I've had this problem for a few crops. Clones show signs of stunted growth. Stroking the plant leaves over a black surface and I can see very small insects (1/2 mm or so) fall from the leaves. They are whitish to tan. I haven't looked at them under a magnifying glass, but they move/crawl realatively quickly. Sometimes they jump. But they don't fly. I find them on the underside of the leaves. There are not alot of them, but they certainly do stunt growth and root development. The closest thing I can find is that they are lice. I thought they were thrips, but they just don't seem to fit the descriptions/pictures that I have seen. They do seem to display the same symptoms of thrips (like silvery spots on leaves, stunted growth ...). I don't have a picture, but i suspect that the are too small to even get any picture worth anything. Any ideas on what they are and possible control. I do have neem oil. but I haven't used it yet. Are there any issues with using neem? Thanks for any help. Newbie
There are no signs of webs though. These don't look like spiders. They are 4x longer than they are wide.
If there are mites, but no webs yet, by the time they make webs, you'll be screwed. I know. Look up Doktor Doom. Get some. It's pretty cheap, but very effective. Or, look up root aphids. I've not seen them on plants, but on and in soil. But, I think they're mites.