https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub/projects/tags/greenhouse
3 Likes
You are all a bunch of bad mother fuckas! Thanks to everyone you’re all legends!
@clouds thanks again, i was wondering if you would mind elaborating a bit further on “amendments” im thinking that your talking about compost, worm castings, and rock dust. Just trying to avoid a misunderstanding on my behalf.
@Curious_Roberto what can i do to remedy the “gnat” situation? Or is it just one thing that is always present in growing/living soil
@Thetetraguy that sounds like an organic AF sop thanks dude. Does Dragon fly Earth have a general feeding schedule?
Would anyone have any recommendations for starting clean and bug free? Im gonna be getting some cuts from a friend of a friend. In my experience whenever a foreign cut came into the spot we’ d dunk them in some sort of solution to ensure nothing invasive was brought in with it.
D.e. bed over ur soil for gnats
5 Likes
Like razor blades on their soft bodies
4 Likes
I started just mixing DE in my soil and top dressing blend. I also mix mosquito bits into my soil. I haven’t had problems with those fuckers in a long time.
My first living soil run was so bad 
4 Likes
I’ve used de, and also a product called gnat nix. It’s a little more expensive, but it works super good. It’s basically like giant grains of de made from recycled glass. I don’t think I’ve never had gnats in years, but they’re kept to a minimum now to where they almost don’t exist. You can reuse it too, just scrape the layer off the top, wash it, and you can use it again. It works wet and dry as well.
As far as clean clones, from my experience keep em out of your grow area until your sure they’re critter free.
You absolutely don’t want to introduce mites into the room, or your screwed. Mites and mold are the two main culprits. When I lived in Colorado getting clones was a crap shoot it seemed. Tbh I never chanced it, if I saw critters I tossed the fuckers. Can’t speak to treating em besides with basic steps, always was of the idea don’t risk it period when bringing new stuff into the room.
4 Likes
What is DE?
So the only way i can be positively sure im pest free is just to pop seeds and not even start with clones
1 Like
Diatomaceous earth?
2 Likes
Yes that’s DE. Bugs will find your plants. The best method is prevention. Nematodes and predatory beneficial bugs will help you get ahead and stay ahead. Oh, and start with fem seed so you don’t waste money on males. Oh, and sensi sci makes a good ‘just add water’ soil… Good luck!
4 Likes
you’re on the right lines of thinking. Amendments are simply organic matter you add back into your soil to help revitalize it and ensure it’s got enough good stuff to feed the plants. Growing this way you don’t worry about the plants at all, forget they’re even in the dirt. I do what I need to for my dirt to make sure it’s happy and healthy. I’m feeding my soil rather than the plants, and a happy vibrant soil will feed your plant for you, listening to the cues of the plant via secretions from the roots.
Your plants are basically telling the microbes in the soil from these secretions what they want at that given time. Say they’re a bit light on N because they’re stretching. They send signals that the microbes pick up on and then the microbes in turn deliver the nutrient the plant is asking for. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Balance is key though, too much of one thing and you can cause problems with something else. I have a chart of all the amendments I use and how long they take to break down in the soil so I can amend each ingredient on its own interval.
Gnats are one of the easiest pests to get rid of. If you continue to bring in soil from the outside you will likely be facing a never ending battle… I know I was back then…
What worked for me were putting the yellow sticky traps up around the plants and using the mosquito dunks (1/4 of one each time, once per week). It took about a month before I stopped seeing them flying around. I kept the soil a bit dryer than usual during this time too so the eggs would die.
DE works but you have to be good with it and ensure you get good coverage. It also only lasts as long as you can keep it on the soil for… If you water it can cause it to get drawn into the soil. DE works wonders against little bugs, but only if they come in contact with the powder. If they find a way around it, it’s not going to do anything.
Haven’t seen a gnat in around 3 years now.
5 Likes
This is why my soil is fresh in bags, and not sitting outside composting.
I have a product I use. But a few ppl get butt hurt over using chems. Albeit at 80% less concentration than directed on bottle. I havent seen a FG in 5 yrs. Too bad the product is discontinued now. So I bought 3 bottles.
Predatory bugs and things like nematodes dont work for infestations
2 Likes
The mosquito dunk, did you mix it in the water you water your plants with?
Bti takes a while to start working.
This is 1 thing I dont understand.
Use a product that may work and or takes time to work.
Or use a product that works immediately and. O worries.
I pick the latter.
2 Likes
Now you got me curious on what you use lol. I’m not as adamant as most on here about this stuff.
I would guess my thoughts are similar to your on the subject.
Yeah I just mixed it with water and watered the plants. It took 2 applications 2 weeks apart and it got them all. They never caused any issues with the plants other than finding them stuck to the buds
Once you decide on your pH meter, I would also grab a small bottle of indicator solution ($3 at hydro store). When your meters act up or the batteries run out, its a very reliable option.
If you want something more interesting than the Bluelabs, check out Horiba (also does sap pH, handy for correlating with brix for diagnostics). They also have matching ion meters if you’re a super-nerd like me.
https://www.horiba.com/us/en/application/material-property-characterization/water-analysis/water-quality-electrochemistry-instrumentation/compact/
For gnats look at products with BTI (bacillus thuringiensis). I like OG Biowar for IPM, the foliar pack has BTI and much more. For infestations use higher concentration for quick results, best brewed 18-24hr with a light sugar source, then applied foliar and drench (recipe on the website).
5 Likes
Oops meant to send a pm
What is a good commercial seed starting mix to use in 72 cell trays in a greenhouse? Any recommendations? I’m gonna start 10-15k seeds soon and am not sure if I should just be safe and buy a commercial product or mix some worm castings and maybe mushroom compost i can buy locally with peat moss and call it a day
Root root plugs