Flowering Issues- Bizzare, tight, deformed early flowers-Help please

[chiratwa]

Hello Fellow Growers! (pics included)
I am experiencing (again) bizzare, tight, and deformed early flowers during the first two+ weeks of 12/12.
I am using the GH 3part system with Ebb n Grow in rock wool grow chunks with Hydroton on top only.
Lights- 600w, 12-16" above plant tops. My water is from a well, and the ppm's are 185 so I use the Hard Water Micro from GH. PPM's with full nutrient added is reading at around 900ppm- a bit low, but better that too high?

What I am seeing is severely tight budlets with the hairs turning brown immediately upon showing and most development stunted. The buds look like little pineapples under a 16x loop. ALSO, I noticed some super tiny white, not spotted mite/ aphid looking bugs that are nearly invisible. I DO have lengthy experience with two spotted spider mites, and use a mint/soap/ glycerin spray to easily control those, but I feel my current issue is more serious. I am currently 18 days into flower and the photos are current.

Several successful crop have preceded this one, except for my last one which did the same funky growth and I chopped it down last month.

Any help in the matter is greatly appreciated!

 

[yuyo]

wow that is intense,sorry to say im a newb and have no advice
but will at least bump your post so that it may get the attention of the elders
good luck

 

[The303Stoner]

buds dye with no sulfur or copper. or white bugs in your rockwool could be spring hoppers if they jump around these are harmless to your plant they eat fungus which might be killing your roots how does the rock wool smell. I would add hydrogen peroxide to my water from a well.

 

[Richard Richardson]

Hi chiratwa Welcome to

Did you disinfect your system after the last crop, which looked the same as this one?

 

[chiratwa]

Thanks Yuyo and everyone for the speedy replies and good advise . Thanks 420 Mag for this forum!
Stoner, my rockwool smells ok but the resi does get a swampy smell periodically and recent inspection shows unhappy week slimy roots.. What would your mix for peroxide be? Pretty sure my last disinfect with white vinegar instead of good ol bleach was not so wise.
420, yeah my system was likely dirty enough it seems.
As far as those strange insects?. I have always been a bug dude, but these are so small you would never know you had them unless you looked really hard with a loop. They are about 1/4 the size of a newly hatched spider mite, resemble an aphid, but clearish yellow and three times as fast! Phylloxera has been found in my area in grows, so could be that? Ill check the medium for hoppers too. Have a bug party.

chiratwa

 

[chiratwa]

Ok, so what I have determined is that my problem is PHYLLOXERA!
This is supposedly one of the worst pests one can have in a garden. I have the telltale larva eating my roots along with the fast moving breeding stage on the leaves. Do not confuse these with fungus gnats. Check your plants for tiny elongated clear or grey striped larva eating the exposed roots under 4" cubes, bottoms of pots etc.
Signs of these are what my pictures show: appears to be nutrient lockout, dwarfed, deformed flowers at the two to three week stage.
Bummed as hell. But glad to know.

 

[The303Stoner]

about a tea spoon a gal. of 3% this should even kill your larva problem. mosquito dunkers will kill them to.

 

[chiratwa]

Thanks Stoner, I will try that. Also, I may not have Phylloxera after all, but a combination of fungus gnats and a very small spider mite.
I do have a vineyard on my property that has similar small yellowish mite/aphid looking bugs. The larva I saw may be from gnats or root aphids..further research required.