Nicole Puiia

You mentioned worm castings in your potting mix. I may have mentioned in your original thread that potting mix needs to drain fast, and not retain water for too long. JMO, and others may disagree, but making potting mix more inorganic may hep. Omit worm castings, add lots of sifted/rinsed perlite or pumice (at least 50%) and/or other inorganic materials (grit, scoria and similar).

More tips in YOUR ORIGINAL THREAD HERE

@Jennifer Liebo - Yes, a good 4-week plan would be:

1. Avid
2. Floramite w/PH down
3. Forbid
4. Tetrasan

This way you are targeting the mobile stages (adults/immatures) and then immatures/eggs after that. You can do two applications in a row of any of them (waiting a week in between). If there is any damage to your plants, you should see it in a couple of days. Hopefully it goes well for you!!

@Nicole Puiia - Glad you are figuring out what the problem was finally! It's always hard to tell on highly magnified (and sometimes pixellated) images. If they are mites you should be able to see their legs moving about.

As many of the very experienced growers around here have said, some plants are just more attractive to certain pests than others!

@ewwmayo ,

Thanks again ! I don’t know what I’d do without your help and everyone else‘s help on here . Y’all have been awesome! Thank you too @stupidlazydog CT zone 5b/6a, @socks, @stush . I’m trying to tag you , @Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6. I will get started on that . I chickened out on the Avid last night cuz I read that dogs are extremely sensitive to it. Ugh ! I need to quit messing around and get to spraying something 🤣. I appreciate the order in which to spray . It’s so good to know the right order . Do Your Own Pest Control says you can mix Forbid and Avid . Hmmm 🤔. There is Minx 2 that’s a water based formula, but has a rather high ph . I’m wondering if the VOC’s are the big danger of Avid . As you say , @ewwmayo , they evaporate off . I know you’re sound like a paranoid weenie worrying like I do . If not for my dog , I’d be spraying Avid already. Could start with the next in line so nice I don’t have a horrible infestation. I’ve plucked every damaged leaf I see off and put in ziplock bags to throw away. I don’t see mites or eggs on the undamaged leaves . That doesn’t mean they’re not hiding tho .

Has anyone ever tried Citric Acid ? I’ve been reading on the marijua forums that The Amazing Dr Zymes kills them . Eggs and all. I end up finding lots of info on the MJ forums even though I don’t smoke 🤣. They deal with mites a lot . I feel for them . If you’re growing medical MJ , you are headed for a heartbreak of ya lose it to mites . But citric acid makes sense . Succs like acidity . You’re supposed to get the Dr Zymes to ph 6 and spray. Its expensive, but I have citric acid . I may try it on a few that I don’t care about. My infestat isn’t that bad . Under the scope , not every plant even has evidence of the mites . And I’m not seeing tons of eggs . Unless these don’t have perfect round eggs like I’ve seen examples of . I see shed skins and dead mites , plus live ones on about 1/3 of them . The others , I see nothing but dust . And occasional webbing . Old webbing . So odd that this has been going on over 2 months and they haven’t taken over . Probably cuz my house 🏡 a around 70 .

@Nicole Puiia,

i know your pain ! My champagne has those spots too . As a matter of fact , many of my imports have had those blasted spots . Makes me realize now that just maybe , I possibly tracked them in with a Korean order . Your pics definitely look like spider mites to me . Like @ewwmayo says , if they’re moving , ya got problems. If they’re not moving, maybe the seller sprayed n killed em . How many succs do ya have ? If you’re a fiend like me , I feel for ya . I have over 200 . If I didn’t have my sweet lil dog , I’d be blasting with Avid right now . I’m just scared that it will give off some sort of poisons in the air even after it dries . Paranoid, I know . But if I came home to my 11 year old dog in bad shape cuz of my plants , I’d never forgive myself. She’s been by my side at my worst times and always been a comfort . She’s kicked tears from my face and snuggled me to sleep for 11 years . And she hops around like a puppy when I get home . She lives for me . Crazy bout her if ya can’t tell. Thanks wish you luck however you treat your plants .

Sorry for all the typos , y’all ! My phone hates this forum . It changes what I’ve typed and I get tired of correcting it . 🤣

I meant I’m sounding like a paranoid weenie ! Stupid auto correct ! I swear 🤣

@Jennifer Liebo Trust the manufacturer and only mix when it explicitly allows it in the product instructions. Avid does not have a huge amount of VOCs and just spray it outside with good airflow.

@Jennifer Liebo You can take a read of this publication on Abamectin toxicity from Cornell University's Extoxnet: Abamectin Toxicity Publication. I do not own a dog and not sure what your dog does with your plants, but it may be helpful regarding your concerns.

Regarding VOCs, they evaporate off and doing the spraying outside should be no issue at all. VOCs are in many household products like cleaners, paints, air fresheners, etc. My respirator cartridges are rated for VOCs and all sorts of gasses too so when I do any spraying I know my mask is working properly because I do not smell anything at all.

From my previous notes, Akari has a slight musty smell and Pylon with Floramite also had a slight smell after spraying. There is a re-entry interval of 12 hours which is intended to let any residues dry. Being able to leave plants outside for that entire duration is best.

As for Citric acid, there is one published paper that mentions it was tested but I couldn't find anything else. I do not have access to the full publication so I couldn't see the details: Effect of Commercially Available Plant-Derived Essential Oil Products on Arthropod Pests. Phytotoxicity was tested and mentioned in the abstract but not for citric acid.

