tiny white bugs in my new "Build a Soil"

[garybob69]

I can actually see them crawling around with the naked eye.????Paid good money for this soil? Surely this can't be right? Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated.

[Ace1973]

they are soil mites, you find them in soil all the time

[Ace1973]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/soil-mite

[garybob69]

so this is a good thing. thank you for the link. I'd never seen them in the Fox Farms soil. this is my first time trying Build a Soil.

[Ace1973]

I have seen them in all soilssometimes when it is dry, they go deep when it is wet, they do not harm anything.

[GreenAlchemist]

Could also be springtails, I had those myself and became very worried, though they are actually beneficial and won’t harm/touch the plant itself. I actually miss having those little guys in my soil lol.

[desertdan]

Make sure you get them identified before you write them off as harmless.

[Cali]

Lol. Can you post a pic. Also is this soil from Buildasoil? If so you can contact them and explain what you see they will gladly help you out. Most likely they are springtails, a good thing to see life in your living soil. Don’t be surprised if you see more insects they use those so wouldn’t be surprised if they made a home in your mix. Also make sure they are beneficial bugs could also be bad but I doubt it specially if you don’t see them on the plants.

[dilvish]

sprinkle a thin layer of Diatomaceous Earth (Food grade) over the top of your soil. It works wonders for killing mites and won't harm the plant at all. Just don't breathe it in as it can damage the lungs...likely though you have a mask (fucking Covid) so it shouldn't be a problem. You can order it online from all kinds of places.