What are these tiny white balls under the leaf

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hercules99

Active Member
This is a bottom leaf that was getting discoloured, pulled from a plant in veg.
Out of curiosity I decided to look at it under a microscope and found some white spheres underneath the leaf. Here are few pics attached, at different zoom levels.
The pics were were taken using a 120x microscope.

They look like eggs but I think they are too small to be of spider mites, so could they be of some other pest or are they trichomes?

Note: I have been using DE powder for pest control; also haven't spotted any crawlers and plant looks healthy
 

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DancesWithWeeds

DancesWithWeeds

Well-Known Member
I've been having about the same. I don't know what it is but I've been chasing them for a while (if it's the same thing). I have seen thrips.

Try looking at leafs below, maybe 2 or 3 leafs down and see if there is damage. If it's what I have the bugs that caused it have already left that leaf and are up a couple of leafs. I'm using soapy water spray about every day or two now that I see what is happening. They hatch out so fast that if you don't do it often they will get ahead of you.

Top of leaf:
20220809_100633.jpg 20220809_102643.jpg

Bottom of leaf:
20220809_102700.jpg

I have a bunch of microscope pictures but you can't see anything.
 
H

hercules99

Active Member
DancesWithWeeds said:
I've been having about the same. I don't know what it is but I've been chasing them for a while (if it's the same thing). I have seen thrips.

Try looking at leafs below, maybe 2 or 3 leafs down and see if there is damage. If it's what I have the bugs that caused it have already left that leaf and are up a couple of leafs. I'm using soapy water spray about every day or two now that I see what is happening. They hatch out so fast that if you don't do it often they will get ahead of you.

Top of leaf:
View attachment 5177970 View attachment 5177971

Bottom of leaf:
View attachment 5177972

I have a bunch of microscope pictures but you can't see anything.
Click to expand...
From the top leaf pic, it seem to be spider mites as per my little knowledge. In my case, the top and bottom of the leaves are clear to the naked eye
 
DancesWithWeeds

DancesWithWeeds

Well-Known Member
hercules99 said:
From the top leaf pic, it seem to be spider mites as per my little knowledge. In my case, the top and bottom of the leaves are clear to the naked eye
Click to expand...
Not spider mites on mine. No webs anywhere around. From what I've seen in the last week or two whatever it is it moves in a colony.

How often do you use your DE? That should kill most of the crawlers. One question about DE, can you use it during flower or will it get caught up in the sticky of the bud?
 
DancesWithWeeds

DancesWithWeeds

Well-Known Member
I just wrote something but went back to look at you picture again and lost it. The brown spots in the first picture do look like bugs. Probably like farmer said, eggs, but I think I see brown bugs in the first picture.
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Pretty sure those are just small resin glands. I see them on some of the strains I've grown too. With as many as there are if they were mite eggs, (that look similar but more translucent and larger), you'd see mites all over the place.

That's a mite egg there. The ( ) in the middle is the reflection of the tiny LED lights around the lens of the scope.

MitesWithEgga.jpg

:peace:
 
H

hercules99

Active Member
DancesWithWeeds said:
Not spider mites on mine. No webs anywhere around. From what I've seen in the last week or two whatever it is it moves in a colony.

How often do you use your DE? That should kill most of the crawlers. One question about DE, can you use it during flower or will it get caught up in the sticky of the bud?
Click to expand...
I used it a month ago and then again today. I just sprinkle a little on the soil/medium and a a little on the leaves (then brush off the leaves), but only during veg. Also this is my first time using DE, so need to see how it goes
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
hercules99 said:
I used it a month ago and then again today. I just sprinkle a little on the soil/medium and a a little on the leaves (then brush off the leaves), but only during veg. Also this is my first time using DE, so need to see how it goes
Click to expand...
DE will not get rid of mites. I've tried it many times and it didn't do squat. Screwed around with mites for two years then just got some Safer's End All concentrate and added 10ml/L canola oil to the mix and made sure to spray every 4 days for 4 or 5 treatments. Worked great and haven't seen a mite for a couple years now. Works great for thrips and aphids too. It kills via suffocation so no worries about the bugs becoming immune and needing to use multiple products to get rid of them.

:peace:
 
Hollatchaboy

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
hercules99 said:
Here is a pic of another leaf from the bottom. It also have these white "gland" things all over the back, and the front does not seem to have any spots due to mites.
Click to expand...
Doesn't look like any mite damage, but it looks like you got something else going on
 
DancesWithWeeds

DancesWithWeeds

Well-Known Member
hercules99 said:
I used it a month ago and then again today. I just sprinkle a little on the soil/medium and a a little on the leaves (then brush off the leaves), but only during veg. Also this is my first time using DE, so need to see how it goes
Click to expand...
They are spider mites on my plants. I found them and their webs. I'm now spraying with neem oil in the soapy water.
The recipe was on the neem bottle. 1 1/2 tsp neem oil, 1/2 tsp dish washing soap,
There's another thread that's so simular to this one I keep getting them mixed up.
 
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