Help! Bizarre, soil dwelling houseplant pest
Despite hours spent digging through endless online resources, I have had the hardest time pinpointing a pest explanation that really lines up with what I am looking at.
My Jade is happy. I have had her for a couple years now and she has grown like crazy. We live in Michigan, she spent the summer basking in a East(partial South) facing window at my apartment. We recently moved to a house just down the road, she's now sitting n a West facing window - it's a bright location that receives good light and despite the change in light direction she is still happy - showing no changes in physical appearance.
I was inspecting my plants a couple weeks ago, checking for pests any abnormalities. I was shining a light to illuminate the underside of the leaves of my Jade and noticed a glimmer in the soil - similar to light when it catches a speck of glitter. looking closer to see the glimmer was moving, quickly and in a high quantity.
There are to ns of them! They are fast, round, reddish/brown in color and tiny. They appear to be soil dwelling - I looked all over the leaves, stems, crevices - a small amount of them are hanging out around the base of the stem where it meets the soil but minimal in comparison to the amount moving around in the soil. I removed roughly 1/2"-1" of the top soil to see how deep the infestation goes and it stays consistent.
These photos are not great however they are the best I can provide, I had to use the magnifying lens on my iPhone because they are so small and hard to photograph.
Also, I should add that I've been holding off on watering just incase the infestation is related to moisture - the white residue you are seeing on the soil/stem base is from a organic insect removing soap that was sprayed on the soil in a feeble attempt to get rid of the pests and is settled on the surface for the time being until I flush the soil.
Comments (16)
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Help Identifying Houseplant Pest
Comments (3)The bugs are mostly seen crawling, not flying, yet can jump when disturbed. My preliminary thoughts were thrips, aphids, or springtails. Also, they are normally found in the soil/pot, not on the plant itself. I'm reluctant to begin using a systemic routine, however that's slowly becoming a preferred route....See MoreTiny insects/soil mites in houseplant - Please Help Identify!
Comments (3)Dry it out. e.g.: Decrease watering. Reduce humidity. Increase temperature. Set out a fan to circulate the air....See MoreNeed help identifying extremely tiny bugs in soil of my houseplants
Comments (4)I’d say the larvae sounds like fungus gnat larvae so does the worm type things the larvae can range from clear to brownish and, it’s most likely if it is fungus gnats due to the dead nerve plant or overwatering or both add 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to your soap water mix (1 part peroxide to 4 parts water) spray the soil for 7 days or water your plants with it as a flush for the larvae get neem oil for the adult gnats if you start seeing them it also kills many other house plant pests and make sure it’s safe for your plants in particular....See MoreDoes anyone know what houseplant pest this is and how to treat?
Comments (2)You're probably are dealing with the results of someone else's heavy-handed watering issues as young larvae and pupa complete the life cycle to emerge as winged adults. Very often gnat infestations can be remedied simply by using a lighter hand on the watering can. They're attracted to rotting vegetation, so over-watering (a wet soil surface) sends them into an orgiastic frenzy made manifest in ..... lots more gnats. Try using a "tell" when you water, which will help you avoid over-watering. More below re using a "tell". You can try spritzing the soil or watering with a 1:4 mix of 3% H2O2 (the hydrogen peroxide most commonly available in drugstores, groceries, dollar stores, .....) and distilled water, respectively. I.e., 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water. It will kill larvae on contact, thus breaking the life cycle. Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to a build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Al...See More
Liz (Virginia z6b)
4 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
4 years agodontmather
4 years agodontmather
4 years ago
gdinieontarioz5
4 years agogdinieontarioz5
4 years agoTalk about the devil... I was just wondering what a brownish powder on a haworthia leaf was: turns out it is a new batch of jelly bellies ;-). They are actually quite beautiful with their shiny, translucent bodies. This is the best picture I could get. I should find back my macro attachment.
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoI wasn't aware of these, and it seems that they are rather beneficial than harmful.
But, doesn't their presence mean that there is too much organic matter? Just wondering...
dontmather
Reason I suggested perlite is because I do not see any in photos - but I am not suggesting there isn't any. I just think there isn't enough to be of any /much benefit. I see what looks like pieces of bark; but realize you tried to take close-up of bugs rather than soil.
PPl using mix of C&S+perlite mix is often in approx. 1:1 ratio. Here is photo of such mix from one of our members:
gdinieontarioz5
4 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agogdinieontarioz5
4 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
4 years ago
ewwmayo
4 years agoI haven't been on Houzz lately, otherwise I could have answered your mystery much quicker! Yes, they are oribatid mites (Euzetes globulus) and are beneficials. Here are some high magnification photos that I previously took with a friend's microscope (he is a microbiologist).
If you would like to see the difference between living oribatid and spider mites, here is a video I took. It clearly shows the distinctive anatomy of both mites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrNa9N2olsg
Dinie - I suspect you may have gotten them for a certain greenhouse. Oribatid mites are commonly found on cultivated orchids, which is described in this discussion posted by the AOS (American Orchid Society): http://www.aos.org/orchids/orchid-pests-diseases/mites-on-cultivated-orchids.aspx
For those who don't like crawly things, these are quite resilient creatures but some miticides will kill them. Personally I find them a bit creepy but they are also fascinating at the same time.
gdinieontarioz5
4 years agoorganelle
4 years ago
Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA