ah I see. Is anyone treating cannabis like hydrangeas to see what happens? Because I treat it like tomatoes or so, and that works great.
Fungus Gnat Prevention?
- Thread starter rrog
- Start date
I've seen some pretty giant plants using 'supposedly' fungal teas. I can email you a photo if you contact me.
tea - schmea. What matters is what it's growing in. Teas tilt the balance but you can't tea a manure pile into fungality. You can add fungi to the mix but it's still a shit pile and it's gonna grow lotsa bacteria.
yes that is a new word: fungality.
I like to see spores and hyphae in my tea, but I'm pretty sure my mixes are favoring bacteria. I'll let you know how a cucurbit does growing alongside a cut of 8 miles high in a seat-of-my pants mix that I made.
yes that is a new word: fungality.
I like to see spores and hyphae in my tea, but I'm pretty sure my mixes are favoring bacteria. I'll let you know how a cucurbit does growing alongside a cut of 8 miles high in a seat-of-my pants mix that I made.
IC BUDZ
Member
ive tried the mosquitto dunks they didnt work for me i used 1/4 inch layer of sand over my dirt and they were all still flying around and i put up some of those sticky yellow traps and they slowly started to dissappear. however i never completly eliminated them atleast until i finished the grow cleaned everything out and started over new with new dirt and new everything
Fungus Gnat Prevention?
well it's about both now isn't it? we don't want the cure to be worse than the disease.
well it's about both now isn't it? we don't want the cure to be worse than the disease.
Fungus Gnat Prevention?
having fungi is not the same as fungal dominance.
honestly I don't understand the whole "fungal in flower" thing. plants that switch from bacterial to fungal soil during their lives do it over many seasons.
it's unreasonable to expect to go from tomato garden type soil to fungal soil during the stretch. whatever fungi are working for you during flower need to be there during veg.
I'm not saying we don't need fungi, I am saying we don't need to switch from tomato soil to hydrangea soil overnight. I am saying that no amount of tea will make your dirt fungal dominated unless the soil itself is good habitat.
having fungi is not the same as fungal dominance.
honestly I don't understand the whole "fungal in flower" thing. plants that switch from bacterial to fungal soil during their lives do it over many seasons.
it's unreasonable to expect to go from tomato garden type soil to fungal soil during the stretch. whatever fungi are working for you during flower need to be there during veg.
I'm not saying we don't need fungi, I am saying we don't need to switch from tomato soil to hydrangea soil overnight. I am saying that no amount of tea will make your dirt fungal dominated unless the soil itself is good habitat.
Well, I can't comment on bacterial vs. fungal dominated soil. I didn't introduce that concept in this discussion. All I'm saying is:
- I assume plants need more P in flower. That's what I've read.
- I assume fungus is an efficient delivery system for P during the entire life cycle of the plant.
- I assume I'd like to keep the symbiotic relationship in tact, and in fact encourage it.
With plants as with animals, I believe that many similar symbiotic relationships have long been interrupted because of various "improvements" that corporations have made over the "inefficiency of nature." I tend to gravitate to these relationships whether it's my plants, my dog or me.
I use a regular watering of dilute Lacto-B serum with Molasses, start with Myco Madness, and pump air through the soil from a water layer to promote the aerobes and fungus. I'm not aware that bacteria and fungus are at odds or are in any way mutually exclusive. I'd like to think (but don't know) that my system is more balanced and caters to both bacteria and fungus.
- I assume plants need more P in flower. That's what I've read.
- I assume fungus is an efficient delivery system for P during the entire life cycle of the plant.
- I assume I'd like to keep the symbiotic relationship in tact, and in fact encourage it.
With plants as with animals, I believe that many similar symbiotic relationships have long been interrupted because of various "improvements" that corporations have made over the "inefficiency of nature." I tend to gravitate to these relationships whether it's my plants, my dog or me.
I use a regular watering of dilute Lacto-B serum with Molasses, start with Myco Madness, and pump air through the soil from a water layer to promote the aerobes and fungus. I'm not aware that bacteria and fungus are at odds or are in any way mutually exclusive. I'd like to think (but don't know) that my system is more balanced and caters to both bacteria and fungus.
