Grubs eating cuttings

[happytreenut]

Ive got these white, nearly translucent, grub looking things eating my cuttings. I got impatient with some juniper cuttings and plucked one out to see what the roots are looking like. To my surprise there are none (never were any) and this little big crawled from the end to inside of the cutting. I plucked two more out and all of them have it. Each time the little bug crawls between the outer and inner layer of the cutting.

Any idea what this is, what would cause it, and how to fight it? Should I check my established trees?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Wood lice do this kind of damage in my cuttings. Then the glassworms dive in to eat the rotting material.

You can get nematodes to fight the worms, I've never found a way to stop the woodlice.

 

[Paradox]

Ive got these white, nearly translucent, grub looking things eating my cuttings. I got impatient with some juniper cuttings and plucked one out to see what the roots are looking like. To my surprise there are none (never were any) and this little big crawled from the end to inside of the cutting. I plucked two more out and all of them have it. Each time the little bug crawls between the outer and inner layer of the cutting.

Any idea what this is, what would cause it, and how to fight it? Should I check my established trees?

Thanks in advance.

Where are you keeping these? Are they on or near the ground? If so I'd get them off the ground

 

[JeffS73]

Fungus gnat larvae. Little buggers eat all the roots, you can get them in organic and inorganic substrate, they like the damp conditions. Micro slug pellets seem to help, but by the time you know they're there, damage is done. Also, can grow out in the glasswool cubes. They can't live in those.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Fungus gnat larvae. Little buggers eat all the roots, you can get them in organic and inorganic substrate, they like the damp conditions.

I agree with @JeffS73 Check your media/soil. You may be using some sort of potting soil with compost. That is code for "fungus gnat bait". When you bump your pots do you see little gnats fly up? I recommend using a sterile, non-soil media for cuttings like perlite, rough cut and screened sphagnum moss, sand, or vermiculite. These mixes will not breed gnats or their root-eating larvae, and they significantly reduce the risk of fungus.

 

[happytreenut]

I do have those gnats that fly up when I bump the pot. I'm currently using 20/50/30 perlite/coco/sphagnum for these. I'm sort of expirementing with soil at the moment as I moves and live in a dry/hot area. I'll survive loosing these cuttings. However I have been seeing these gnats on most of my established trees which are in a 50/25/25 perlite/coco/organic mix. Should I inspect the roots of these and switch up my soil?