I've been hearing a lot about flat mites lately among my local Hoya community as well as the broader community as a whole. It seems like this is a wide spread issue that has been going around everyone's collections. As far as I'm aware I have not personally dealt with them however I think it is important to share resources I've seen for anyone who may be dealing with them.
In the July 2022 issue of the Stemma Hoya journal there is an article on pages 21-28 that talks identification, detection, life cycle, treatment, and prevention of flat mites. Adam aka Knot Dude on YouTube also has a really great video about flat mites. Click here to watch that. I really liked the detailed pictures he showed on identification.
0 Comments
A few weeks ago I was listening to episode 2 of Let's Talk Hoya. I believe it was Adam that mentioned he used Hydroguard as well as PureCrop1 in his plant care. I have been meaning to try Hydroguard since March but never got around to purchasing it. Instead, I let it sit in my Amazon save for later list till I listened to this episode and decided to finally try it. Hydroguard is supposed to help with root rot which is perfect because I tend to overwater. I have been using it for the last few weeks in LECA as well as LECHUZA-PON. Hydroguard can be used in soil or hydroponic gardens. So far, all my roots seem to be happy and I have no complaints. Also, you only have to use 2 ml per 1 gallon of water so 1 quart of Hydroguard is going to last a long time. The main ingredient in Hydroguard is bacillus amyloliquefaciens. This bacillus grows near plant roots which stimulates growth and can suppress pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Note that this product is to be used as a preventative and not to cure an already diseased plant.
Before listening to this episode, I had not heard of PureCrop1. This product piqued my interest because I have been dealing with root mealybugs the last couple months. PureCrop1 is marketed as an insecticide as well as fungicide. PureCrop1 is 100% plant based and is considered food grade. I have only used it a few times on a large Hoya that has had root mealybugs that I didn't want to chop and prop. Granted, I haven't been following the directions properly (oops). I have only added it into the water for said plant about once a week during my normal watering schedule. The product is intended to be used as a soil/foliage drench for 3-4 days in a row. The directions also suggest to continue using it at a lower dilution every 7-12 days after that. References: Siemering, Geoffrey. (2016). The Value of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens for Crop Production. Microbial Cell Factories. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326816582_The_Value_of_Bacillus_amyloliquefaciens_for_Crop_Production Within the last couple months, a new Hoya themed podcast has been on air. If you are familiar with the shop The Green Plant AZ run by Lydia she is one of the three hosts of the show along with Jessi and Adam. I've personally been enjoying their content and it has inspired me to try some new things in my Hoya care routine.
Click here to access via Google Podcasts. Click here to check out their Instagram. STEMMA is an online pdf magazine that talks about all things Hoyas.
Click here to access their website. Click here to access the Facebook group. One product I've just started to experiment with is sulfur. Sulfur use in the Hoya community seems to be on the rise due to the increase in mites among collectors. It can be used to treat various pests such as mites, thrips, and scale. It also has been effective in treating powdery mildew. I purchased the Bonide sulfur dust. You can use sulfur in dust form, mix it with water to make a spray, or mix with water to create a paste to paint on. I opted for the spray as I decided to treat my whole collection. To make the spray combine 3 tbsp per 1 gallon of water. The sulfur mixture can clog up spray bottles. I used my usual glass spray bottle and didn't notice any issues. The spray will leave a residue on your foliage and it does have a slight odor. It is recommended to wear a mask while spraying. Additionally, it is stated on the label to not spray during hot temperatures and do not use sulfur within two weeks of an oil spray such as neem. My plan is to leave the sulfur on the foliage. From what I've heard you can either leave the sulfur on the leaves or wipe it off. If you choose to wipe it off I would give it two weeks and then wipe off with water or leaf shine. I also experimented with the paint on method via H. 'Silver Dollar'. The other day I noticed that three of the leaves had some type of unknown scabbing on them and I figured a treatment of sulfur couldn't hurt. I didn't measure out a ratio of water to sulfur dust while making the paste. I mixed enough water into the sulfur to get a pasty texture. I used a paint brush and went to town. If you do paint on the sulfur, I would recommend wiping it off within a week or two because most likely it will be harder for the plant to photosynthesize properly with globs of sulfur on the surface of the leaves. Sulfur is also a fertilizer and can help promote plant growth. It will decrease soil pH as well as sodium levels. I have heard good things about people seeing new growth on their Hoyas from using sulfur two weeks after application. Moreover, I read on one of the Facebook Hoya pages that you can water sulfur into the soil to help with bacterial infections. The user said to mix 1 tsp of sulfur per 16oz of water. It seems like there are a lot of benefits to using sulfur and hopefully I will be experiencing them soon. |
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|