bugs

I used potting soil but also used some compost and garden soil from outside to mix hoping it would give my soil some of the beneficial organism activity that things like ancient forest humus has. Now I check and I see I have these tiny little bugs walking on the surface. What should I do? Could the bugs just be harmless? Should I buy some diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it on the top layer of the soil? Thanks

Neem oil is a great all around product that should be part of every growers toolbox...g/l

Neem oil is a great start, like Walter said. DE is also a very valid choice like you said. If both of those don't produce the results you're looking for, try Ed Rosenthal's Zero Tolerance. If none of that works...you could try gassing them with CO2, but you'd have to raise the ppm's up above 10,000 for a 24-36 hour period. Bugs need oxygen, you can kill them with CO2 and your plants won't have any negative affects. The CO2 gassing is pretty extreme.

Next time, don't grow inside without side soil. Never a great idea.

Bugs in the soil? Start with a little h20 (about a half cup 3%) to a gallon of water will not only kill most living things and their eggs in the soil, but plants like an occasional H@0 dose as it helps oxygenate down in the roots and it causes the plant to uptake nutrients quicker for a time.

Many Farmers use H20 treatments on their crops as part of their maintenance.. don't do it all the time, just if you NEED to.

(oh.. ya.. when you water the plant it will foam.. it will also lift your soil and fill it full or air bubbles so your soil will dry out quicker that first time after you do it, so just keep an eye on her drying quicker)

Dipsomaniac420 said:

Neem oil is a great start, like Walter said. DE is also a very valid choice like you said. If both of those don't produce the results you're looking for, try Ed Rosenthal's Zero Tolerance. If none of that works...you could try gassing them with CO2, but you'd have to raise the ppm's up above 10,000 for a 24-36 hour period. Bugs need oxygen, you can kill them with CO2 and your plants won't have any negative affects. The CO2 gassing is pretty extreme.

Next time, don't grow inside without side soil. Never a great idea.

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Isn't all soil from outside....

medicineforpatients said:

I used potting soil but also used some compost and garden soil from outside to mix hoping it would give my soil some of the beneficial organism activity that things like ancient forest humus has. Now I check and I see I have these tiny little bugs walking on the surface. What should I do? Could the bugs just be harmless? Should I buy some diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it on the top layer of the soil? Thanks

Click to expand...

Do they look like fruit fly's? Fungus gnats tend to hang out on the surface of your soil. where ever it's wet.
They lay there eggs in the soil. the eggs become maggots that eat organic material, sometimes your root system.
The Diatomaceouse earth will work, Or a layer of perlite 1-2" thick.
You can buy nematodes that eat those other bugs in your soil.
If your going to use your own compost you might want to add the nematodes right to the compost pile.

These soil factories that sell commercially have the same problems as you have from time to time. I know people who have bought soil with fungus gnat maggots in it.