In general, I do not follow or read marijuana forums anymore because the ratio of helpful information to misinformation is abysmal. Just a habit from my day job - personally I want to know how things work and why before I do them. On those forums there is a lot of "this worked for me!" with no scientific reason why it actually worked which is a bit frustrating.

Stush , I got what you use at the dollar store. Thanks my friend. I’ll give it a shot.
Wendy I found root mealy on one of my plants! It wasn’t growing so I pulled it from the pot and it was just a huge mass of mealy and no roots. Ugh. Thanks for the tip.
Everyone else thank you for the info

@ewwmayo ,

Ive tried to reply to ya a couple times and my phone locks up or eats my reply 🤣. Dunno why . Thanks for linking those articles. The one about Abamectin is comforting cuz they actually fed the dogs those doses . My dog won’t be eating any . The plants are mostly out of her reach . She keeps her nose to the floor crumb hunting a lot tho . So that means this floor better stay spotless. Ya know how leaves love to fall to the floor when ya have house plants . I’ve started spraying the Abamectin on my plants with my airbrush gun . It’s perfect for complete coverage and control . And it doesn’t produce a ton of drift . No more than my pump sprayer would . I’m spraying outside in my hazmat suit . Let them dry a bit . Then take em into my unoccupied trailer for further drying. Some have been over there 48 hours . I’ll bring those home and spray more today. Might be able to finish today since I’m on a roll .

You are right . VOC’s are everywhere . My dog hung out with me while I painted inside our house and she’s fine . I’ll just be extra cautious . I know Abamectin is much more dangerous than paint . When it comes to my dog , she’s my angel . I’ll always be safe regarding her . She’s the coolest dog ever . 5.5 pounds . Miniature Chi Weenie that never barks unless someone is outside and she’s alerting us . She just lays around in her little bed and chills unless she’s crumb hunting or wanting held . Not a yapper like most tiny dogs . 🤣. So her messing with my plants is unlikely. She tried to bury a jerky treat under one that was laying on the floor waiting for a pot once . She tore it all to hell . I was shocked cuz she never goes near them . I was sad about the plant . But it was too damn cute to be mad at her 🤣.

Im gonna try the citric acid as a general maintenance program down the road . Just to see if succs like acids the way some people have said . I’m also gonna get some green lacewin larvae and turn them loose around here . After the miticides have died down .

found out exactly what’s in my trees . Kinda . Wish they’d listed exactly the species. I’m gonna ask for a copy of the lab report. The arborist said I’m the only one to ever send leaves to the lab . How odd . I’d think everyone would wanna know . I have thrips in the dogwood right at the front door . Eriophyid mites in the back porch box elder . Spider mites in the dog lot box elder . Leaf rollers and evidence of cattarpillars in my redbud . I’ll probably pay for injections . Just have to measure the trees . The arborist should have measured them the day she was here . Wasn‘t too impressed with her . I seemed to know as much as she did . Even stumped her a few times with my questions. Haha 🤣.

Anyway . THANK YOU SO MUCH! You’re awesome!

I agree about the MJ forums . I just read them to see what people are doing with pests . Not many people use true pesticide or miticide on succs . You’re the first person I found to mention it . It’s crazy the things they put on MJ for pests tho . Makes me glad I don’t smoke it . I have a friend who failed a drug test for benzodiazepines recently. He’s allowed to smoke pot . But he got in trouble for the benzos even though he didn’t take any . I suspect one of the MJ products he enjoyed was laced with them . He could be smoking Abamectin for all he knows too . Yikes ! Hope you have a great weekend. Big hugs ! Thank you for your knowledge 🤗

@ewwmayo , forgot to tell ya ! I accidentally knocked a plant over that’s in my trailer a couple days ago. Noticed the stem was rotten . Looked under the microscope and saw a bunch of white bugs crawling around! They look like mites too . YUCK 🤢. I’ll post the video do you can look if nobody minds hearing me mutter the F word . I think I have a curse word free video. I’ll post that one right after this comment. They could be soil mites . Not sure . Thought it was a fungus. That is why I looked under the scope . These are tiny . I dunno if they’re eating the rot out of the stem or eating root aphids . Or if they are root aphids . If anyone can identify them , please lemme know . Lord ! Hope I don’t have root aphids on top of all this other nightmare . I immediately chopped this rotten part off . Then glued the cuts . It’s a fred Ives and I’d like to save it . No wonder it looked like crap . A couple next to it look like crap as well. Time to unpot and investigate. I’ll find the non bad word video and post it . Or take the sound off if both are laden with the F word 🤣

Ok everyone! Here are the videos . I took the sound off to spare everyone my cursing . 🤣. Can anyone identify these ? They’re in the rotten stem of one of my Fred Ives . I’ve chopped that section off and put it in a ziplock and in the trash . Sorry for the wobbly moments . I was trying to focus better . I tried both my microscopes . The less wobbly one is the Pluggable one @ewwmayo suggested . Do you hate Mayo too ? Is that where your name came from ? Just curious 🤣. I don’t hate it exactly. But I hate how fast food places apply way too much. So I order all food without it . 🤣. Well . It won’t let me do a video. How odd . I’ll try still shots .

