Living soil and bugs / mites

Just made my first batch of living soil and it’s been sitting 2 months. I went to grab some to top dress a photo in early flower and saw a mite of some sort in the soil. Now Ive had to butchered a plant that turned into mid grade due to spider mites. Needless to say I don’t want to deal with mites again. So how do you keep mites out of your living soil? I don’t mind bugs and worms. But like I said mites just ruined a plant. I want to use super soil without mites.

Living soil brewed outside and wrapped in a giant tarp.

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So I just had spider mites in my greenhouse this past summer. So did some research and found out that spider mites are hitchhikers and like hot dry stagnate air condition. So my understanding is they can come form just about anywhere. That being said not sure it is in your soil. Spider mites are very tiny and need a jewelers loupe to see but their damage is noticeable.

I am a organic soil user.

So my solution was to remove greenhouse covering and sprayed for the spider mites. Spider mites are no fun

Ok. It was mite like. The plant I buried you did need a usb microscope to see. This fella was half the size of a big flea. Maybe he is just a helpful farmer?

Soils going to have all sorts of bugs be you see them or you don’t, be they are there at first or they come later.

Make sure your grow room conditions are ideal for your plants and this should keep bugs minimal.
You can top dress your soil with diatomaceous earth to reduce issues.
If growing in soil have your yellow sticks all over the base of your plant, have good airflow and make sure humidity is ideal for the plant phase/temperature by following a VPD chart.

Otherwise go to coco!

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Ladybugs love to eat mites of all types.

Just assume any dirt has something in it. Yellow sticky cards and Nuk’em from flying skull.

Been using lady bugs for about a yr now I love them :grimacing:

I can’t find a ladybug to save my life. Been looking for weeks. I found one 4 hours from home and didn’t want to transport it.

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Lol, you can order them online I can get them here at grow shop but a lot of people order online…

@VigorTheCarpathian I was just reading about bugs the other day and saved this one, can’t remember exactly what made me save it but I do know it had some links to places to buy bugs online not just lady bugs many others

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Did those mite climb up onto plants and eat them?
I have spider mites in my soil but they are from my worm bin and don’t climb up onto plants but stay in the soil and eat my mulch and leaves and straw and helps break things down. Many different types of mites some good and some bad.
Check out arbico Organics they have many many organic solutions to pest problems

You can order ladybugs from Amazon.