diamataceous earth ratio in soil

how much DE should i be mixing into a bale of promix? i plan on sprinkling the top layer of potted plants as a preventative measure but was wondering if it can be effective premixed to alleviate unneeded labor. any advice is appreciated, thanks.

it's good for your soil--it's got silica y put 'some' in-

Do you have a problem that DE is added for a reason? If you need silica add it. Protek or some other similar product. Do you hav gnats,mites ??

2-4 cups diatomaceous earth per cu ft

Your further off with a layer of perlite 1-2" thick. Spider mites and fungus gnats don't like to crawl through it. I've done the DE it seems you can't get the coverage like a layer of perlite covers. I started incapsulating my pots with a 1-2" bottom perlite layer, and a 1-2" top layer of perlite.

I want to add it as a preventative measure for root aphids. just got over a fungus gnat problem and don't want to deal with them again if I can help it. are there better preventative measures? I figure if I can just mix it in soil before potting and it takes care of soil pests it'd be great.

topfuel29 said:

Your further off with a layer of perlite 1-2" thick. Spider mites and fungus gnats don't like to crawl through it. I've done the DE it seems you can't get the coverage like a layer of perlite covers. I started incapsulating my pots with a 1-2" bottom perlite layer, and a 1-2" top layer of perlite.

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I was called an idiot in another thread for that very idea a few weeks ago. I knew I wasn't stupid it works and I like that route as well. I read same thing, the mites hate to crawl thru it to get to the plant and fungus gnats can't lay eggs in it as the surface is like jagged and shitty for them.

wow never heard of the perlite method. Cool.

Cory and trevor said:

I was called an idiot in another thread for that very idea a few weeks ago. I knew I wasn't stupid it works and I like that route as well. I read same thing, the mites hate to crawl thru it to get to the plant and fungus gnats can't lay eggs in it as the surface is like jagged and shitty for them.

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You were right. It works and has benefits of keeping moisture in your soil longer. And it looks professional with the white layer of perlite on top I ust to have problems with fungus gnats and spider mites. I got rid of the fungus gnats and the spider mites are almost gone. I got a few here and there.

I thought the powdered DE stopped working after it got wet? On pests.

Bigtacofarmer said:

I thought the powdered DE stopped working after it got wet? On pests.

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That's what I was thinking to. It seems to turn to a clay like material. I did have success applying it to the leaf of the plant. With a vacum cleaner on blow and a make shift plastic pop bottle to hold the DE. What a mess. But it did work for a while. I also tried Pyrethrin that works in the veg but in the flower I only spray my plants with cold water once a day top/bottom leaf. As a preventive measure.

I have never used de but I heard that it is fossilized shards that are very sharp and cut the bodies up of bugs with an exoskelitan. I heard that it still works after youve watered...idk from experience tho..

yeah that DE stuff is a nightmare to clean up, dust everywhere. I won't be using it again. Replaced yellow sticky cards and no adults caught on them after 8 hours so that's gotta be a good sign. I used mosquito dunks, nematodes and neem oil over the past few weeks and it seems to have finally curbed their population. I tried using gognats today but it seems much more suited for aerial spray or hydro rather than a soil add-in, it plummets the water's ph and by the time I get it back to where it needs to be the ppm is too high.

game plan is to start using perlite like someone suggested on the top and bottom of the potted soil and use a mosquito dunk once a month for added measure. I don't recommend using DE to anyone looking to get rid of fungus gnats since there are other more effective ways of dealing with thrips that are less messy and comparable cost.

I have no idea about the topic but this discussion helpful for me to understand this discussion and i decided to take part in this discussion.

This thread is kinda old, but if you're looking to amend your soil with anything you can use neem seed meal or karanja seed meal.

Mosquito dunks work good too.

stow, please elaborate on this.
thanks

i was thinking of doing a 1x a week neem spray as a preventitive. the only issues i have is the 1 or 2 small black flying buggers, that look like gnats. i have 3 black flag fly strip hangers in the tent, and it usually catches them.

DemonTrich said:

stow, please elaborate on this.
thanks

i was thinking of doing a 1x a week neem spray as a preventitive. the only issues i have is the 1 or 2 small black flying buggers, that look like gnats. i have 3 black flag fly strip hangers in the tent, and it usually catches them.

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You can buy mosquito dunks at any home improvement center. You can break them up and top dress your soil with them, then water them in to your soil. Essentially these dunks are beneficial bacteria that will kill fungus gnat larvae. See the link below.

The neem seed meal and karanja seed meal are more long term preventative measures. There is a component named azadirachtin in neem. Azadirachtin disturbs hormones that control the insects ability to reproduce, molt, mate, and feed. This as a stand alone will not eliminate soil dwelling pests, but it will keep populations down and it will improve your plants ability to perform it's normal functions in the presence of pests.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis_israelensis

thanks, much appreciated. i do thorough plant inspections daily for bugs and anything out of the ordinary. and i am very meticulous about who and what i wear when going in my basement grow. preventitive measures to help avoid any bug issues. im trying to avoid anything that will upset my soil balance. i amended some great white mycorrihzae(sp), and dont want anything to attack them.