Just for clarity I'd like to point out that a plant can derive nutrients from both bacteria and fungi in the same growing season.
Also, I am beginning to surmise that dark septate endophytes, recently discovered to be mycorrhyzal may be of the fungal species we are growing in ct.
bakelite
Active member
Point taken
I guess what I really meant to say was to allow the top layer of soil get dry and not remain moist between waterings. Fungus gnat larvae need moisture in order to thrive. This when combined with mosquito dunks was very effective for me in eliminating gnats. Also I found mosquito dunks are most effect when broken up, soaked for a few days, strained and spray the resulting mixture evenly over the top layer of the soil after each watering. Repeat this for a week or two seemed to work for me.
-bakelite
Ursus
Active member
TOP DRESS SOME SAND. Why would you use crab meal if your only problem is fungus gnats? First off it's not even known or accepted crab meal prevents fungus gnats except for librettist's opinion (which I would believe anyway) Point is basic sand is was easier to come by, and is known to stop fungus gnats.
The good thing about those kinds of techniques is they eliminate the gnats that are breeding at the surface (but not the drain holes).
The downsides are many. Inert material is a poor choice of mulch for living soil, because the mulch layer is so important to plant nutrition, for conditioning the soil, providing habitat to predators, conserving water, and providing protection from heat and light.
It just so happens fungus gnats love fungus. Healthy soil is a great place for fungus gnats to live.
The crab shell meal approach is meant to put pressure on the gnat population, not eradicate them. The reason I favor crab shell meal over neem meal or Bt is that it is also a great all round fert for tomatoes, cannabis, and other crops. I still see plenty of fast moving mites and other arthropods on the soil surface, and the gnats are very manageable (by manageable I mean one is not aware of them unless one is in the tent or closet with the plants). When I started with the crab meal, the gnats were thick on my windows and really annoying.
Now did the problem just resolve itself (my gnat farm attracted gnat predators)? Or did the crab meal do it?
Somebody give it a whirl and let's find out.
BTW, the mosquito dunks Bt is available is granulated form. Why are you guys breaking up the dunks? My criticism of the Bt approach is that you are jumping straight to a lethal control, which in IPM is a no-no.
Great point!
Time to add my tuppence worth... 
I used to be plagued with the little buggers. Last year they disappered with weekly applications of neem oil in the water plus a mulch of perlite. That and a couple yellow sticky pads.
Now i have changed the perlite to DE in the form of kittly litter. Had a lot from a recent transplant session but now they almost gone. I always take compost from outdoors and reuse my mixes so its great to see them die off.
Must find a good source of crab meal...
I used to be plagued with the little buggers. Last year they disappered with weekly applications of neem oil in the water plus a mulch of perlite. That and a couple yellow sticky pads.
Now i have changed the perlite to DE in the form of kittly litter. Had a lot from a recent transplant session but now they almost gone. I always take compost from outdoors and reuse my mixes so its great to see them die off.
Must find a good source of crab meal...
I've used crab shell and neem seed meal for months on end now. I find that when I bring in gifts or any bagged seedling mixes and such that they always come with gnats...always!!!
They move through the place and eventually end up in the garden,but in the garden they never seem to get far even though it's prime environment. The trick is to recycle the mix and keep that crab shell and neem seed meal coming on the remix. Works for me and has ended the gnat problem.
They move through the place and eventually end up in the garden,but in the garden they never seem to get far even though it's prime environment. The trick is to recycle the mix and keep that crab shell and neem seed meal coming on the remix. Works for me and has ended the gnat problem.
I've always been a fan of fungus porn so it's hard for me to look at the crab shell option. Mad L commented that going BTI right out of the gate was overkill with no obvious infestation, and that made sense, however what is the downside assuming the BTI is deployed properly? Fungus stays intact (whether it's helping the plant is a separate issue).
I'm using the stickies as a bug barometer
I'm using the stickies as a bug barometer
