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@MusicalRedmint avatar @MusicalRedmint · 7h
Hi, my lovely Greggers. Please send love and strength. Or, if that's not your thing, a bottle of a good single malt will do as well, I'm not picky. Mites. False spider mites. With big hoya collection, after having moved plants around everywhere. And maybe having spotted some signs of virused plants as well (please, please, no ) Need I say more? I could really kick myself for my hybris here. (So maybe forget the whisky, transatlantic kicks from all of you would maybe be more appropriate. I've noticed signs of the infestation for a long time now. But every time, I checked the plants I suspected, (seemingly) diligently. With my more practical magnifying app/glass. Nothing. additionally, I had high trust in my seller, had a comfortably established rest predatory mite population in some pots and am absolutely pedantic about quarantine (which, of course, is basically useless if you don't see/ acknowledge the problem when it presents during that time). Can any of you give a better example for false confidence? I even traded some plants recently, so I even checked those particular ones diligently (I thought). Now I noticed signs of weird dechlorinated leaves spreading, which before I had attributed to a nutrient deficiency. Virus? Nah. Where would that have come from on my absolutely treasured bella PES-03. I've had her for v long, I never share water, no signs of pests, so no plant sap exchange. ... ... Again, feel free to kick me. Anytime. Yesterday I saw signs of those spots on other plants where the deficiency theory makes no sense, got freaked out and finally took out my jewelers loupe. Because logic hasn't failed me completely. if spread of virus, then sap transfer. If sap transfer, then pests (in my case). And if undetected pests then a) pests tiiiiiiny and b) I'm truly fuuuuuu.... well, you know. Fundamentally angry with myself. Gosh, those things are tiny. Undetectable by best magnification my very solid glasses could offer. Even after I knew where to look because I could just make them out with the jewelers loupe. I think part of the reason for my false confidence was my experience with broad mites and some flat mites on a tomato plant a while back. With my glasses on both of those could be spotted with the magnifiers. The tiny bit the broad mites are bigger, made all the difference. And even the flat mite seemed to be a softly bigger species, so that the stark contrasting red dot could be spotted. This time? Nah. And to give me a great start fighting this problem: I planned to get up early to get myself a truckload of predatory mites before work, but I overslept after a sleepless night. Maybe I'll manage tomorrow. Or not. Things have been stressful as is. If you've followed this rant along this far, thanks. I needed to vent. Don't forget to send virtual kicks. I will deceptively attach a picture of a rose because a) hoyas make me sad rn, b) I don't think you would appreciate a huge flat mite picture in your feed c) that rose was gorgeous and d) who cares, I myself can't see it anyway. For me, Greg's been completely without pictures for a while now. Again. #pestcontrol #hoya #hoyahangout #mitesarestupid #sadplant #formitessake