I know those are hard to see . They look like soil mites to me . Wish I could post the videos. Dunno why I can’t . I think I’ve seen videos on here . Maybe it’s cuz I took the sound off the videos. Or maybe Houzz isn’t set up to post them . Anyway. I can try for clearer screenshots if needed . These are tiny ! I couldn’t see them moving til I looked through the scope . And I did that fast cuz I didn’t want em crawling off that stem and into other plants . Hope it’s just soil mites . Pics of root aphids look so different than these . Except the bean root aphid . I sure hope this isn’t why my crested Fred Ives all look so bleak next door . They had Mealybugs and ice kept them quarantined in my trailer next door for a couple months til I see zero signs of mealybug. The Acetamiprid seems to have worked . But now these nasty things ! One of the Fred’s did have a hole in a stem . It was an old hole and I saw nothing in it when it arrived . But I may chop that particular stem off . It’s a crest with a standard stem attached to the side . Has baby rosettes growing on that stem . That’s why I kept it . But I now suspect that’s where these came from . I’ll have to unpot the other 2 and check . Eew ! One of them had to root . Bet it’s made no progress cuz the roots are being eaten . This plant in the pics is a different Fred from a different seller . It had to root as well. So this was a shock . There was no dirt or roots on the plant for them to be hiding in .

Here’s a link to the video of the root bugs . I put it on YouTube . Hopefully y’all can see it . They’re creepy . Dunno if they rotted the stem or if they’re cleaning up the rot . Thank you to anyone who takes the time to look 😊

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxjJtgzBcwA&feature=share

@Jennifer Liebo - Yes, I don't like mayo at all. =P If they send you the report, let us know what it says. I'm curious to see. The box elder mites are probably Eriophyes negundi. I'm not familiar with them whatsoever. Frustrating how you have spider mites in the trees and thrips at the front door!

What do you mean by 'soil mite'? If you are thinking these could be Oribatid mites, I'm not so sure? Oribatids have a distinct round body with a pointy head and move around slowly. They have little legs coming out the front only. The ones I have had before are brown, although there are white ones too apparently. This website has really excellent images and description Chaos of Delight - Mites.

From your video though... it looks like there more than 1 type of mite there. Top left there is a very big one with legs coming out of the sides. Is it a Tarsonemid mite? They definitely do not look like aphids to me. Did you take other videos? Try to get one so it's not so overexposed then you can see better detail (try turning down the LED).

One thing is for sure, having the up-close video will get you much closer to the answer!

BLECH!!! Makes my scalp itch and my skin crawl just looking at them! Great video though. I wish I could unsee it. I’ll never be able to handle plants or soil without recalling this.

HEE BEE GEE BEES!

Fred Ives is probably easiest succulent to propagate - if you are having so much trouble with the plant, start new ones and get rid of the one with the bugs. The only thing is, I am not sure if it is crested one that has problems. I am sure you don't want to get rid of crest.

I am very surprised that you are having problems with it. I have grown dozens of them - many from leaves, and some from cuttings. I never had any bugs on Fred Ives. 60 were grown from leaves for wedding favours: I had plenty of time to grow them, and wanted plants to be approx. same size. None was sick. I have large bowl full of FI; it is almost 3yrs old. Beside that, I have at least dozen pots with FI. I have also a crest, that had grown from a leaf, which is not very old.

I wonder what kind of soil are you using? - maybe you already mentioned it, but I don't remember...I am just wondering why there are so many bugs in/on your plants.

Gee, I'm using soil from my compost pile. Alive with tiny bugs of all kind. So far I have had no problems but now I'm worried. I don't want to sterilize it due to wanting the microbes. Maybe good bugs eat the bad bugs?

Good question. I feel that there are many beneficial organisms and microbes that help take care of the pests and other problems. This is why I think it's easier growing outside (in general) than having an indoor collection.

I asked a friend of mine who has a very keen interest in vermicomposting and he says for the most part you need to take care of the compost pile for pests too. Although, his focus is on the health of his worms rather than for potted plants like us. Based on what he told me, what pests are for him are different from us. However, issues like fungus/pH/etc. are shared concerns.

Yeah but even outside I get bad hugs at the roots on many plants. They are just there and that’s it. Nothing kills them except both chemicals or beneficial ones. Usually systemic is what I need on roses and other perennials.

Bugs. lol

Was wondering how bad those hugs were!

Thanks for the funny ha ha Mike. Needed that today.

Hey y’all ! I’ll be back later to respond. I’m getting ready for my second round of mite spraying. I’ve been working 12 hour days and haven’t had a chance to get back to y’all . I appreciate your comments on my root bugs !

@rina_Ontario,Canada 5a,

i must agree with you that Fred Ives are the easiest ! They’re my FAVORITE succulent of all time . Especially the crests . Think I got the rot on that particular one cuz it was rooting and I accidentally watered it instead of just moistening the soil . I hope anyway . I beheaded it and cleaned it very well . Then inspected it under the scope . Then sprayed it just to be sure . Lol . Anyway, I’m just experimenting with it and gonna leave it as an outside plant .

