White Temperate Springtails — Folsomia candida
White fuzz on moist soil is common. A cleanup crew handles it for you.
Mold on soil that stays moist becomes dinner for a cleanup crew that breeds on its own. Nothing to reapply.
- Ships live, when readyUsually within 7 days, rarely 10. Mon–Thu, 2-day or overnight.
- Live arrival coveredReport concerns within 72 hours
- Free shippingWhen bugs and plant care come to $30
Handmade by Linda, for the plants you're protecting
2 inch · $20Buying for a group or a business? · Wholesale
01 · The problem
Are springtails right for your soil?
Signs springtails will help
- White fuzz on the soil surface that comes back between waterings.
- Green film building up on the inside of the pot.
- Prop boxes, sphagnum or semi-hydro: constant humidity, constant mold.
Seeing these? Good catch. The sooner you start, the smaller the job.
Illustration · not to scale
Illustration · not to scale- You receive
- A living 8 oz culture: adults, juveniles and eggs together
- Main target
- White fuzz, mold, algae and decaying matter on the soil surface
- Best conditions
- 65–75°F, substrate consistently moist, never saturated
- Not for
- Fungus gnat control, or a pot running Stratiolaelaps or rove beetles
Works on
- Mold and mildew
- Fungal hyphae
- Algae and biofilm
- Decaying leaf litter, frass, shed skin
Not the answer for
- Fungus gnat control
- A pot running Stratiolaelaps or rove beetles
- Living plant tissue or roots: they leave them alone
02 · Meet the beneficial
Folsomia candida
Illustration · not to scaleNo eyes. Still shy.
These springtails have no eyes, yet they can tell light from dark and head for the dark. They likely sense light through cells inside their bodies.
They never stop growing
Adults keep shedding their skin and growing even after they start having young. In the lab, some have lived a year and a half.
A record-setting mom
One female laid 1,298 eggs in her life, with up to 178 at a time.
All moms, no dads
Every one is female and can be raised alone, so scientists follow single springtails from hatching to old age to learn how animals age.
03 · How it works
A cleanup crew for the soil surface
Illustration · not to scaleThey eat the mess
Mold, algae and decaying matter on the soil surface.
Illustration · not to scaleThey breed on their own
Keep the mix damp and the colony keeps itself going.
Illustration · not to scaleHarmless to plants
They eat mold and decay, not your plants.
Springtails don't hunt anything. They're maintenance staff for the soil surface, not a pest response.
Springtail temperature and storage
Illustration · not to scale65–75°FA normal house, no heat mat. They slow below 60°F and above the low 80s.- Illustration · not to scaleRoom temperatureNo fridge. Keep the culture somewhere ordinary, lid on but slightly loose, and add them within a few days.
Illustration · not to scaleMoist, never soakedThey take in water through the body wall, so damp substrate is the one real requirement.- Leave the moldMold on the slab and the pale cream patches of brewer's yeast are their food. Leave them be.
04 · Not your conditions?
Choose one of these instead
Not quite your situation? No problem. If your space or your pest is different, one of these fits better.
05 · The plan
How to add springtails
No experience needed. Here's all it takes.
Illustration · not to scaleOpen at room temperature
Most of the colony is down in the mold eating, so you'll see only a few. That's normal.
Illustration · not to scaleFloat them off
Add water, wait a minute, pour the top over the pot. They float. Or tap them out. The plaster slab stays put.
Illustration · not to scaleWide and thin
Spread them across several pots rather than one spot. They establish faster that way.
Illustration · not to scaleFeed once, if needed
Bare mix? Add a pinch of brewer's yeast, a few grains of uncooked rice or a scrap of mushroom.
Illustration · not to scaleKeep it damp
Moist, never saturated, then leave them alone. A pot that dries out fully loses its population.
06 · What happens next
What to expect
Living things work at their own pace. Here's what normal looks like.
Illustration · not to scale
Illustration · not to scaleQuiet for a few weeks
Establishing looks like very little. They live under the surface, so an empty-looking pot at noon means nothing.
Seen just after watering
Once settled, you'll notice them on the surface, usually right after you water.
A surface that stays clean
White fuzz stops coming back between waterings and the pot wall stops going green.
Studied hard
Folsomia candida is the test organism in ISO 11267, the standard for soil fauna. It's been studied more than most of your plants.
Before you order
All your questions, answered
Something else? Toby's in the chat, bottom right, and happy to help.
When does it ship, and how does it arrive?
A living culture on a dark plaster slab that makes them easy to see and easy to float off. Room temperature start to finish. Ships Monday to Thursday. Bugs and plant care ship free from $30; $15 under that. Pots and grow lights ship by ground, free from $75.
What if something's wrong when it arrives?
Our Live Delivery Guarantee covers it. Email info@fgmnnursery.com with your order number: within 72 hours of delivery for insects and springtails, or within 7 days for mites and nematodes. Full terms are on the Live Delivery Guarantee page.
Will springtails get rid of fungus gnats?
No. They share the same soil layer and some of the same fungus, but springtails don't eat gnat larvae, and competing for food doesn't reliably cut a gnat population. For gnats, it's Stratiolaelaps or Sf nematodes.
Can they share a pot with my other beneficials?
Most, yes: foliar predatory mites, lacewings, ladybugs, Aphidius, Cryptolaemus and nematodes are all fine. Give Stratiolaelaps and rove beetles their own pots.
Do they help with tissue culture?
Yes. They graze the surface film and agar residue while deflasked plantlets harden off, and won't touch the plantlet. Rinse off as much agar as you can first.
Ready when you are
White Temperate Springtails — Folsomia candida
You've got this. And if you get stuck, we're one email away at info@fgmnnursery.com.