SPRINGTAILS!!!

bookbinder · Jul 11, 2009

not the bad guys

not the bad guys

springtails are essential for the biodiversity of soil they help fix nitrogen in soil by consuming decaying matter as well as keeping rhizopheres healthy, as a matter of fact they can alert hydro growers (if they're in abundance) as a sign that roots are in an unhealthy state. Soooooo don't do it! do not add another poison to your growing environment on their behalf, focus on the the borg, thrips and the w.flies. Sorry about not texting and using alphabet soup a'cause I knode how y'all don't like everyone to know what ye be talk'in bout as this place seems to be a click (lots of abbreviations and alphabet soup shit) , I thinx the point of this place is to share info not hoard it and while I'm at it, why show a grow if yas going to leave out the strain and of most importance the breeders name? Huggs 'n' kisses and superfine ash R. T. BOOKBINDER III

JackKerouac · Jul 12, 2009

I do GH azamax and diatomaceous earth when the top of the medium dries. Springtails are jerks.

buddin_904 · Jul 12, 2009

wow DE, i forgot about that shit,....i meant to get some actually!! i heard its micro suface is like razor blades and kills any critters who come in contact or eat it!

oregon bob · Jul 12, 2009

Buddin- i tried the DE & it didn't really work, or not that i could notice. Don't know if they ate it or not, didn't seem so, and after they walked through it, they just kept on going. Just didn't appear the pop's died back when using. Also, it wets real easily & apparently ineffective at this point. Maybe for bigger/other bugs, but didn't work for me.

The neem & sprays of soap or pyrethrums killed them off... over like a week or two. Peace!

buddin_904 · Jul 13, 2009

oregon bob said:
Buddin- i tried the DE & it didn't really work, or not that i could notice. Don't know if they ate it or not, didn't seem so, and after they walked through it, they just kept on going. Just didn't appear the pop's died back when using. Also, it wets real easily & apparently ineffective at this point. Maybe for bigger/other bugs, but didn't work for me.

The neem & sprays of soap or pyrethrums killed them off... over like a week or two. Peace!

great advice BOB, i wont waste my time even trying the shit......next run ill be more prepared with pest prevention. however this run my biggest problem was fungus gnats and SPRINGS, psh! big deal right?

oregon bob · Jul 13, 2009

Totally!!! Heck, the springtails are GOOD for the soil... ;-))

stoned teacher · Jul 16, 2009

I'm new to this issue gonna get ready to nip it in the bud

Bob, You sprayed the top of the coco with insecticidal soap and/or pyrethrum when they came out to play and mixed neem oil in your res and watered with it? If so, about what ratio?

Thanks

oregon bob · Jul 16, 2009

ST- yes, indeed.

Used straight spray bottle stuff for both the soap & pyrethrum... also some concentrate by Safer but can't recall how I diluted that...?

With the neem, would stay away from the "normal" oil extracts and go with one of the commercialized brands of Safer BioNeem, GH Azamax, or Azatrol. Safer is the cheapest in concentrate by & by far. Any of them (cold pressed worst) will cause necrosis on the leaves if pooled & applied under the lights. Just what I noticed with lower leaves that got splashed...? The latter 3 will mix in solution much easier (not as oily) and can be run w your nute mix. Would recom checking your pH afterwards & then every day if running in the rez as might adjust upwards... mine did.

I've used all three... can't recall the Safer and/or Azatrol as had last used a few bottles of azamax but that was at 1-2 tablespoons per gal. Started w 1 & it seemed to work, but had one version of soil mite that can not kill... even today. Azm killed off everything else, w the sprays that is. At the end, was going a full 2 tbls per gal & the plants were fine. It does want to raise the pH over time however...

Hope this helps. Peace.

Rootball · Aug 5, 2009

I thought I'd got shot of them but nope. A couple of weeks of alternate day drying and they seemed to be gone but once I went back to watering daily, THEY'RE BACK... I guess they where never actually gone, just hiding deeper in the pots where it would still have been moist.

I'm still not sure whether to use anything or not to get shot of them. From all the stuff I've read so far there's a 50/50 split between folk that'd say nuke the hell out of them and folk that say leave them alone, they are good for the plants.

One thing that stops me believing that they are good for the plants is that if they were.... Someone would be packaging them up and selling them to growers to add and that's not happening as far as I can see. After all there are all sorts of live shit you can buy to add to your medium for various pest prevention reasons. Why wouldn't someone be selling beneficial springtails to help your garden?

I'm just about to kick off a new grow so need to make a decision soon or else I'll be watching the annoying little buggers ping all over the place every time I'm in there. Guess I'll re-read all the nuke related posts and maybe take a gamble on one of those solutions.

simple green · Aug 18, 2009

I've now tried drying, spinosad, neem, pyrethrum and there's less of them but they're still there...they are persistent fkers..

