Living soil advice, Auto flower Hypoaspis miles (Stratiolaelaps scimitus) Soil-Dwelling Predatory Mite.

The true beauty of schimitus is that it is a long-term solution: 100% prevention once setup. Scimitus mites have existed for a couple of years in my soil now. Predatory, and they will eat thrips, most soft-bodied bugs, etc and eggs. Don't let the soil dry out, and make sure there is always some form of decaying organic matter, as they feed on that when no meaty prey is available. Do that, and they will maintain a population, but in order to reuse the soil over and over, first you need to learn how to pump out the excess CO2 that accumulates, or it will become a carbon sink over time, slowly becoming toxic to life. Also not recommended if you are using high salinity cheemical fertilizers, as it will disturb the mites excessively. If you want to reuse and keep them alive indefinitely, you need to introduce red wriggler earthworms (Eisenia fetida). They tunnel constantly, creating natural macro-channels that vent the Co2) and bring oxygen deep into the soil matrix. and/or create a way to barometrically pump the soil as you grow and reuse your soil indefinitely; you can mechanically simulate this natural barometric cycle with a little know-how. Personally, stay away from nematodes- far, far too easy to get the wrong ones and almost impossible to get rid of, and parasitic varieties are devastating as they are nearly impossible to eradicate once established in a rhizosphere. To completely avoid that risk, scimitus mites, unlike nematodes, are highly visible to the naked eye, strictly predatory, and cannot harm plant roots. All the benefits, no risks. Interested in learning more with regard to unlocking the full potential of the Rhizophagy cycle? Check out my latest diary for more insight. "Φsis"

In my opinion you use the predatory mites to early. At this also early plant stage i would use neem oil and spray it on and under the leafs when light is out. Also you could use mineral top layer, i use quartz sand to break the life cycle of the thrips. I usally use predatory mites in a later stages of plant growth.

If you have thrips, they will be happy, but for next time my advice would be to use neem oil and potassium soap, and with yellow and blue strips you can control any pest from the start. Cheers and happy growing!

living soil for autos sounds like a game of catch up if using slow release feed. preditors will hang around while food is still there

I’m using predatory mites myself at the moment for thrips, so I can share a few things I’ve learned. 🌱 First of all, don’t worry if you barely see them, they’re extremely small and usually work in the background. If you’re using sachets, just hang them on the plants and leave them alone. Don’t open them or spray them directly. Try to keep the humidity reasonably stable, ideally around 60% or a bit higher if your seedlings can handle it, and avoid very dry conditions. Also avoid using neem, insecticidal soaps or other sprays while the mites are active, because those can kill the beneficial mites too. Give them some time as well. You usually won’t notice a big difference after only a few days. I’d look more at whether the new growth stays cleaner over the next 1–2 weeks. One thing to keep in mind with thrips is that predatory mites mainly target the younger stages, so if the infestation gets stronger they may not be enough on their own. Sticky traps can help monitor the adults, and soil predators or nematodes can help with the pupae in the substrate. For a light infestation on seedlings though, predatory mites are a really nice and gentle way to deal with them. 👍🌱