4 week old youngster suffering, help please.....

avgrower said:

I just thought of something with the help of some great advice... because my plant it is outside I was informed that the problem based on symptoms may be bugs.... I also believe that because the only watered area in my desert backyard is my plant, the bugs may be even more attracted to the moisture.
I also was educated that the container that I use is getting heated up by direct sunlight which is in essence steaming the roots of the plant.
Although I didn't mention it, here in the desert here we get a bit of wind,....

So What I am going to try is using a adjustable stacked box system where I can adjust the direct light to the plant and also control the amount of wind.
In addition I am going to boil down some cilantro / red pepper water spray to deter the pesky bugs.....

I hope this works. I want to be sure that the plant can get as much real sunlight, augment with led grow lights as a secondary filler to keep the plant in a vegetative state.... The levels can be adjusted for plant height and wind speed through the vents...

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Roger A. Shrubber said:

gnats are really more of a nuisance than a real problem, unless you have a very bad infestation. the problem isn't the gnats themselves, but the larvae eating your roots. are there a lot of gnats?

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Roger A. Shrubber said:

i'm not sure i'd use h2o2 for gnat larvae. i guess it would work, but so would letting your soil dry out good once, then letting the top two inches get good and dry between waterings

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Roger A. Shrubber said:

yeah. not on a regular basis, but it'll kill the gnat larvae, and won't hurt it the plant as long as you don't let it stay that way more than a day. after that make sure at least the top two inches of the soil dry out between waterings and the gnats won't be able to lay eggs in it.

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avgrower said:

here is a pic of the gnats... seems that the problem may be fungus gnats compounded with my over watering..... So im testing a ACV bait trap.... with some potato peels for larvae identification... I am also angling the pot today and trying to dry out the top 1-1/2 inch of soil. After that this evening I am going to "wash" the soil with hydro peroxide water mix to kill larvae if found.....
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Roger A. Shrubber said:

i wouldn't have the fan blowing directly on the pot, your plant might get a little windburn. have it blow against the back wall and the backwash will be enough to help with drying the soil out without stressing your plant more.
and remember, thats a young plant, they can bounce back and become big shrubs, just have patience.

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avgrower said:

So, skipped the Hydro wash and went with the advice to let the soil dry out completely. Removed the pan under the plants container, and added a fan in open space to help dry out the surface soil quickly...

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