Springtails Found In Houseplant Soil! | Should I Panic?
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- Welcome to Fun with Plants and Cats! On today's episode, I'm going to talk about Springtails, which are tiny soil dwelling mites.
I recently found some on my Fiddle Leaf Fig, and I go over whether these mites are harmful, beneficial, and ways you can get rid of them.
If you like this video and find it helpful, please like and subscribe!
00:00 Intro
00:17 My plant has springtails!
00:42 What are springtails?
00:59 Why they’re called springtails
01:06 How do you know you have them?
01:23 How to tell apart springtails from thrips
02:05 How do you get springtails
02:44 Are springtails harmful to your plants?
03:16 Beneficial insect designation
03:34 Cons of springtails in houseplants
04:04 How to control / remove springtails from houseplants
06:24 Can you use pesticide soil granules to remove springtails?
Image Sources:
www.planetnatural.com/pest-pr...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatoma...
I love springtails . I did an experiment recently with similar setups . One with a colony of spring tails on purpose and one springtail free . The springtail one grew faster . I do believe the springtails fertilize the plants by eating the organic matter in the soil . Also the one without sprung tails got fungus gnats and the springtails did not . I don’t know but I bet springtails eat fungus gnat eggs or out compete them for food .
OMG...weeeeeeeeks I've been looking, and researching and majorly stressing...😅
So, i kinda took-over care of some of our orchids (re-potting and such).
We have this one beautiful mini-phalaenopsis (deep-wine shade of red), couldn't be happier or healthier!
BAM!
Infestation!
I been vigilant for weeks but hesitant to use intense pesticides.
Did some sodium-bicarbonate/Neem oil treatment.
But the 'bugs' seem happier than ever...i was literally 'buggin' -just now i realized they're the good kind...😂😂😂
Hallelujah.
I feel bad now.
I've apologized several times.. Hope their not mad..😅
Springtails aren’t bad, they help destroy fungal infections and can keep your plants safe, they don’t affect your plants (edit: they do affect seeds and younger plants)
Yes, from my experience they definitely spread to nearby plants. Also reducing watering controls them, but it doesn't kill them. And yes, you may kill your plant if you dry it too much trying to kill these things. I think they got into my home from keeping plants on the balcony.
Haven't had springtails. Did have gnats. I ordered some Spanish moss to hang over my plants to kind of conceal the light fixtures a bit, plus the stuff is neat. When the grower picked it, she accidentally packed an anole lizard with it. He got lose in the plants and my gnat problem has almost vanished
haha! that's awesome, what a great way to make a gnat problem disappear. A friend of mine also had a 'two for on special', plant with lizard combo.
That pretty damn cool I gota say , they clean up pretty good then haha
That’s amazing! I need about three of them. Always battling the gnats
I think they're a great warning signal for soggy pots.
You don't need to control spring tails. They are good for your soil and plants. Just watch them, they're cute.
That's a liberal use of the word cute...
I had a mold issue in one of my propagation boxes. I added springtails...problem solved.
Not very cute when they travel from your dirt to hydro grow.
When they get in the bed with you is not fun.
Theyre fucking tiny. Theyrebstopping your ppant from molting and producint minerals. It doesnt matter.@Trique024
Seems to me they are actually beneficial to your soil and plant, possibly by fetrilizing your plant by pooping. BUT they might indicate your soil has been a little too much on the soggy side lately, so watch out how much you water :)
Springtails are honestly great for plants and I completely disagree that they pose any threat to plants or cuttings .
Thanks for your opinion!
According to the article down below by the University of California Agriculture and Resources, under the 'Damage' section, they mention how springtails can damage seedlings and young plants. Mature plants seem to be fine. I would also note that while they can be beneficial for plants, an overabundance of them can signify a moisture issue, which is not great for roots.
ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74136.html
Bring in the dryness, and here come the spider mites 😅
Sometimes plants are like whack-a-mole. You get rid of one thing, you may cause another.
If your plant has spider mites, or you fear you may get spider mites due to the dryness of the soil, place a humidifier close to the plant.