To address as it why I have so many bugs , I wish I knew . This property has ALWAYS been a haven for bad bugs . My Mamaw lived next door for over 40 years . She gardened a lot and used lots of pesticide. And across the road , there’s a huge field that is part of a farm . I’m sure they do lotsa pesticide too . Every time they mow the field , the bugs travel to me worse . I think I need to introduce some good bugs to the property. But I first want to do tree injections for the mites . I will research my timing and make sure it’s safe to let the good bugs loose here . Now I’m starting to see why many folks prefer to avoid some pesticides . I may have caused this to get worse by treating the trees and roses with a systemic product this spring . I was tired of seeing holes in all the leaves . I probably killed the few good bugs I had and the mites took over . But , as I said before, this property has been full of bad bugs since i was a child . I’m 43 . I remember all the plants being full of holes and bad bugs at 4 years old . That’s why Mamaw used Sevin Dust and likely napalm for all I know 🤣. Being a little kid , I didn’t pay attention. With her dementia, I’m sure she can’t answer my questions about what she used . I’ll be back later to reply to the rest of you ! Whoever said the video of my root bugs made their skin crawl , I feel your pain ! I’ve itched non stop since find these mites ! And I see those nasty things when I close my eyes . Even my dog and my BF are scratching 🤣. The dog has been bathed and treated for fleas , btw . She’s a pampered pooch always 🥰

@rina_Ontario,Canada 5a

Here is my fave Fred Crest . I am in love with your Fred in the pic ! So stunning! Wish I could do outside plants . Sorry the pic ain’t the best . Gotta quit procrastinating and spray ! It was a hurried shot 🤣. Look how pink she is . I’m in LOVE . More like obsessed when it comes to Fred Crests .

Jennifer

That is really good looking crest! And the color is very interesting. Since I grow mine outdoors during summer, it gets bit more brownish-purplish-pink. It was never pink as your plant is and I have been growing it for about 7-8 years. What kind of light are you using? Do you have a 'regular' (non crested) Fred Ives, and if so - is it also so pink? I looked thru all pics I have; pinkiest I found were these younglings growing from a stem left after beheading. That is indoors, under lights, during winter:

I never used any pesticides, not even in my garden. I hope there are beneficials around, and try to p/u bugs if I see them (like japanese beetles, or hornworms...lucky enough to see some parasitic wasp eggs on it!). I only use rubbing alcohol on my potted plants if needed. I live in small town and there are many farms around, but not as close as you have. I am sure they also use some sprays - but what I can tell (should say smell :), there is lots of manure being used! :)

Rina ,

Sorry for the super late reply! Been so upset and discouraged about my plants and these mites that I’ve just been coming gone from work and sleeping most evenings. Between me over cleansing them and the miticides , most of them look horrible. And I’m losing my first crested Fred Ives . It’s the one that started the obsession. It’s slowly shriveling up in the trunk area from the middle down . Not rot . Think it just hated the cleaning and the miticide. Anyway, to answer your question about my lights . I use Barrina pink( or red/blue ) mixed with the Barrina white grow lights for the one in the pic . On other shelves, I have T5 grow lights by Durolux. Love all of my lights . Seems I get amazing colors with both as long as I use gritty mix . I make my own using 3 parts Turface, 3 parts pumice and 2 parts coir . But I’m starting to rethink this mix . I’ve noticed that if I have to unpot a plant for any reason ( like knocking it over and losing most of the soil on the floor ) , the roots are super thin and unhealthy looking. I also get many air roots on lots of my plants . But others are fine . I’m wondering if I’m not being careful enough to use all the same particle size . I got tired of wasting so much pumice with all the sifting that I started just rinsing it and mixing it up . I sift it through a 1/8” sifter just to get the super tiny stuff out and rinse . Maybe it’s compacting and killing the roots . What soil do you use ? I’ve noticed coir fibers tangle in the roots too. Every soil you buy is full of gnats . That’s why I make my gritty mix . Not in love with Bonsai Jack gritty mix cuz the plants just can’t seem to stay hydrated in it . With 200 plants , I’m too busy to water that often ( more than weekly ) . And if I water more often in Bonsai Jack , they rot . To answer your other question. I have regular Fred Ives and they’re not quite as pink as the crests . As a matter of fact , most of my regular ones that I didn’t grow myself from leaves look horrid . Every one of them has arrived with Mealybugs . I’ve had to treat them so much that they’re all shriveled up and yuck looking . Acetamiprid killed the mealybugs and the eggs tho . But the eggs are still there . Can’t get them off . I’ve washed them a zillion times and they just stick there . I gotta find a new soil option and a new way to conquer Mealybugs . And I hope the mites stay gone . Gotta go inject my trees right now . I’ll be back . Didn’t mean to ignore y’all ! Just been really depressed on top of working super long days . I’m almost ready to give up on the succulents . Let the ones that wanna die go ahead and die and save the healthy ones . Then just stop buying them .

If anyone has any input on the particle size on gritty mix , I’d love to hear it .

@ewwmayo ,

I found out that the little bugs in the rotten stem are good soil mites . They were cleaning up the decayed matter . So YAY ! I could not make another video cuz I freaked and tossed out that stem in a ziplock. It’s probably in the landfill now . Bet the bugs are happy Lil campers . I’ll go back and re read your replies . I’m sure I’m leaving out info you’d asked about. By the way , I got an ultrasonic food cleaner with ozone . It seems weak . But it had a HUGE tub . That’s the reason I picked it . Thought maybe if I washed some troubled plants , I could get the mealybugs off or any dead mites and eggs . Or use it to clean every new plant with . But it was so weak it barely removed dust . I didn’t use the ozone setting. It just has one . I know ozone is bad for plants . Anyway, ima send it back . But I may get one eventually. I love the idea of cleaning new plants with it or just tryna clean up ones with stubborn pests .

Does anyone know a good alternative to isopropyl alcohol to clean up Mealybugs ? Alcohol hasn’t really worked great for me for bugs . But it does help remove the egg sacs and kills the bugs . Ya just have to do it constantly. But here in the US , we can’t get isopropyl anywhere . It’s so annoying! They keep us from getting alcohol cuz they need it on the front lines for Covid . But if they’d let us have alcohol, maybe the front lines wouldn’t be so hectic. It’s frustrating to not be able to get something that was once so abundant.

