Springtails on my BABIES

[logarithmic]

I have 4 seedlings started in Miracle Gro Moisture Control soil. When I first planted, I saw one teeny tiny white bug (small as a very tiny mite). It was the only one I saw and it disappeared almost immediately so I ignored it and went about my business.

Now... about 5 days later, there are many more of them. I've googled my ass off and have determined them to be springtails. They are very minuscule, mite-like, but occasionally jump like fleas around the soil. I only see them when the soil is disturbed, and have only noticed them IN the soil and not on any of the plants (yet). I've read that they are generally harmless, but I fear that they may have a negative effect on my fragile seedlings. One in particular has appeared to stop growing and there seems to be a large concentration of these bugs in its container.

I have read that one solution could be to dry the soil out, or replant in new soil altogether but I am afraid of distressing or damaging these baby plants.
Is there a safe way to get rid of them without harming my seedlings? Or should I ignore these bugs for now and just see where things go?
I was considering misting the plants with either a garlic/water or soap/water solution. Would either of these help at all?

I do not have a personal picture of these pests because my camera phone cannot zoom in enough to capture them. However, I'm about 98.5% sure that these are springtails. Even if they're mostly harmless.. they are making me nervous!

What should I do?


Thanks in advance.

 

[JustAnotherHead]

I have 4 seedlings started in Miracle Gro Moisture Control soil. When I first planted, I saw one teeny tiny white bug (small as a very tiny mite). It was the only one I saw and it disappeared almost immediately so I ignored it and went about my business.

Now... about 5 days later, there are many more of them. I've googled my ass off and have determined them to be springtails. They are very minuscule, mite-like, but occasionally jump like fleas around the soil. I only see them when the soil is disturbed, and have only noticed them IN the soil and not on any of the plants (yet). I've read that they are generally harmless, but I fear that they may have a negative effect on my fragile seedlings. One in particular has appeared to stop growing and there seems to be a large concentration of these bugs in its container.

I have read that one solution could be to dry the soil out, or replant in new soil altogether but I am afraid of distressing or damaging these baby plants.
Is there a safe way to get rid of them without harming my seedlings? Or should I ignore these bugs for now and just see where things go?
I was considering misting the plants with either a garlic/water or soap/water solution. Would either of these help at all?

I do not have a personal picture of these pests because my camera phone cannot zoom in enough to capture them. However, I'm about 98.5% sure that these are springtails. Even if they're mostly harmless.. they are making me nervous!

What should I do?


Thanks in advance.

I have the same problem. Only I can't even see anything in the soil when I dig around. Only when I water the plants I seem them in the run off in the saucer. TINY, not really visible to the eye only when the jump. They have decimated my S.A.D. plant in under a week so i don't know if they are even Springtails. They are something and they kill plants quickly. I'm watering with Azamax at the moment because I can't even confirm what they are. You have to use a 60x microscope to even see they are an insect.

 

[LIVE2GRO]

I have the same problem. Only I can't even see anything in the soil when I dig around. Only when I water the plants I seem them in the run off in the saucer. TINY, not really visible to the eye only when the jump. They have decimated my S.A.D. plant in under a week so i don't know if they are even Springtails. They are something and they kill plants quickly. I'm watering with Azamax at the moment because I can't even confirm what they are. You have to use a 60x microscope to even see they are an insect.

dude u mite have Root Aphids and Springtails .. the springtails i hear are harmless.. actually produce nitrogen? and the root aphids destroy plants very quickly.. and they will yellow from the bottom up and root aphids cause random deficiencys SNS 203 works. ceck it out;

 

[logarithmic]

woah, those are definitely not springtails then. So far, the springtails are still in my soil, but no damage has been done, so I'm assuming that they are harmless like people are saying.

The other day, I brought a tomato plant in and put it under the lights with my little plants, but quickly noticed spider mites in IT's soil. Needless to say, the tomato plant got kicked outside and far away from my money-makers lol.

 

[chronicals77]

woah, those are definitely not springtails then. So far, the springtails are still in my soil, but no damage has been done, so I'm assuming that they are harmless like people are saying.

The other day, I brought a tomato plant in and put it under the lights with my little plants, but quickly noticed spider mites in IT's soil. Needless to say, the tomato plant got kicked outside and far away from my money-makers lol.

I know this is old so I just want to add some info for anyone that might stumble across this. You will never see spider mites in or on soil. They don't and cannot travel that way. Clothing and/or already infested plants is how you get spider mites indoors. They have to hitch a ride in some way. Outdoors birds are usually the transporter of spider mites. You will never see them in soil because they hate moisture, that is also why they live on the undersides of leaves. Remember there are beneficial soil mites as well.

 

[MichiganMedGrower]

Springtails are usually white and tiny. They live in the soil and eat rotting matter. They are common and live in 10000's outside in the topsoil per square yard.

They are harmless to animals and humans and prefer leaf mold as a diet so they can be found even more under old leaves.

It is helpful to rake the leaves away from the house to minimize them.

They can hurt very young seedlings while germinating but I have them on and off and have had no problems.

They are considered beneficial.

I remove them with the runoff to keep them in check. When I see an outbreak in a specific plant it usually means I have salt buildup and burning rotting roots. And leaf tips are starting to burn.

Bugs know where the food is. Lol.

Easy search to find university info.