Gtjoker420
Well-Known Member
I loved it man. It was my first round but the nugs came out great. I have great success using the soil with all stages including fresh seeds. I will start adding extra perlite though to increase drainage.
Are these bugs bad?
- Thread starter Gtjoker420
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green_machine_two9er
Well-Known Member
Nice hell yeah joker! Keep the castings coming!
Gtjoker420
Well-Known Member
Thanks man.
Gtjoker420
Well-Known Member
There's so many of those white bubble looking bugs in there.
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green_machine_two9er
Well-Known Member
Just triple check your plants. Don’t want aphids hanging around.
Yikes! Did they eat all your springtails? I don't see a single one in that photo, and usually they outnumber the mites.
Gtjoker420
Well-Known Member
I can't tell what a springtail is
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Wow man. The other pics looked nothing like that. That's a lot of critters.
Gtjoker420
Well-Known Member
Ya there's alot
A springtail is a long whitish thingy that jumps if you try and nudge it with your finger. It' really small, but a heck of a lot bigger than a mite. Here is a short video of them in my own grow:
I had a similar "outbreak" of those soil mites in one of the worm bins when I added some fresh outdoor compost to the bins. I'm no expert, but those type of soil mites seemed to behave differently than the hypoaspis miles that I'm used to seeing in my soils and worm bins. I'm sorry I'm pretty ate up and can't remember exactly what my findings were when I was looking to identify them, but I remember not being concerned about them. Just another organic material muncher added to the mix is how I looked at it. I would just venture a guess that your enviornment/soil is a nice habitat for those mites to thrive.
Do yours move slowly or are they fast and active?
Sorry, I hope I am not mispeaking about these specific mites, just my two cents based off the last pictures you put up and my experience.
Do yours move slowly or are they fast and active?
Sorry, I hope I am not mispeaking about these specific mites, just my two cents based off the last pictures you put up and my experience.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Did you see the second pic in his first post? It's blurry but looks a lot like a springtail.
Yeah it definitely looks like it. I'm not sure what the pic in his last post was though. A clearer view would be helpful.
TaoRich
Well-Known Member
+1
@Gtjoker420
Check this reference out I found a while back.
Bugs! Creepy Crawlies! What’s in my Worm Bin? - Nature's Footprint
In addition to the millions of micro-organisms working to help your worms digest and compost your waste, there are larger organisms that will appear in your
www.naturesfootprint.com
Nice clear photos to help you ID the good from the bad from the ugly.
If you're going full organic, and adding EWC goodness, your soil will inevitably end up as living soil.
Learn to embrace it ... not sterilise it.
And yes, I agree with the identifications above.
Gtjoker420
Well-Known Member
I'll read up on that. Thanks+1
@Gtjoker420
Check this reference out I found a while back.
Bugs! Creepy Crawlies! What’s in my Worm Bin? - Nature's Footprint
In addition to the millions of micro-organisms working to help your worms digest and compost your waste, there are larger organisms that will appear in your
Nice clear photos to help you ID the good from the bad from the ugly.
If you're going full organic, and adding EWC goodness, your soil will inevitably end up as living soil.
Learn to embrace it ... not sterilise it.
And yes, I agree with the identifications above.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
I don't know where you got that idea.
What On Earth Is Diatomaceous Earth?
Gardeners are often given the advice to sprinkle diatomaceous earth (DE) around plants to deter pests. But what is diatomaceous earth, exactly? Let us explain!
What are you talking about exactly?I don't know where you got that idea.
What On Earth Is Diatomaceous Earth?
Gardeners are often given the advice to sprinkle diatomaceous earth (DE) around plants to deter pests. But what is diatomaceous earth, exactly? Let us explain!www.almanac.com
Because the article you posted does nothing to refute what I said.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
It sounded like you were saying it didn't harm beneficial insects, but maybe you're just talking about the soil microbes. No it's not gonna hurt my bacteria or fungi. And I know what they say about the worms, but there's actually mixed thoughts on that one.
I'm sure they don't like it at all. But I think they can live through it if you don't overdo it. I know my worms get pissed when certain dry amendments touch them.
It will definitely hurt some beneficial insects.