Hope y’all are all doing well .!

I also make my own mix. I use approx. equal amounts of perlite and grit, and small amount of turface. Sometimes, small amount of soil instead. I have used some cocopeat recently since I was gifted couple of 'bricks' of it. Small amount is about 10 -20% of total. I really do not measure, just mix it, but it is not more than 20% (usually less). JMO, but I think 3pts is too much - turface is quite water retaining.

I sift or rinse perlite, and particles are probably between 3-6mm:

I keep plants outside as long as possible, and they get rained on. If no rain, I water myself as needed, with water from rain barrels. I never purchased any mix. I have been using mix as described for a few years now (longer than 5...)

My lights are some LED tubes, 4' long; I have set of T5HO, and still have some CFL light bulbs left (the spiral bulbs) so I am using them while they last.. I never used ultrasonic cleaner (never have even seen one, lol). For years, I use only rubbing alcohol. Not sure what I'll use when I run out of it - but luckily, so far didn't have to use it very often. Some plants get mealy bugs once in a while. IIRC, some ppl were using Windex and also mouthwash (Listerine). I should find old articles where these were mentioned...I am not sure if that is what was said. Few years ago, I purchased a bottle of insecticidal soap, just once.

Hey y’all ! Long time , no see ! My mites are back with a vengeance. They’re Brevipalpus mites . False spider mites . That’s why they were so hard to see . No webs either . Alcohol kills them . But I’m too lazy to spray often enough. I’ve put a few outside and then check for mites a few weeks later to find no mites . The new growth looks good too . BUT , new bugs are getting on them . Ugh ! Some look pretty awful right now . If only I could get rid of the darned eggs ! Anyone tried Tetrasan? Did it cause phyto toxicity? Thank y’all for helping me before. I’ve just had to part with some of them . May try the mouthwash now . Since the alcohol works for everything but the eggs . Anyone tried predator mites ?

I have been successful using Sevin liquid. The mouth wash is only good once in a while. Using it too often will have disastrous results. The old Sevin mix was better but I use the new formula as a preventive and seems to work well.

A note about Listerine; new formula has no alcohol and has fluoride which is a plant killer. I use the cheap Dollar Store brand and is still good.

I've used Avid, Floramite, and Tetrasan (not together, at 7-10 day intervals) on my Adeniums. Worked great.

Thanks y’all ! Have any of you had the microscopic Brevipalpus mites ? They are also called false spider mites or flat mites . It seems many Miticides aren’t effective for them . Forbid 4 F lists flat mites on the label . But I lost a few plants using it . It flat out dehydrated my favorite crested Fred Ives . I’ve sprayed many with alcohol, then rinsed hard with the hose , then alcohol again. And I’m leaving all the ones that have mites outside, far away from my favorite outside succulents. I may try Forbid again. @Stush , thank you for the dollar store mouthwash recommendation. Good to know not to use the newer alcohol free version. Alcohol does kill the adults . I’ve watched them die under my scope . That’s why I’m killing them with alcohol before rinsing the plants . May try Sevin Liquid. I think that’s bifenthrin. I actually have Bifenthrin spray . May just use it twice and be done with it . It causes some damage. But not like Forbid did .
Stupidlazydog ,

Thank you ! I have all those Miticides you mentioned. Did you have any damage to your plants ? Seems Tetrasan would be perfect since it kills eggs . Since I can kill the adults with alcohol, maybe something for the eggs is just what I need . Tetrasan doesn’t list flat mites. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t work . They’re mites after all 🤣

@Jennifer Liebo - Have you seen this page? https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/false-spider-mites It lists tao-fluvalinate, insecticidal soap, Avid, bifenthrin, Sanmite, Forbid/Judo as being effective. Sevin is Carbyl which I don't know if it is effective.

Forbid is translaminar and good at killing eggs and instars of mites, but adults only somewhat so you should probably lead with other contact miticides first. Avid is also translaminar and effective on instars and adults only. So perhaps a suitable rotation could be insecticidal soap, Avid, Forbid, then Bifenthrin. That 4 weeks might kill everything. If you need a 5th week, rotate one of the above back in.

Never had Brevipalpus mites before though. Forbid will damage pelargonium and peperomia, so be careful if you grow those at all. Careful with the soap dilution otherwise it can burn.

I have successfully used Sevin (carbaryl) with mixed use of Imidacloprid to treat Aloe mite. It took several appications over a two year span. I was told Imidacloprid is totally ineffective in killing mites. You need an acaricide to get the job done. I am telling every one that it worked. Sevin is a know preventive method for keeping mites away.

If using alcohol and washing the plant over and over again it will do as much damage as the mites.

The Sevin I have been using is the new formula and I had to special order Sevin with carbaryl. This has gotten expensive now. I bought a life time supply of two gallons. The other miticides is really expensive and most plants are not worth the effort.

