wtf is this insect, and is it a pest?

T

TheGreatSouthern

Well-Known Member
Hey folks, I just started an organic grow in compost/soil mix with a perlite layer on top to discourage fungus gnats, and this morning noticed a few million of these critters making their way up through the perlite layer on top of the soil. Taken with a microscope, they are less then 1mm in length. Anyone know if they are a pest? plants aren't looking too healthy.

Cheers
TGS
 

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Bud1284

Bud1284

Active Member
TheGreatSouthern said:
Hey folks, I just started an organic grow in compost/soil mix with a perlite layer on top to discourage fungus gnats, and this morning noticed a few million of these critters making their way up through the perlite layer on top of the soil. Taken with a microscope, they are less then 1mm in length. Anyone know if they are a pest? plants aren't looking too healthy.

Cheers
TGS
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One thing that strikes me here, perlite is made to be mixed with the medium to improve drainage and there should not actually be a 'layer' of perlite at the top of the medium!

What i have on top of my medium is volcanic rocks.
 
CoB_nUt

CoB_nUt

Well-Known Member
Perlite is fine on top of the medium.No hardfast rule there shouldn't be.Some use 100%perlite in their hempy grows.Only "bad" side effect is some green algae on a few of the rocks from staying too moist with humid conditions.It's aesthetically unpleasant but harmless.IMO & IME.

I've never had fungus gnats with my hempy grows,only in coco_Organic growers usually use diatomaeseous<spelling earth for bug issues.
It dehydrated and shreds em up.
Springtails are harmless in small populations(so I've read),I've had them and a lot of them,with no detriment to plant health. The ones I've had were whitish,and you can see them hopping.
 
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Bud1284

Bud1284

Active Member
CoB_nUt said:
Perlite is fine on top of the medium.No hardfast rule there shouldn't be.Some use 100%perlite in their hempy grows.Only "bad" side effect is some green algae on a few of the rocks from staying too moist with humid conditions.It's aesthetically unpleasant but harmless.IMO & IME.

I've never had fungus gnats with my hempy grows,only in coco_Organic growers usually use diatomaeseous<spelling earth for bug issues.
It dehydrated and shreds em up.
Springtails are harmless in small populations(so I've read),I've had them and a lot of them,with no detriment to plant health. The ones I've had were whitish,and you can see them hopping.
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Agree with ya, favours mold and algae if wet too long but it defeats the purpose of perlite if its only a layer on top!
 
crimsonecho

crimsonecho

Well-Known Member
Well perlite on top is not a good practice because of the dust and if there is a fan blowing it’ll get worse. Just use plastic tarp if you like to stop them completely. By the way springtails eat dead roots and plant matter and they are beneficial. The ones i get are always silver coloured but i think they come in black too. They will jump like fleas, if they are springtails.
 
CoB_nUt

CoB_nUt

Well-Known Member
crimsonecho said:
Well perlite on top is not a good practice because of the dust and if there is a fan blowing it’ll get worse. Just use plastic tarp if you like to stop them completely. By the way springtails eat dead roots and plant matter and they are beneficial. The ones i get are always silver coloured but i think they come in black too. They will jump like fleas, if they are springtails.
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There should be NO perlite dust! Everyone knows you rinse the perlite thoroughly first.I don't understand all the perlite misinformation.
Agreed on the springtail info.
 
crimsonecho

crimsonecho

Well-Known Member
CoB_nUt said:
There should be NO perlite dust! Everyone knows you rinse the perlite thoroughly first.I don't understand all the perlite misinformation.
Agreed on the springtail info.
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Bro doesn’t matter how much you rinse. Its porous shit. When it dries, there will be dust. Thats been my experience with it. I use it as an aeration material only.
 
CoB_nUt

CoB_nUt

Well-Known Member
We can agree to disagree. I've used perlite for 10+ years (chunky size). I rinse the dust completely.Maybe you use the smaller sizes that disentegrate and become dust eventually. I have used those smaller bags with the itty bitty pieces that break up.I use it as aeration material as well as full 100% perlite hempy grows. Perlite dust will fuck up your mediums ph,root health clog lines....there's more I'll stop there tho. Being porous isn't the cause of the dust. It's the manufacturing process bro.
 
crimsonecho

crimsonecho

Well-Known Member
CoB_nUt said:
We can agree to disagree. I've used perlite for 10+ years (chunky size). I rinse the dust completely.Maybe you use the smaller sizes that disentegrate and become dust eventually. I have used those smaller bags with the itty bitty pieces that break up.I use it as aeration material as well as full 100% perlite hempy grows. Perlite dust will fuck up your mediums ph,root health clog lines....there's more I'll stop there tho. Being porous isn't the cause of the dust. It's the manufacturing process bro.
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Yes. Probably the size difference makes my experience less than satisfactory. When i brought up the porous surface i meant, the dust sticks to somewhere and hides in those pores so you can’t wash it down completely and when it dries it gets carries with the draft. And yeah the breaking up of little pieces is another problem with small sizes. Never used coarse perlite, can’t say. But again the best prevention is good practises in the first place and springtails are beneficial to potted plants. Why obliterate them..
 
CoB_nUt

CoB_nUt

Well-Known Member
crimsonecho said:
Yes. Probably the size difference makes my experience less than satisfactory. When i brought up the porous surface i meant, the dust sticks to somewhere and hides in those pores so you can’t wash it down completely and when it dries it gets carries with the draft. And yeah the breaking up of little pieces is another problem with small sizes. Never used coarse perlite, can’t say. But again the best prevention is good practises in the first place and springtails are beneficial to potted plants. Why obliterate them..
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100% agreed. I try to keep my springtails happy lol when I do get them.:peace:
 
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