White bugs in my soil...Springtails

Bueno Time · Oct 16, 2011

I posted this in the Infirmary but figured Id post here too since this is the organic forum and maybe I will get more relevant answers given here.

Anyway, I noticed a hole SHITLOAD of white things floating on the water when I pour it onto the soil surface so I collected some and microscoped them at 60x and through google images I found out they are springtails.

There are thousands of these in my rootzone but nothing on the leaves, buds, or stems of the plants they remain in the soil.

I read they feed on fungus among other things. I have been feeding compost and fungal teas and since doing the heavy fungal teas is when I noticed them so I assume they loved the fungus and went to town eating and reproducing like crazy.

They look like these ones in this pic and I read this is the most productive species of springtails so that could explain why they have reproduced so fast.

I am a couple days short of 7 weeks flowering. Plants will go to 8-10 weeks this run since I am running 3 different strains. So 1-3 more weeks depending on which plants.

Should I do anything about them right now or just finish up the run. Buds look really healthy just the fan leaves are dieing off a bit faster since those springtails may be feeding on my roots but it seems like I could potentially finish this run off the next couple weeks without addressing this issue.

If I should eradicate them right away then a method that is organic to do so would be most preferred since I am a 100% organic grower.

If it is fine to leave them for the remainder of this run I want to know what I can do to sterilize the tent and what I can do to prevent infestation of my next crop going in after this harvest.

Thanks for the help guys!

Bueno Time · Oct 16, 2011

I just read a post by Capt.Cheeze1 in another thread about these guys. Seems they may not be a bad thing in an organic grow since they break down organic matter which would be a good thing for us (organic growers).

Heres his post:
Here's a pic of blind springtails,I have tons of these guys. Great indicator species and organic matter decomposer.

So are these not a big deal and I am just freaking out seeing thousands of these in my soil?

MIway · Oct 16, 2011

nuisance, pretty much. i got these w a wet bag of coir when i was running a rez system... they got everywhere, and by the thousands it seemed... but didn't do shit to the plants/roots... like you said, maybe even beneficial...??? but a nuisance to say the least.

if you run the place dry for a week... removing any wet areas where they can feed/live... they'll be gone. they need the moisture + medium to live/reproduce. running dry is the least toxic way. gl bro.

mad librettist · Oct 16, 2011

collembola

PoopyTeaBags · Oct 16, 2011

i always have springtails... sometimes more then others... be and let be as i have yet to see a negative effect from them... my guess is DE will probably get rid of them.

Bueno Time · Oct 16, 2011

mad librettist said:
collembola

Yea I have found that is the technical term for the 'springtails' :thank you:

Bueno Time · Oct 16, 2011

Im just glad they aren't thrips, fungas gnat larva, or root aphids!

Its just crazy how many there are. When I water they surface with the water and float on top of the water before it starts to soak into the soil.

Just seeing them all I was thinking WOAH this cant be good. There are sooo many of them its crazy.

jaykush · Oct 17, 2011

they are the good guys, but also indicate you may be watering too much. as they love moist conditions. for the most part you have no worries.

Bueno Time · Oct 17, 2011

Thanks everybody!

Bennyweed1 · Oct 17, 2011

Ill 2nd what jaykush said.

Perhaps you are watering to much. They maybe beneficial but to much of anything can bad and the way you describe it, it almost sounds bad. I may be misunderstanding your description, perhaps there is a misunderstanding and I just dont understand?

Check out diatomaceous earth. I love that shit. It works for just about anything, even politics. Top dress and water that shit in. BOOM---like magic your flying through the air smoking unicorn budz grown by leprechauns. Could ya fucken imagine that? Real life leprechauns, growing ya pot?! :bigeye:

wowwwww, I might be on to something here!! :jump:

Bueno Time · Oct 17, 2011

I just looked collembola/springtails up on wikipedia.

However, by their capacity to carry spores of mycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhiza-helper bacteria on their tegument, soil springtails play a positive role in the establishment of plant-fungal symbioses and thus are beneficial to agriculture.
[31] They also contribute to controlling plant fungal diseases through their active consumption of mycelia and spores of damping-off and pathogenic fungi.
[32][33] It has been suggested that they could be reared to be used for the control of pathogenic fungi in greenhouses and other indoor cultures.

I will try to take a pic with my crappy camera next time I water. I have been giving my 3 gallon pots 1 quart of water every 2 days.

guest2012y · Oct 17, 2011

Harmless and a fantastic addition to an organic garden...if you consider them a nuisance close your eyes....and just know they are in there working for you,the soil,and ultimately your plants.

jaykush · Oct 17, 2011

and just know they are in there working for you,the soil,and ultimately your plants.

cant beat collembola castings for that uber stinky sticky dankess lol.

Bueno Time · Oct 17, 2011

You guys are great! Thank you for calming my nerves. :huggg:

Microbeman · Oct 17, 2011

REJOICE!

fukndenny · Oct 17, 2011

Had those buggers in almost every Organic grow.

They never bothered me!

They were just jumping around in the soil moshpit when I watered.

Bueno Time · Oct 17, 2011

fukndenny said:
They were just jumping around in the soil moshpit when I watered.

Giggin & Diggin · Mar 24, 2014

I am in the High dessert in Oregon and we had a wet winter thus far. I am noticing in my new location that i am now exposed to these "Spring tails", but the more i read on them the more concerned i get. They seem to be somewhat beneficial in the organic soils but are also known to be an annoying pest and also very hard to kill off. I am noticing some top dog growers out there that stay true to trying to rid of these bugs. Tried diatemaceous earth but didn't do the trick. I have looked at biefthrin? I am 4 weeks into a legal medical flower and am on the fence about action vs. well doing nothing. Any thoughts? Will these springs be a concern for me down the road. i have read a lot of info about moisture levels and seem somewhat educated on them i just don't want to harm these organic Greencrack and lemon skunk sensae stars that are running in smartpots. Also anybody like the plastic grow bags over smart pots?? Kinda over the salt buildup potential of the fabric pots.

Bueno Time · Mar 24, 2014

Giggin & Diggin said:
I am in the High dessert in Oregon and we had a wet winter thus far. I am noticing in my new location that i am now exposed to these "Spring tails", but the more i read on them the more concerned i get. They seem to be somewhat beneficial in the organic soils but are also known to be an annoying pest and also very hard to kill off. I am noticing some top dog growers out there that stay true to trying to rid of these bugs. Tried diatemaceous earth but didn't do the trick. I have looked at biefthrin? I am 4 weeks into a legal medical flower and am on the fence about action vs. well doing nothing. Any thoughts? Will these springs be a concern for me down the road. i have read a lot of info about moisture levels and seem somewhat educated on them i just don't want to harm these organic Greencrack and lemon skunk sensae stars that are running in smartpots. Also anybody like the plastic grow bags over smart pots?? Kinda over the salt buildup potential of the fabric pots.

I use plastic grow bags almost every grow for about the last 8 cycles or so and they arent bad. Extremely cheap costwise and do the job. Just make sure to be slow at first when watering so the water/nutes soak in the soil rather than just running off the top and down the sides of the bags. Once the surface is wetted you can water in pretty quickly without runoff.

As far as the springtails, if your plants look and seem healthy and happy then I would not worry at all. They didnt cause any harm the run I had a massive amount of them and started this thread turned out perfectly fine.

Good luck with your grow.

captinahab · Mar 24, 2014

Love me some springtails

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwOL-MHcQ1w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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White bugs in my soil...Springtails

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