Does anyone use/add beneficial Insects/ Organisms? - Page 3 - Orchid Board

SADE2020 · #21 03-08-2021, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypostatic

I've been using and culturing springtails for years -- they are certainly fascinating and beautiful organisms!

There are lots of vendors trying to sell springtails these days. There is this new "bioactive" craze that's going around, which is mostly a scam to take your money. Springtails 100% do NOT eat "bad" or pathogenic microorganisms. So don't add them to your orchids, hoping that they will "cure" any diseases.

That said, springtails will eat some microbial biofilms such as yeasts and algaes, depending on the species. All the STs you'll find available for purchase will be soil dwelling species, and they'll most likely be eating harmless bacteria and fungi.

I have both added STs, and had species "spontaneously" appear in my orchid substrates. When I've added them purposelessly, it has been in the hopes that they would slow the rate at which the media decomposes. I don't know if they have any real positive effect, however.

I sort of skimmed through the comments, so I don't know the whole convo behind this. For the last few decades, as far as I'm aware, collembola have not been considered "true insects".

I pace them in my tank and disappear...either dead or hiding behind the Hygrolon .. I made 3 batch, I'll continue trying but don't seem to work with the lighting and misting.

estación seca · #22 03-08-2021, 06:42 PM

When I lived in a cold-winter climate I had to bring my cactus and succulents into the house. I grew them under lights. I sprayed every plant every 2 weeks with diluted dish soap. It prevented spider mite outbreaks. If you wait until you notice mites it's already a serious problem.