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Calcium Clay Springtail Cultures FAQ and Care

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Frog and Frond

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Checked on Oct 22, 2026 by a web request. The registry returned: Calcium Clay Springtail Cultures FAQ and Care | Frog and Frond % %.

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Sellers disagree about mites on charcoal. NEHERP prefers charcoal because mixed media cultures are more likely to get mites. Frog and Frond reports that clay cultures are less likely to get mites than charcoal cultures. (at What is the advantage of clay springtail cultures)

Keep clay damp but not wet. A little clay should stick to a finger when you touch it, and there must be no standing water. (at How wet should the clay springtail cultures be kept?)
Feed every 3 to 7 days, and make sure all food is eaten between feedings. Baker's yeast works as well as most foods, according to Frog and Frond. (at What do I feed the clay springtail cultures?)
To harvest, tilt the whole culture and tap the springtails out where you need them. A couple of sharp taps on the lid first knock them away from the lid and rim. (at Feeding out)
Clay cultures tend to decline slowly. The point where a new culture makes more sense usually comes around or after 6 months, though some keepers still use cultures more than a year or two old. (at How long will the clay cultures last?)

Frog and Frond finds clay cultures slowly decline and keeping an old one stops making sense around or after 6 months, though some keepers use them past a year or two. Springtails US says a plaster culture lasts 6 months to a year or more. (at How long will the clay cultures last?)

Keepers culture it on calcium clay, charcoal, plaster, coco coir or soil. Several sellers report clay as the easiest to harvest from. (at clay cultures)
Granulated or brewer's yeast, once or twice a week, is the standard food. The laboratory method feeds twice a week and removes uneaten yeast before adding more. (at feeding)
Overfeeding is the usual cause of trouble. Uneaten food rots or moulds, and the laboratory method removes old yeast and aerates the culture at least once a week. (at feeding)

Give the lid a couple of sharp taps before you open the culture. That knocks the springtails to the bottom, away from the lid and rim, so fewer jump out. (at Feeding out)

Folsomia candida, sold as the temperate or common white springtail, is the species most of these sellers use for their standard cultures. (at What kind of springtails are these?)
On clay you harvest by tilting the cup and tapping the springtails out where you need them. (at Feeding out)
Sellers disagree about mites. NEHERP says mixed media cultures are much more likely to get mites than charcoal cultures. Frog and Frond says clay cultures are less likely to get mites than charcoal cultures. (at What is the advantage of clay springtail cultures)
Sellers give different feeding intervals. Springtails US says every 3 to 7 days, Frog and Frond says about once a week, and MI Beneficials says a small dusting every 2 to 3 days. (at How do I feed the cultures and how often?)
Every seller gives the same rule about amount. Give only what the springtails can eat before the food rots or molds. (at How do I feed the cultures and how often?)
Mold in a clay culture is usually caused by overfeeding. The usual fix is to stop feeding until it clears, or to scrape aggressive mold off the clay surface. (at What if there is mold in the springtail culture?)
In the worst case, too much yeast can kill a culture by creating a high concentration of carbon dioxide. (at How do I feed the cultures and how often?)

Feed only what the springtails can eat before it goes bad, once or twice a week, for the best reproduction. Fresh rice or yeast is more nutritious than moldy rice or yeast. (at How do I feed the cultures and how often?)
Frog and Frond uses baker's active dry yeast and finds it at least as good as anything else it tried. (at What do I feed the clay springtail cultures?)
Too much yeast left in a culture for too long causes mold. In the worst case it can kill the culture by raising the carbon dioxide concentration. (at How do I feed the cultures and how often?)