Funny, this thread came back to life right around the time my spider mites did. i used a fertilizer two months in a row. immediately after, like a day or two. i had 1 or 2 plants suddenly rot. i’ve really gotten the hang of watering with no casualties but I figured it was time for a mistake. but a month later it happened again. right after the fertilizer. lost several expensive plants that I was finally confident enough to buy.

took a closer look and found the fertilizer had destroyed ally root systems. the plants and pots were all sticky and even in BJ soil it was rock hard. And this green algae stuff was growing in them and in my watering dish.

so fast forward a month. couldn’t water because they had no roots so they all shriveled up while I waited for new roots. On top of that I just made my 3 yearly orders. all imports. all rootless and needing lots of tlc. perfect storm. it’s out of control at this point. was spot treating but a few days later they just move from another plant back to the treated one. now I think a giant clean up of every single plant is my only hope.

just not sure what to use. i prefer alcohol but idk if it’s enough? does anyone know if I have to treat the soil? i JUST bought pounds and pounds of BJ for spring and changed all their soil. i can’t afford to do that again so soon. hoping that a thorough clean of the tables then each plant leaf by leaf with the alcohol will be enough?

also, thank you Jennifer for this info! i can tell plant group members are rolling their eyes at me any time I mention spider mites because ”IF THERE ARE NO WEBS THEY ARE NOT SPIDER MITES!” sigh. i’ve never ever had any webs but I know I have mites! they also question the black ”pepper” looking damage saying it’s not spider mites. and then they say I should be able to see them. i’m young with great vision. i can not see these at all. i only got a glimpse looking through a super magnifier and just barely at that. sounds like they might be what you are referring to which would explain a lot of these inconsistencies.

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For spider mites, you won't normally see webs until it starts getting bad. Use a 40x loupe to easily confirm. The problem with spot treating is that you won't easily spot the eggs and mites are very good at hiding, so you will end up missing some for sure.

If you know what you are looking for, you can identify them with the naked eye under bright light. Two spotted spider mites move in a particular fashion and like certain areas of the plant, as compared to other mites/pests.

What fertilizer did you use and at what concentration? Seems quite unusual that fertilizer would get sticky and destroy all the roots.

Some of those chemical fertilizers often do more damage to plants then the bugs. Once in a weaken state, the bugs move in and do their job of finishing off the plant. I too have lost several plants to fertilizer so I try not to use any at all. If so, weak to almost nothing.

Try to keep the plants out of direct sun and cool shade for awhile so they can recover and form new roots.

I noticed mites like a moist area and don't do well in dry conditions. I would lightly mist the plants with a weak solution of Sevin once a week. Keeping them dry and once you see growth, then could bring out to brighter light and water a little more.

Jennifer, I used Tetrasan, Avid, and Floramite on Adeniums and Pachypodiums with no damage to the plants. I haven't used Forbid.

Before using those miticides, I did use alcohol on my Adeniums. I found that it was an ongoing battle, and, that it would burn parts of the leaves that had spider mite damage.

Adeniums are presently mite free :-)

I used Cactus Juice. Supposedly very safe compared to other fertilizers. whatever concentration it said on the bottle. very small amount. less than a tsp to a gallon. so small I wondered how it could possibly be enough. i leave my water tray after watering so there is humidity in the room. this is what it looks like a few days after watering the fertilized plants. Full of the green stuff and sticky. the water also got this weird clearish film all on the top overnight. i had some imports I didn’t fertilize because they didn’t have sufficient roots yet. this is what their water looks like a few days later compared to with the other plants (clear and normal). that was also how I knew it was the fertilizer. after 3/4 waterings the water tray is finally looking normal again. hoping that means I’ve flushed it all out of the pots. The green stuff is what started to grow in the pots as well. very sticky. I had to squeeze the pots a lot to loosen up the dirt as it was so stuck together I could hold it upside down and it would stay. i use clear pots so I can always see the roots. plants that had good root systems suddenly had no visible roots at all. such a mess. This is a pic of one of the pots belonging to a plant that rotted. made sure to take pics of everything to send to the supplier. really no idea what exactly happened, just that the fertilizer was the only common denominator.

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The main problem with clear pots is that root tend to grow away from the light. Promotes algae. Some times things like a natural bio medium is best like using Alfalfa and/or things like 'Stump Tea'.

I’ll give it a try! thank you

Nicole Puiia , You most DEFINITELY have the Brevipalpus mites ! At least your damage is similar to mine . They don’t leave webs and they’re harder to get rid of than spider mites ( so I’ve heard ). Not much info on them out there . I have befriended an entomologist that says I should spray with sulfur. He says there aren’t many available predators of these little devils for sale for me to buy . Based on my research, he’s right . The alcohol will kill everything but the eggs . And that’s where the battle comes in . If I had it to do over , I’d have thrown everything I had that was infested with these monsters into a ziplock and tossed them . They get around. And their life cycle is longer than spider mites ( around 3 weeks between egg laying and hatching) . I strongly suggest you toss any with that black damage unless it’s precious to you . Wish I had . And I also suggest the Pluggable USB microscope ( Thanks Eewmayo) from Amazon. It has a gooseneck stand so you can move it to look at your plants without having to remove leaves . If you must keep a mite infested one , pluck off everything that has any black damage at all . And then pluck a row of healthy leaves just to be sure . Then spray the plant really well with a mix of half water and half 70% rubbing alcohol. Sometimes I add a tad more alcohol than water . 70% won’t harm most plants as long as ya don’t spray in the sun. But ya have to spray weekly at least. That’s my problem. Spraying 300 plants that often is daunting . I’ll admit I get behind on the spraying and watering too . It’s a mess ! I’ll let ya know how my sulfur spray works out . Unfortunately, anything that doesn’t kill the eggs will require constant spraying. If you’ve got some expensive imports coming, you should keep those away from the mite infested ones . Not even the same room . Trust me . Once I go through and toss the worst ones , I’m backing off on plant orders. Makes my stomach turn all the money I’ve lost due to these microscopic scum bags ! I was importing succulents every couple of weeks. That’s why I have over 300 now . And they’re all so precious to me . It sickens me to toss them . I know how you feel . How many plants do ya have ? Ewwmayo was my hero back in the day . Avid did kill many of my mites . But then I rotated with Forbid 4 F only to have many faves dehydrate like beef jerky. All of these members here have been so helpful to me ! And I appreciate all of you ! Research Brevipalpus mites . So far , all I am finding that is supposed to kill them is , Forbid 4F , MPede soap , and Sulfur. If ya find anything new , please let me know . My heart goes out to ya ! And any person dealing with these monsters.

