# What kind of bug is this?



## Caw (Feb 21, 2020)

So I got home from work and decided to check the water level in my dwc buckets. I saw a bunch of brown specks on the roots and had to take a closer look. They were bugs! 

I had seen a few spots on the roots the other day. But, I assumed it was just some left over soil pushing out from when I pulled the clone out of dirt. They have obviously multiplied. 

I need advice on what they might be and what to do, PLEASE!

Do I pull the plant? It appears this is the only one with the bugs currently.


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## thegloman (Feb 21, 2020)

Caw
I don't know what kind of bugs those are, but you might try dipping them in a Dr.zymes solution. It works well as a root drench in dirt. Got rid of fungus gnats for me.


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## thegloman (Feb 21, 2020)

I hope that plant is isolated from the others. If not you are sure to have them in all of them.


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## Caw (Feb 21, 2020)

It is NOT isolated. I literally just found the issue and freaked out. I did check other buckets and it appears to only be the one.

I immediately ran to the friends house who I got it from. He grows in soil and had no idea what it was. We even went through some books he had. He's been doing this much longer than I have and asked me to send the pics to him so he could run it by others. He also suggested I run by the hydroponic store close by and see if they knew. No luck. However, they suggested I try this SNS203 product. I'm gonna give it a shot and see what it does.

As far as isolating the plant....I haven't figured that part out yet. This plant was just put into flower about a week ago. I guess I could put it in a box I made for cloning...? I did just get another light so I could use the old one I have boxed up.

Thank goodness I dont have it in a connected system! Its sitting on top of the system in an individual bucket.

Crazy this is happening! I actually have a photographer and reporter from a major newspaper coming by the house tomorrow afternoon to photograph my first harvest. The photographer is a long time friend. He showed his editor some pics I sent him and the editor asked him to shoot my setup and harvest. Apparently the editor is tired of using Gettysburg images for stories...


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## umbra (Feb 21, 2020)

you could try hydrogen peroxide in the water


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## Caw (Feb 21, 2020)

umbra said:


> you could try hydrogen peroxide in the water



How much per gallon do you recommend?


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## umbra (Feb 21, 2020)

4oz/gal for that kind of infestation. You'll know pretty quick if they are dying by looking at the roots 10 minutes after doing it


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## Caw (Feb 21, 2020)

umbra said:


> 4oz/gal for that kind of infestation



Thanks. I'll definitely try it out.


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## Caw (Feb 21, 2020)

Japanfreak said:


> Root aphids. I'd do dunks if you got spare buckets.



Thanks. That doesn't match the pics from one of the books we were looking at though. But doing a dunk is precisely what the plan was/is. The SNS203 is supposed to take care of root aphids. So, if you are right, then I'm on the right track to getting rid of them.

And yes, I have plenty of buckets! I use them to top up water and nute changes (it's easier to just fill and switch out a bucket at a time)


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## Caw (Feb 21, 2020)

Japanfreak said:


> pyrethrum is always good to have around.



I just read what that was and it says it SHOULD NOT come in contact with hydrogen peroxide. So, maybe another time...


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## burnin1 (Feb 21, 2020)

Those certainly look like root aphids to me.


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## umbra (Feb 21, 2020)

there are lots of things that kill bugs, I prefer something that has as little impact on the environment and the plant as possible. More deadly products can always be used later if needed


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## Caw (Feb 21, 2020)

Well, the SNS203 may have worked...

I mixed up a batch in a bucket. Put the plant over an empty bucket and poured the solution through the net pot. It filled up to the top. I then soaked it for about 12 minutes. Then put it in a rinse bucket of clean water and went up and down. Lots of floaties in the solution and a TON of dead bugs in the rinse bucket. For now, it's been placed back into the flower tent. If any bug movement tomorrow morning, I'll flush all the plants with the solution and try the hydrogen peroxide as well.

They say you can reuse the stuff but I'm gonna pour it out...I still have half the bottle


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## Caw (Feb 21, 2020)

umbra said:


> there are lots of things that kill bugs, I prefer something that has as little impact on the environment and the plant as possible. More deadly products can always be used later if needed


This stuff is supposed to be organic and can be used up to the day before harvest.


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## burnin1 (Feb 21, 2020)

I looked on YouTube and found this interesting. This guy says he got root aphids from rockwool cubes.

His root aphids are black, but they come in a lot of colors depending on the species.  I had them about 20 years ago in my home made cloner.


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## stinkyattic (Feb 22, 2020)

Azamax is another option


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## Caw (Feb 22, 2020)

I checked the plant, and others, this morning and although theres still bugs present, they appear to be dead - no movement. Lots of floaties still! I guess I didnt rinse well enough. 

I researched some more last night and got a bit nervous. Someone stated that it's best not to bnb use cold water, as it just slows down the bugs and takes longer for them to die. They used the example of jumping into a cold lake vs warm water, drowning at a much different rate of time. Made sense. However, with my past root issues, I'm scared to use warmer water...

Other popular cures were using soap and rosemary oil, or just soap alone. Or, of course, hydrogen peroxide as suggested above.

Apparently this can be easy to get rid of, or virtually impossible to completely stop. All depends on the infestation. One thing was for sure, growing hydro makes it easier to detect and cure. 

Thanks for all your wealth of info, fam! I'll be sure to update if theres a change


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## notthecops (Feb 22, 2020)

I put hydrogen peroxide (H2o2 found at any grow store) in with my nutrients every time I feed. Partly for this reason. It will kill any bugs and germs as well as boost nutrient intake.

Right now I am using 2ml per gallon.