As someone who has 50+ bio active reptile vivariums these insects are key to a healthy ecosystem, I've gained them in all of my houseplants and all they do is eat decaying matter, so realistically they are good for your plants
It's a scientific fact that they feed mostly on fungus, not decomposing matter. And fungus includes the mycorrhiza fungi. This type of fungus is essentially plants' second set of roots. There have been numerous studies showing that by feeding on the mycorrhiza springtails slow plant development.
Thank you for a great and informative video... A.F. :)
I like my scorched earth method to get rid of them. Place used coffee grounds on top of soil & wait a couple of hours until the springtails all surface to eat the coffee grounds (the longer you wait the more will surface). Use 70% alcohol in a misting spray bottle and a torch lighter to spray the soil 5 times in one spot then light it on fire and slowly continue spraying to gradually spread the fire around the pot to kill everything on the soil surface. Observe the soil after the initial application and treat any spots where you observe movement to another fireball or use the torch lighter directly.
w h a t
Do you take the plant out when you do this, or...?
It would depend on the plant I’ve done it to treat the soil of a tree potted in a 20 gallon container so there was no risk of harming my plant
Thanks. I probably water my plants too often. Will see if less frequent watering puts a dent in the population of these bugs. I don't mind the occasional, but they're starting to get out of hand now. :)
I bought a blue bag of Miracle-Gro potting soil, complete with springtails, and now all of my plants have them. At least I'm pretty sure they are springtails. I just let them do their thing, they don't bother anything lol.
They suddenly appeared in my caudex plant soil. Which doesn't require lot of watering.
I let them as it is.
After a week all leaves stems of my caudex died. When I pulled out the caudex I saw them all over the root. I also found some worms and one two maggots. So my caudex was in fact decaying.
I did put compost in it a month ago. And wondered if that's why they appeared. As some say they appear when not properly composed compost is used.
I still don't know what actually happened.
I have noticed these usually appear when using saucers below pots.
Which I used none in my caudex plant.
I stopped using planter plates or saucers coz springtails were much frequently appearing there.
And when I do use plates I wash them once a week just by water. Dry them and put them back.
My friend who uses fungicides frequently in her plants never faces springtails issues.
Springtails are very good for plants and are completely harmless. If anything they can help it grow. Also Ive used pesticides on them before I knew anything about them and unfortunately they work very well. Thats why everything you provide them needs to be pesticide free.
New subscriber here! 🙂👍
I'm completely baffled why anyone would try to get rid of springtails. I add them on purpose to control mold on the top of the soil.
Does submerging The pot up to the stem with water for 1 to 2 hours get rid of any pests etc?
I don’t know what its in my plants, but I am so tired of the bugs I am having, my plants doesn’t grow, I changed the soil, bought thousands sprays, but nothing get rid of it.
They’re not growing nicely, healthy, and strong, the leaves are always dry, deformed and smaller.
I have my plants in semi hydro so I always have water in my pots. And I think I may have them, a whole colony of them.
They are so usefull to plants that people buy them to add to vivarium and pallidarium. For best ecosystem
Do you have any ideas how to irradicate them from your house after infest??? They are alll in our drains now!
Sorry I do not.
Sticky traps help control some of the population explosion that comes with them. It wont rid your plants of them but does help keep them down.
People are getting rid of them? Meanwhile I am trying my best to get some and spread them on all my plants.
So… i just found an infestation in my newly potted (2-3 weeks?) Pothos propagation pot. I worry that since the roots were smallish coming out of water prop and into soil, letting it Sahara dry may kill them… What do you think?
