So who here is growing in true organic living soil?

NNasty- Cool that you bought that. I have 2 now... There are some specific Chapin nozzles you might want to check out. Lemme know if you're interested and Ill post info.

MadH- So you suppose the crispiness of your top dressing helps? That's the physical aspect you feel helped? Thanks for sharing that. We should ship you a pallet of goodies

Yes, I think it is the super-dry nature of the top layer that helped most. A friend of mine doesn't even use BTi, he simply allows the top 2 inches (approximately, bit stoned to stop thinking metric ) of soil to go dry to break their life cycle. He manages to rid himself of gnats by toeing that line for a week or what. So I hope that two and two came together in the right way in my head here. All I know is we have SWARMS of them outside after all this late rain. Very weird for over here. So for there to be so few around these plants is truly amazing.
Then again, I also started putting the BTi in my soil cooks on your recommendation, so I might get flyers, but their larvae don't stand a chance any longer I don't think. But the flyers are annoying, sticking to the bud and so.

Mad Hamish said:

Yes, I think it is the super-dry nature of the top layer that helped most. A friend of mine doesn't even use BTi, he simply allows the top 2 inches (approximately, bit stoned to stop thinking metric ) of soil to go dry to break their life cycle. He manages to rid himself of gnats by toeing that line for a week or what. So I hope that two and two came together in the right way in my head here. All I know is we have SWARMS of them outside after all this late rain. Very weird for over here. So for there to be so few around these plants is truly amazing.
Then again, I also started putting the BTi in my soil cooks on your recommendation, so I might get flyers, but their larvae don't stand a chance any longer I don't think. But the flyers are annoying, sticking to the bud and so.

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Do you have access to sticky traps in SA? They work very well on the adult fungus gnats. If not we'll include some in the pallet of goodies that Rrog is sending your way.

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/92538/GROW-HGSLWFT.html?utm_source=SmartFeedGoogleBase&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_term=GROW-HGSLWFT&utm_content=Sticky+Traps&utm_campaign=SmartFeedGoogleBaseShopping&gclid=CJ2W_rzU1boCFSgSMwodkkUAtg

feel proud about that hamish, not everyones buds are sticky enough to trap gnats. when i had em bad it seems they only stuck to the most sticky trich covered buds.

st0wandgrow said:

Do you have access to sticky traps in SA? They work very well on the adult fungus gnats. If not we'll include some in the pallet of goodies that Rrog is sending your way.

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product/92538/GROW-HGSLWFT.html?utm_source=SmartFeedGoogleBase&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_term=GROW-HGSLWFT&utm_content=Sticky+Traps&utm_campaign=SmartFeedGoogleBaseShopping&gclid=CJ2W_rzU1boCFSgSMwodkkUAtg

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Indeed we do get them here, not the nice flat ones though, long strips. They work pretty well, until they get stuck to your head, and then your sleeve as you pull them out your hair, and then the garbage bag as you put it in, and then both your hand and the garbage bag as you try to remove your hands out the bag, then the floor and of course a small amount of time stuck to your pants (usually with a bit of rotten onion stuck to it. WHY always ONION?!). Then the fun part where they get stuck to your wife's hands as she comes to help just before you figure out how to grab it with the rotten onion and sandwich it with a fresh paper bag.

True story, that, ROFL...

My room is FULL of the strips of sticky traps right now. I figured out a way to place them wherever I want by using small drip-trays or saucers. I really don't like gnats.

HGK... These DB ladies are by far the most trich covered plants I have ever grown. I can't help myself, kinda like a proud parent, so I am going to bore you with another pic. I can't believe the mug shop is actually still holding on to stock of this. I could only find one other grow of it. She is the Queen of sativas IMO. Well, the smoke test will tell, but far as growing goes, the most enjoyable plant I have ever had, all ten of them.

Wow! Funny story, too. Maybe I'll put a chair on the pallet and come along for the ocean ride

anyone know how to prevent PM.... i am using organics mix..

i just cut and thru away 5 plants.. and two left but i been treating an treating just keeps coming back.. only in my flowering room.. 30-50% humidity, and temps 75-80.

plus i had to harvest early 5 plants... Im tearing it all apart today bleacing and cleaning and then see what happens i guess.

This is after-harvest prevention or while still growing?

Out in the Pacific NW, they'll use regular spraying with items like Peppermint, Cilantro, Silica, etc. Coot (Washington State) says he hasn't seen a spec of this in 2 years since he started with the spraying. I assume you're drying now, though?

I have it on my plants flowering right now. no ganja drying all was harvested weeks ago and mostly bad.