Eewmayo ,

I’ll look into a good rotation again. Many of the miticides I have , and available miticides in general aren’t listed for flat mites . So I’m leery to use them and then damage my plants so badly for them to not work. But I may give them a shot anyway. The mites have ruined so many plants that I almost have nothing to lose . Maybe I can exclude my faves from the regimen until I see how the plants do with a rotation. Then spray the faves if the miticides don’t cause the beef jerky effects like last time . Avid , then forbid caused many faves to shrivel like beef jerky and die last time . And those didn’t even have mites yet back then . Research is hard to find on the Brevipalpus mite and effective miticides for them . They’re called False Spider Mites cuz there’s no web .

Stush ,

Very interesting that carbaryl amd Imidacloprid worked for your aloe mites ! Those are both supposed to cause mite flare ups . I’ve experienced mite flare ups due to Imidacloprid. Maybe since aloe mites are eriophyids , you get a kill from those chexmicals . That’s awesome and I’m so thrilled for you ! Way to go . I have some eriophyid mites in one of my trees here . Still need to inject those trees . It’s raining every time I think about it and you’re not supposed to inject in the rain .

Stupid Lazy Dog ,

Thank you for the help and the hope! I’ll try those Miticides . I have them . I’m so happy you’re mite free ! Were yours Brevipalpus mites ? Seems like an ovicide would work on ANY mite eggs . Not just certain species. Seems like I read that those weren’t effective for Brevipalpus. But I’m desperate at the moment. The Brevipalpus are known to cause citrus leprosis disease.

EwwMayo ! Thank you again too ! Y’all are so amazing! I’ll check out the link you provided. I’ve got a bunch of succulent seeds . If the Miticides kill any of my plants , I’ll stop being a crybaby and just grow my seeds . This has been a huge lesson to stop buying so many. If I seed grow a bunch indoors after getting rid of all the mites , maybe I’ll have a fighting chance. It’s kinda depressing that my addiction has been thwarted . 🤣. But my bank account is happy that I’ve slowed the buying. I think there are more Brevipalpus mites on succulents than people realize since they’re microscopic. I want to get the word out to save people this frustrating heartache. It’s so sad to see thousands worth of plants keep suffering over and over . I say I’m lazy. But the truth is that I work in the heat all day and can’t muster the energy for all this fighting. I wish Kontos was labeled for flat mites ( Brevipalpus/false ) . I’d pay the $300 plus price tag and water my sorrows away 🤣. Thank y’all again! My heroes and heroines 🤗🤗🤗

Jennifer, my plants had spider mites, not flat mites. There's a good thread on cactiguide about treating mites, scale, mealies, etc. on cactus that may help. I don't know how well it translates for other succulents.

here's the link: https://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=42129

I though I should add to those who treat with alcohol about using mouth wash spray instead. Make sure it doesn't have fluoride in and I put a spoon full of Baking Soda in the spray bottle to help with fungus infections which always looks for an opportunity to invade. Helps a lot. You could add more Baking Soda but then it leaves a whitish film behind, which doesn't hurt but is unsightly.

Jennifer, I don’t keep track of numbers but if I had to guess I’d say 100 or so. unfortunate the alcohol won’t kill eggs! i might end up ”bathing” them in soapy water I guess to get any eggs off. Using a paint brush to get all the crevaces and loosten up any eggs. i don’t like doing that because it removes farina but if it also removes eggs it may be worth it! I did this to several plants last year. first alcohol then a bath. I was just winging it as I didn’t know what mites I had nor how to treat them. it seemed to work! I guess if I can’t kill them then the next best thing is drowning them and dumping them down the drain! haha

I just stocked up on alcohol and saw some 70% alcohol wipes that looked interesting so I grabbed those as well! might be easier to use the wipes than it is to use q tips. if I don’t use them for this I’m sure they’ll come in handy in the future for some other pest!

Nicole Puiia ,

It’s like we are twins ! You do just what I do ! The brush does help loosen eggs and Millie bugs and all kinds of things. I have a little fan shaped paintbrush that is just awesome for that and sometimes it’s so soft on them that it doesn’t remove the Farina. I am talk texting right now because I am wearing gloves and it is hard to type. I have a very southern accent and it doesn’t understand me lol. I am actually bathing my plants at the moment. How funny that we do the same thing!These mites are just a terrible curse ! I am trying sulfur on them right now. It does kill the mites. But of course it doesn’t kill the eggs. But it’s nice to know that I can spray sulfur and it won’t make me sick or anything.And I also put one that was crawling with mites in a plastic bin with a hot shot no pest strip and a lid on it in my unoccupied mobile home . I looked under the microscope the next day and they were dead. So now I have the idea to start putting them in the bin with the no pest strips. I am also checking to see if those kill Mealy bugs. I am sorry that everything is misspelled. I hope that you are understanding what I am saying LOL. I wear gloves so that I don’t mess up my farina when I clean my plants. I hope that you get rid of yours. And I hope that I get rid Of mine too.

