Soil Mites...Good or Bad?

J Bone

J Bone

Member
Hi folks,

So the picture I have attached may be a little hard to see, but I have 100's of these little mite looking creatures crawling all over and around the inner edges of a bin I have my super soil cooking in. Are these beneficial? Or would they hurt a plant if I plant in it?

Any feedback is appreciated

IMG_0108.JPG IMG_0109.JPG
 
undercovergrow

undercovergrow

Well-Known Member
you're actually seeing bugs in the soil you're cooking and you haven't yet bombed it to smithereens!?! i can't even imagine contemplating keeping soil that has hundreds of bugs in it :-P:eyesmoke:
 
J Bone

J Bone

Member
The ingredients to make the soil were a little pricy so I was hoping these guys were beneficial, or that there was a way to sterilize the medium while still having a good organic soil blend. do you think bombing it to smithereens would be a good idea? And which product would you recommend?
 
undercovergrow

undercovergrow

Well-Known Member
@Wetdog i cook soil, sometimes for several months if i don't use it all right away, and i do not have bugs of that size in my soil - microbes are all i want in my soil, not visible bugs. i would not use soil that had an established population of unknown bugs. :neutral:

@J Bone i didn't mean literally bomb it, although that is an option for you.bongsmilie since you do not know what bugs they are, you should research first and figure out what they are before doing anything. @Wetdog could be right, and they might not hurt anything if you don't mind the bugs crawling :shock: all over your space, or they could be something detrimental to your future grows. i'm sure someone will come along soon and help you diagnose them properly. what do you think they are? your pictures are kind of hard to really make them out...
 
J Bone

J Bone

Member
Thanks wetdog, thats good to hear! I've been doing some research and I thought they may be alright. there's just so many I wanted to make sure it was safe to use before planting in it. its a little startling at first. would it ever be possible to have too BIG of a population of these guys?
 
J Bone

J Bone

Member
Thanks for the replies undercovergrow
Ive been doing quite a bit of research and my thoughts are that they may be gamasid mites or the orbitid mite. If they are one of those I don't think they'll hurt the plant, but I'm not sure if I want these little buggers all over and throughout my containers either. I haven't used the soil yet but i was planning on it soon. Im having a hard time deciding what to do
 
J Bone

J Bone

Member
Also I had a small nematode population in my compost bin, but i think these mites may have eaten them
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
undercovergrow said:
@Wetdog i cook soil, sometimes for several months if i don't use it all right away, and i do not have bugs of that size in my soil - microbes are all i want in my soil, not visible bugs. i would not use soil that had an established population of unknown bugs. :neutral:

@J Bone i didn't mean literally bomb it, although that is an option for you.bongsmilie since you do not know what bugs they are, you should research first and figure out what they are before doing anything. @Wetdog could be right, and they might not hurt anything if you don't mind the bugs crawling :shock: all over your space, or they could be something detrimental to your future grows. i'm sure someone will come along soon and help you diagnose them properly. what do you think they are? your pictures are kind of hard to really make them out...
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never a bad idea to be cautious regarding bugs.
Not bad advice at all.
BUT those are harmless
those are orbatid mites, also commonly called wormbin mites, they are your buddies, they help the whole compost procedure.
If they bother you, the best way to get rid of them is to allow the top of your compost to get sunny, they hate that.
OR you can add watermelons or cantalopes, put them in there and they LOVE sweet stuff, so then after about a day, they'll be allllll over the melons, then you can toss them easier.
But really, they are your buddies man.
If you grab a handful of my vermicompost and put it under the microscope?
Shit, I can see alllll sorts of little monsters in there with my naked eye, under magnification? I imagine it'd look like a John Carpenter Horror film
(ever see "in the mouth of madness"?)
anyways.. don't sweat it man.
 
J Bone

J Bone

Member
Thanks for the reply greasemonkey! And thanks for the sweet link. All this info is very reassuring! Im so glad those guys don't seem to be a problem!
 
C

chrismtbr

New Member
You should read a book called teaming with microbes, everyone should read that book if you're getting into organics


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Have you read "Teaming with Nutrients" yet? I liked it better than TWM, not quite as basic, but you're right, TWM is a good book for someone just starting out. I've had a copy for 5 years or so. Pretty much haven't used teas or an AACT in 2 years or so. With the mix dialed in and your worm bin cranking, there is really no need.

You have a worm bin going? If not, start one. Best thing you could do for your grow/garden.

Wet
 
J Bone

J Bone

Member
chrismtbr I'm actually reading teaming with microbes now. It's very interesting and I feel they make it easy to understand.

wet dog what do you like better about teaming with nutrients? Ill probably get a copy soon
 
undercovergrow

undercovergrow

Well-Known Member
@Wetdog is there a way to remove the bugs - even though they are good for the composting - when you use it? the idea of bugs crawling around that you can see freaks me out. i'm with @J Bone and plan on getting a TWN book to study as well.
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
undercovergrow said:
@Wetdog is there a way to remove the bugs - even though they are good for the composting - when you use it? the idea of bugs crawling around that you can see freaks me out. i'm with @J Bone and plan on getting a TWN book to study as well.
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I understand, but it seems when the food source is gone, or broken down anyway, they die off or leave and the numbers are very greatly reduced. I see a lot at first and fewer and fewer as time goes on.

Sorta like fungus gnats when one finally quits overwatering and making a perfect home for them.

The TWN is a bit more technical with more information IMO. The TWM is pretty basic, but a good starting point. Microbeman's site is WAY technical when you're ready for it.

Wet
 
undercovergrow

undercovergrow

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
I understand, but it seems when the food source is gone, or broken down anyway, they die off or leave and the numbers are very greatly reduced. I see a lot at first and fewer and fewer as time goes on.

Sorta like fungus gnats when one finally quits overwatering and making a perfect home for them.

The TWN is a bit more technical with more information IMO. The TWM is pretty basic, but a good starting point. Microbeman's site is WAY technical when you're ready for it.

Wet
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thanks - i've fought gnats recently and it was one girl who made my flower room almost apocalyptic - it doesn't take much.
good analogy for me though - and good bug info
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
undercovergrow said:
@Wetdog is there a way to remove the bugs - even though they are good for the composting - when you use it? the idea of bugs crawling around that you can see freaks me out. i'm with @J Bone and plan on getting a TWN book to study as well.
Click to expand...
i'm sure if you took the wormcasting and stuck them in the freezer it'd take care of them.
But who knows if that sterilizes your castings though, and thats sorta the whole point behind castings... the microbes.
I mean yea, it's humus too...
 
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