

I'm taking a double back... I scoped all around the room... I couldn't find a damn thing.

I'm almost thinking, I could be having severe nitrogen toxicity worsened by spraying Nuke Em, a drying agent, causing the plants to uptake more and thus making the nitrogen toxcicity worse. I'll be stopping the spraying for a week to see how things go, while scoping daily.

Do you have confirmed sighting of mites? What size are your photos?

Click to expand...

The first picture I posted here has the critter in it. I was using a usb microscope 60x-500x and if I’m not mistaken I was almost @500x. This thing was microscopic

Crippykeeper said:

View attachment 4037406
The first picture I posted here has the critter in it. I was using a usb microscope 60x-500x and if I’m not mistaken I was almost @500x. This thing was microscopic

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That's very scary. I'll continue scoping, but as I was saying in my previous post, the Nuke Em WRECKED my plants. I'm going to do some kelp sprays as you guys recommended. I have been watering with aspirin as well.

I definitely don't have rusett mites as the symptoms just don't add up. You can see I had really nasty clawing. After flushing and spraying with water daily, everything seems to be turning around, thus causing me to feel like the issue isn't pest related.

Colo MMJ said:

Forbid 4f - cheap in 1 or 2 oz on eBay for $25 to 40. It will last you forever. 0.6 to 1 ml per gallon of water.

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I dont understand why you would recommend someone use something that is labelled for Ornamental plants when they havent even properly diagnosed the issue.

waterproof808 said:

I dont understand why you would recommend someone use something that is labelled for Ornamental plants when they havent even properly diagnosed the issue.

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If he has russet mites it will be one of the few things that will save his harvest. There are a few people on here that know the chemistry of including Dr. Who. Read p. 3 and p. 4.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/spidermite-spray-causing-more-damage-than-good-whats-next.867756/page-4

Alternatively, he can try Nuke Em or Big Time Extermintaor which both supposedly will kill both spider and russet mites. Both have about the same ingredients mainly citric acid and yeast enzymes. Both can be sprayed up to the day of harvest.

The thing with spider and russet mites is you need to act fast or just start chopping the plants down. Both mites will do enough damage that continuing the grow is a waste of time and electricity.

You just really shouldnt be spouting off 4 different insecticides the OP should use without a confirmed diagnosis, especially ones that are only suitable for ornamental plants.
Your signature line reads "Stick with Quality Colorado MMJ from Independent Growers - not flowered in pesticides like Mexican and out of state MMJ. Avoid factory grows too in CO. They flower in pesticides"... and you are advising someone to use ornamental pesticide's in flower. Pretty hypocritical dont you think?

I've dealt with russets before and I'm pretty confident this is not a Russet mite issue here. You dont need a scope to see them, they look like tiny brown fibers that congregate at the base of the fan leaves, usually working up from the bottom. In veg, wettable sulfur will kill them and is cheap as hell. In flower, you can use grandevo/venerate from marrone bioinnovations which are both listed as organic and also on the approved guidelist of pesticides for Cannabis established by Oregon Department of Ag, which is one of the strictest in the USA.

waterproof808 said:

You just really shouldnt be spouting off 4 different insecticides the OP should use without a confirmed diagnosis, especially ones that are only suitable for ornamental plants.
Your signature line reads "Stick with Quality Colorado MMJ from Independent Growers - not flowered in pesticides like Mexican and out of state MMJ. Avoid factory grows too in CO. They flower in pesticides"... and you are advising someone to use ornamental pesticide's in flower. Pretty hypocritical dont you think?

I've dealt with russets before and I'm pretty confident this is not a Russet mite issue here. You dont need a scope to see them, they look like tiny brown fibers that congregate at the base of the fan leaves, usually working up from the bottom. In veg, wettable sulfur will kill them and is cheap as hell. In flower, you can use grandevo/venerate from marrone bioinnovations which are both listed as organic and also on the approved guidelist of pesticides for Cannabis established by Oregon Department of Ag, which is one of the strictest in the USA.

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Could you please check my post out. I’m trying to figure out if I have russets now after going over every other check list. About to lose my whole room