Hi Sarah, Pothos are resilient plants. However, since it's a young plant with small roots, it may not be the best thing to let the soil get Sahara dry. How large of a pot did you plant the cuttings into? If the pot is on the smaller size like 3 - 4 inches, let the soil dry out as much as you can until the leaves start to curl inwards a bit - that means the plant is thirsty, and you can give it a bit of water. I would also place the plant somewhere that filtered sunlight reaches, that way it will dry out the soil quicker. You can also use diatamaceous earth. If there's a drainage hole, sprinkle some around the hole, and mix some into the top of the soil. You may have to do a little trial and error there, adjusting as you go. If the pot is on the medium - large size, like 6 inches and greater, you may have a harder time drying out the soil and not risking harming the plant (you're just working with more soil, that's why). You can try the methods I described, and if they're not working, consider replanting the plant into a smaller pot. Try to get as much of the old soil off the roots - grab a water can and spray it on the roots to get as much/all the soil off. Also, a viewer of my video posted a method they used to get rid of them with Neem + Food grade DE. I have not tried/heard of this method before, but it worked for them. Please do your own research before you try this method.
From my viewer: " I had springtails in my orchids because the medium had broken down and was rotting. After a lot of research to identify the pest and how to get rid of it, the best way is Food Grade DE and Neem oil. I could not find the DE in my local store so I purchased a product for plants that had Neem Oil in it. I placed my orchids in my bathtub and sprayed the entire plant, leaves and all, then let it sit til it was dry. Springtails in my orchids have not returned. It worked. Although they claim that springtails are harmless and sometimes even beneficial, they just kind of gross me out!! Good Luck!!"
Springtails are not actually insects, but they are hexapods just like insects.
I just found out I have springtails..going to repot the plant tomorrow but chances are they already jumped around in my greenhouse 😒
Good luck! On the bright side, they're not malicious insects. Also, if you're able to quarantine some plants outside of the greenhouse, let the soil dry out as much as you can, that will help curb the population too!
So I grow in a basement and it humid down there! Lately I’ve been watering less as my cannabis plants don’t need them and instead of staying in the pot of soil they said f*ck this kid because he’s not watering and decided to crawl in large colonies up my watering system into the reservoir lol 😂 I’m very familiar with them and never had a problem! But if you have healthy soil and water to much or just enough they’ll stay in the pots! If you dry out your soil they’ll leave and look for water lol 😂 they are currently taking over my shelf that I keep my nutrients on! On the flip side they act as a predator mite and will attack gnats / spider mites and thrips! So as gross as they are when working on your plants , remember it’s there home too 😅
Use Bifen IT or use talstar p or use both haha
I love your channel. I wish you a lot of subscribers.
Thank you, I appreciate that :)
I repotted my ZZ plant and springtails were devouring the roots.
Are you sure it was springtails and not root mealybugs? This happened to my zz and it was root mealies, but now I’m finding springtails in my bag of soil
Springtails are good for houseplants. They kill fungus bugs
Gah. I just tossed my little container of soil. Although nothing was growing anyways. I suck at plants 😢
I don't know if they're springtail or soilmites..but they're eating the roots 😢
Would neem oil have an effect on springtails?
Hi there, most likely it would not.
Hi, actually it does. I had springtails in my orchids because the medium had broken down and was rotting. After a lot of research to identify the pest and how to get rid of it, the best way is Food Grade DE and Neem oil. I could not find the DE in my local store so I purchased a product for plants that had Neem Oil in it. I placed my orchids in my bathtub and sprayed the entire plant, leaves and all, then let it sit til it was dry. Springtails in my orchids have not returned. It worked. Although they claim that springtails are harmless and sometimes even beneficial, they just kind of gross me out!! Good Luck!!
@@deweinbender5652 The neem oil worked for me as well. I saturated the leaves and soil on a Henna Red coleus plant. 👍
@@poozi2shooz That's great!! I'm glad it worked for you as well!!
I have a dying plant 🤣 trying to bring it back to life and their in the soil
Diatomaceous earth!
I put some right on them and they still alive lol 😂. But putting a coat layer on top of the plants keeps them at bay.
Ive been dealing with springtails for over 2 years and in MY experience they multiply so fast and WILL eventually kill your plant because they need to feed.
Interesting!
Might not be springtails.
There are plenty of similar sized, similar looking pests.
What I am realizing is that springtails do not need with the leaves or stem of the plant, only in the soil.
Make sure what you see isn't on the plant, if they are, might not be springtails..🤷🏻♂️
(Hope that helps)