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions. I am going to finish cleaning my plants before it gets dark here. You are all so very kind :-)

Yes I understand you fine! how funny we both do that. i thought I was the only one who ”hand bathed” my babies instead of just spraying them down with a hose outside! haha

spent 3 straight days bathing, drying, baking soil, washing pots, and finally repotting. also disinfected as much of the ”plant room” as possible. fingers crossed! so far the plants have handeled it well. I was pretty terrified doing all of the new imports. all I could think the whole time was how much each one costs and what I will lose if I kill it! haha

no casualties. not even the little leaf babies! Last time I dunked the roots in the alcohol. they dried up to nothing. i skipped that this time and only put them in the soapy bath. fared much better this time around. they seem happy. perhaps relieved to finally not have bugs eating them all day. hopefully it was enough. i might snap if they return after all of that work! haha

good luck to you. hopefully we are both mite free!

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Hi Nicole! How’s it going with your mites ? Mine are still hatching out and screwing up my life . Ima clean my entire house . Then spray each plant with sulfur. I’ve had it ! I don’t care if the house reeks of fart for a week . It already stinks anyway cuz I need to clean 🤣. It’s not bad . Just that general stale house smell that comes from needing to clean . It’s just a tad dusty and cluttered. Just wanted to check in and see how you and your babies are doing. So sorry you got cursed with these little devils too. I swear I think I got mine from an XPlant order over a year ago . Could be wrong . But it just seems too convenient that they seemed to show up after 2 big orders from there . KSucculent plants have always been pristine . But with XPlant , it’s different sellers . And I really don’t blame the seller . They’re so hard to see that anyone could sell a plant with them and not know it . I had I plant I bought 1.5 years ago when a friend and I pitched in together on an order. It had tiny black dots all over it . Didn’t know to look through a scope back then . Thought my phone zoom was enough. That is the first plant I noticed them on months later . If you love importing like I once did , please get yourself a USB microscope. I’ll link mine . That way , you can at least inspect them before ya put them near others . I’m with you . I’ve spent THOUSANDS on these plants . It’s breaking my heart to have to just toss any of them ! I’d hoped to sell some once I had gotten my joy from them and needed more space for new ones . But I just can’t sell a plant that might make other ppl’s collection sick too. I didn’t put a penny in savings for almost 2 years due to my plant addiction. Now that m spending all the money trying to be rid of these monsters. The Hot Shot No Pest Strips work . But then there’s the hatching period that will happen after the adults are killed . And you can’t use them in occupied areas . I have far too many plants to keep taking them next door , putting them in a box with the strip for a few days , and rotating them out . But maybe you can . Get a big , clear box with a clear lid . Put the No Pest Strip in with as many plants as you can fit , and leave them for 4 days . You can put a grow light over top of the box if ya don’t want them to stretch. But you can only do this if you have a shed or somewhere you don’t actually spend time . They say not to be around them more than 4 hours at a time . I don’t even trust that ! I won’t go near my box without gear on . But anyway, sulfur is gonna be my next try . Good luck! Let me know how it goes !

Hi, Jennifer! it’s a bit difficult to say as I do really need a microscope but I’ve not noticed any new damage so far! hoping that means I got them. waiting for my roots to recover from my treatment now. Not going to water stress anyone until they are happy and green and confirmed free of pests. i don’t want to invite them back in! sadly lost my variegated blue metal during this process. That one stung! babying the 3 leaves I was able to save but not much hope for getting a variegated prop out of them. My imports are from xplant and succulent zone this year. one of the xplant ones had a mealie on it so I had to treat that whole box when it arrived. would not surprise me if they also had mites. i remember the first plant that had the pepper stuff on it as well, it was a champagne from succulent zone that seemed to rot without water and die about a month later. definitely buying that microscope! i have the same problem with selling. it sucks! i can see any other pest and be confident I don’t have them but not these! i can’t sell knowing i could be passing them to another person. sigh. i called bonsai jack to ask them if it was ok to microwave their soil. ”jack”, himself called me back and told me to use ortho home defense indoor/outdoor and it should kill them in a week. i bought some but can’t figure out if he said to put it on the surface of the SOIL or the surface of the TABLE and I don’t want to bother him again to ask. haha

but he said that is what every big nursery in US uses to keep pests out! they are actually required to use it every 3 weeks. indoor and out. really wish I had listened better and asked him to clarify what exactly to spray but I was tired and stressed from treating all of the plants and my brain just wasn’t working properly. I hope I can figure it out. i think it’s great advice from an expert and I’m sure it will work like he said once I figure out how to use it properly. he said it kills any pest including mites within a week! whatever route you decide to take I hope it works! Owning plants is not fun at all when they have mites. ugh

Welp, so much for that! appears all I did was slow them down. grabbed my cheap little macro lense to take some pics of my flowering plant. suddenly though, I should use it on this weirdo and see what it looks like. it’s looked like, bumpy ever sice I treated them all. like not smooth leaves. just odd. no idea why I never thought to use the macro lense before. i can see them PERFECTLY. and it’s not good. this is the bumpy plant and by far the worst. holy crap, it is COVERED. got some nice close ups of the mites as well. i’m done. spraying the crap out of that room with Ortho then choosing a plant I don’t care about and seeing what happens if i add ortho to the water then bottom water the plant. so sick of this

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