Springtails in the potting soil

What are springtails?

Springtails in the Potting soil live are whitish in color. There is a jumping fork on the body, with the help of which they hop around on the surface.
They love moisture and feed on dead plant material. Usually potting soil consists of peat, compost or humusThere is therefore plenty of dead plant material to feed the springtails. As they break down the dead plant material, new humus is formed, which in turn serves as food for the plants.
The springtails, however, multiply strongly and on the one hand become annoying, on the other hand, due to the massive occurrence, food in the soil becomes scarce.

The damage pattern in the springtail

When there is little or no food in the soil, the springtail begins to feed on the roots of the plants or on young seedlings.

The plants can no longer feed themselves properly and become miserable. Pathogens can also penetrate the plant at the damaged areas and kill it.

Fighting springtails

If the springtails appear en masse (for example due to excessive fertilization), control measures are required, such as:

• with water
• with drought
• with predatory mites

Use water against springtails

Although the animals love moisture, they cannot tolerate masses of water.

1. Take a large bucket and fill it with water.
2. Place the plant with the pot in the water so that it is completely covered.
3. Wait about half an hour and the springtails should swim on the surface of the water.
4. Drain the animals.
5. Take the plant out of the bucket and refrain from watering for a while.

Dry out springtails

This method is recommended when the animals appear in the garden bed or in large pots that cannot be submerged.
Watering is kept to a minimum. Since springtails love moisture, they will migrate immediately if it gets too dry for them.

The use of predatory mites

the Predatory mites live, as the name suggests, predatory. They suck out the larvae of various pests and thus ensure that the vermin disappear from the potting soil.