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## Caw (Feb 22, 2020)

Sooo, I was wrong. I kept going back to check on the plant and did find 1 bug moving. It was crawling on top of the other dead ones, like "wake up". I did another dunk, but with hydrogen peroxide this time - a little over 2 cups in a 5 gal bucket filled close to the rim. I put the plant in and soon afterwards it started to release some bubbles and bugs started floating to the top. I let it soak for 15 minutes then gave the plant a good rinse. I grabbed the loop and found a couple bugs on top of the Hydroton, moving VERY slowly, then apparently died. I've check the plant a few times since and nothing there. I'll check again in the morning. But, I'm hoping THIS TIME did the trick.

I may begin to add the peroxide to the nutes as a preventative measure for a little bit, as suggested above. But, I'd swear I read somewhere that wasn't good for the plants...? - kills good and bad bacteria. Would this only be for an organic grow though? I presently use GH 3-part with Cal-Mag and Hydroguard, which is not organic.

On a positive note, I harvested 3 plants today! The plan was for just one, but upon closer inspection, 3 were ready. Professional photographer came and shot the plants and  me harvesting. After walking him to the door, I came back to a VERY angry wife inside. The house wreaked like a skunk was run over. I also was trimming on the laundry table in the basement which just added to the frustration. I just ordered another scrubber and a gallon of Ona with the fan. Gotta do something before I get put out the house...


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## Caw (Feb 22, 2020)

notthecops said:


> I put hydrogen peroxide (H2o2 found at any grow store) in with my nutrients every time I feed. Partly for this reason. It will kill any bugs and germs as well as boost nutrient intake.
> 
> Right now I am using 2ml per gallon.  View attachment 259103
> View attachment 259104



That stuff is 29%! You wouldnt know the equivalent for 3% off hand would you?


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## stinkyattic (Feb 22, 2020)

If you use 3% when your recipe calls for 29% you would use about 10x the amount. If its reversed;  10% . It's just a matter of doing the math.


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## umbra (Feb 22, 2020)

it a ratio equation. 29% would be about 10x a 3% solution, so 10 x 2ml= 20ml/gal


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## Caw (Feb 22, 2020)

Believe it or not, I used to teach math...lol

I'm a bit mind dead right now. I realized the simplicity after writing it. Not to mention the wife has me a bit flustered with her angry looks and comments.

Thanks for the help though

Any comment about it being bad for a non-organic garden?


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## notthecops (Feb 22, 2020)

Caw said:


> Believe it or not, I used to teach math...lol
> 
> I'm a bit mind dead right now. I realized the simplicity after writing it. Not to mention the wife has me a bit flustered with her angry looks and comments.
> 
> ...



I use GH 3 part with a lot of their supplements also.  I use a home made hydroponic system that drips a constant steam of water over Hydroton in pails, and returns it to a reservoir. No water stays on my buckets so the roots are not soaking in water. Not organic, almost the same system as yours I believe (you are doing DWC I believe).
I want no bacteria at all. Maybe different with organics or Coco, but not with hydroponics and salt based nutrients.  Need to stay clean and sanitized all the time. Bacteria in one bucket or water line will kill my whole grow in an hour.

I feed every 7 days, topping the reservoir off with water through the week. After day 3, I add more H2O2 to the reservoir to help with nutrient intake.  It also helps keep those salts off the roots and lets them breath.

See attached images for my nutrient line up and my set up.


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## Caw (Feb 22, 2020)

notthecops said:


> I use GH 3 part with a lot of their supplements also.  I use a home made hydroponic system that drips a constant steam of water over Hydroton in pails, and returns it to a reservoir. No water stays on my buckets so the roots are not soaking in water. Not organic, almost the same system as yours I believe (you are doing DWC I believe).
> I want no bacteria at all. Maybe different with organics or Coco, but not with hydroponics and salt based nutrients.  Need to stay clean and sanitized all the time. Bacteria in one bucket or water line will kill my whole grow in an hour.
> 
> I feed every 7 days, topping the reservoir off with water through the week. After day 3, I add more H2O2 to the reservoir to help with nutrient intake.  It also helps keep those salts off the roots and lets them breath.
> ...



I think I've seen pics of your setup before, or one just like it. I wasn't sure how it worked though. The extra pic with the reservoir answers it all now. Nice!

I was originally thinking something similar - raised buckets with a drain at the bottom. But not necessarily with a constant drop. How does that hit the whole root system? What about using a drip RING?

I may change out my system to something really close to yours this summer. I'm worried about the water temps. With your system theres not much chance for root rot, right? I've had to fight it a couple times already - I wasnt using cold enough water. I'm not thrilled about the possibility of using frozen water bottles all summer in individual buckets either - much easier to just chill the reservoir if necessary. 

Thanks for the pics and info.


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## notthecops (Feb 23, 2020)

The water spreads nicely in the Hydroton and makes it drip the entire width of the bucket, getting all the roots wet. Roots go to the water, so as they grow they know where to go find it.  Using a ring will just contribute to salt buildup and clogged lines. I like using just outdoor lawn sprinkler system feed lines (found in any Home Depot irrigation aisle) and a strong pump. Allows for a good water flow and keeps the salts moving to prevent clogs. Regular rinsing with Flora Kleen every 2-3 nutrient changes is a must though.

The water pump is timed with the lights, so the roots get a dry out period every night, eliminating any chance of root rot.  That and the H2O2 and I never get root or bacteria issues. 

The system is easy to put together. Next time I replace the feeder lines I’ll post a tutorial of how to set it all up and connect everything.


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