Guess I'll try SM-90 next and see how that goes....

greenatik · Aug 19, 2009

once again they aren't harmful... why go through all the trouble and put pesticides in the room for nothing? just be sure they are springtails and not root aphids.

BBQ · Aug 20, 2009

I've had springtails in my last two coco grows and yield suffered considerably due to these fuckers! The coco is always wet and their numbers can explode very fast. I started getting all sorts of nute lockouts. This grow without springtails using the same coco brand and the exact same nutrients and feeding schedule they look perfect.

Core · Aug 20, 2009

BBQ is on the money here..these small fuckers are playing for over a year in my room....and i also notice decline in harvest when i got a breakout....
they do messwith the plants....giving them all sort of troubles......if you have'm you should use pyrhethum as a preventive sometimes...only not the 4-5 last weeks of flower

beejium · Aug 21, 2009

use what you want, but they will be back. rather them than mites.
if anyone can figure out what spring tails love about coco and eliminate it, they would leave or die off.

greenatik · Aug 21, 2009

are you guys sure they were springtails? they look extremely similar to the female root aphid. springtails eat dead matter while the root aphids eat, well, roots. I just can't see why they would effect yield..... not only do they eat dead decaying matter, but they also disseminate the microorganisms throughout the medium. Either way, bayer tree and shrub (as long as your not in flower) will work great on pretty much anything. I got the liquid concentrate and used a capful / gallon and haven't seen anything in months. I had root aphids and springtails @ the same time and it took care of everything

springtail
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ODUGlGhaa...OY/ITAMU78hpGI/s400/springtail+on+water+2.JPG

root aphid
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/Images/insects/huckleberry root aphid rc.jpg

simple green · Aug 21, 2009

Mine look more like springtails, though some of their bodies aren't as elongated as the springtails I usually see (some are)...

Just got my SM-90...haven't tried it yet...I'll update afterwards....If not I may try the bayer stuff...

I asked the lady at the hydro shop if she had anything that killed springtails...She hadn't heard of them, so she got on the phone and called Hydrofarm directly...asking for someone that she said was their "know it all bug guy"...I was staring at the bottle that I knew he was going to recommend with it's $80 pricetag (this shop is very overpriced...)..and he did.

He recommended Azatrol...I've found it for $50-$60 elsewhere. He promised it would work and said it will stop the whole cycle and somehow magically give my roots a healthy boost...yadda yadda yadda.....

So if the SM90 doesn't work I may try the bayer or just go right to the Azatrol and knock it on out...

simple green · Aug 27, 2009

A little update folks....

I've kept spraying the soil area w/ pyrhethum every few days but have added SM-90 to my feedings and have noticed a significant decrease in population. I actually thought they were gone...it took me a few minutes looking around the coco/rootzone to find a single springtail...

SM-90 seems like some good stuff

GroHi · Aug 28, 2009

SG, had these a while ago in my coir as well. It took me a good 6 months to get all of them as some took residence in the piping & simply repopulated my room the next crop. Basically it only takes one to get by & re-establish themselves. They would be dancing on top of my rez & run-off catches, plus everywhere around the pots. Troublesome to contain entirely.

Odd thing is that my crops never suffered during the entire episode... keep track & even had a stellar crop during the ordeal... they were just a very big nuisance in my set-up, no noticeable harm.

Trick was concerted applications of Azatrol (neem extract) along with spraying of insecticidal soap. The soap would contact kill the ones I could see/find & the neem broke the reproductive cycle. You may go through a quart or two of the Azatrol, but it works.

Haven't used it much, but spinosad is gaining in popularity & may work as well, though as a soild drench noticed it gave me pH problems. That was with multiple applications, probably too close together, so...

Know I'm new here, but you can check up on the rec's as they are pretty standard/solid. Peace.

ItsAllOver · Aug 28, 2009

If you read the wikipedia article on Mycorrhizae, you'll learn that the fungus kills and eats springtails to provide nitrogen for trees.
Wonder if this would apply on your smaller scale...

bookbinder · Dec 15, 2009

Well to all the good souls here @ I.C., I guess I'm outta here, someone left me a nice word of encouragement on the comments of one of my quick replies 'n' "said pm me if you encounter haters" but didn't leave a handle and what the heck is a pm? any whatnot that's not the only frustration, besides all the click language 'n' alphabet soup from the knowledge hoarders and their arrogance, thinking they taught themselves what they know out of thin air. truth is I'm n old geezer who barely knows how to email (buts I does grow da kine 'n dats somp'n) let alone how ta make a post,sticky or whatever ya call it and as there is no explanation of what all this be meanin' or how to use this site! I'm guessin' if you doan already noeds all this you shouldn't be here! So fair weather to all n good sailin'. sorry for posting this here but I didn't know where else to.

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