Just trying to prevent it from coming back into my grow room. I have two plants in there that was not real bad so i bad treating them with skim milk, and edible fish oil.. (organcide).

i got some nice GRAND DADDY purps vegging in my veg room, and i do not want to put them in flower and then get PM ALL over them... makes me nervous spraying when there budding dont want to get mold or bud rot..


do i have to spray them down every 1-2 times a week. for prevention?? cause that would blow nuts lol.. just sayig.. but my first grow i didnt get any pm and temps and humidty was higher.. So i didnt know maybe if it had came from my soil i have mixed up outside in my garbage can.. . either bringing spores in... but my plants in bveg dont have it... or maybe the soil is to rich and creates it?? then again my plants in veg dont have it.. but it only shows up in flowering...

Some strains are more resistant. Also, getting the plant's natural immune response is key also, and that requires a good soil / plant / microbe relationship. If that's in good shape, the plant's natural immune response will be "on" and ready when the nasties show up.

So the process starts a lot earlier, as it's hard / bad to spray the flowers now. Is a dehumidifier a bad idea? This is indoors, obviously, right? LOL

OK a little update on my mineralization research. Just a refresher, mineral in the soil = nutrients for the plants and anything eating the plants. A plant can grow in under-mineralized soil, but won't be as nutritious. So we need to remineralize the soil. Any soil.

I like to buy local, and there's just no one making rock powders as a product in Michigan. That's not cool, so I looked around and lo-and-behold, a simple machine can be made / bought to crush rock to a powder. A handy guy could build for $500 and make a lotta rock powders. Can be done in Michigan with Michigan stone. Nice fine powder you just add to soil. Microbes and soil acids take care of putting it to use.

Yet ANOTHER business that should be done here in Michigan. Shitsake there are opportunities for some income here if anyone's interested. Biochar, predatory critters like nematodes, Horsetail harvesting (for Silica) and a bunch of other bio-accumulative plants, etc. Someone could do this, sell it, make more, etc.

Reklaw said:

anyone know how to prevent PM.... i am using organics mix..

i just cut and thru away 5 plants.. and two left but i been treating an treating just keeps coming back.. only in my flowering room.. 30-50% humidity, and temps 75-80.

plus i had to harvest early 5 plants... Im tearing it all apart today bleacing and cleaning and then see what happens i guess.

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According to what I understand about the phyllosphere from reading Teaming With Microbes, PM is a fast colonizing bad microbe. Regular foliars with ACT and anaerobic BIMs should establish strong and healthy phyllosphere conditions wherein PM won't stand a chance. I have made it part of my IPM program. Guess time will tell... I have used Lacto B to beat down rust and mould on an indoor palm that was suffering pretty badly so I am quite sold on it myself.

No advocating ACT on my little thread...

EDIT: forgot the smilie

Small note but I used to have a link to Teaming With Microbes in my sig. A cool message indeed.

But a more important message is Keep It Local. I think this is a very important message. If I buy food, I'd like it to be from a small farmer down the road that I know. And if I need growing supplies, I'd like to get it from a brother here in Michigan. If a group of us needs a product or a service then we should see if one of us wants to provide this before we look outside the community or country.

I think that's an important perspective. We all row easier if we row together.

Rrog said:

Small note but I used to have a link to Teaming With Microbes in my sig. A cool message indeed.

But a more important message is Keep It Local. I think this is a very important message. If I buy food, I'd like it to be from a small farmer down the road that I know. And if I need growing supplies, I'd like to get it from a brother here in Michigan. If a group of us needs a product or a service then we should see if one of us wants to provide this before we look outside the community or country.

I think that's an important perspective. We all row easier if we row together.

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I am starting to think the same way. I can pick up bio-char from my supermarket Not only that, but I can get 3 different kinds each with it's own unique NPK values ... I just discovered a great mulch you can ONLY get in South Africa, made out of Rooibos Tea. So I am getting over what I can't find, accepting where we as South Africans stand, and making the best out of it, plugging into the local markets and helping them grow with my support. I can get Kelp extract harvested from Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated) and I can buy mushroom compost by the bag full for what would amount to a dollar. I can't get feather-meal, but I can choose from a few incredibly well-composted chicken manure based fertilizers. Even a slow release one, that works by being compressed into HARD pellets so they dissolve very slowly. And once I have my soil mixes dialled in the way I want, I am going commercial with them. Fully ready to join in the fray.

Good one Rrog. Like we say in S.A, Local Is Lekka.

I'm glad you find resonance with that MadH. There are so many people everywhere that could be put to work. Small local business helps. I would pay more and wait longer because it's important.

I feel bad for Chinese and their corporate masters, I really do. But I'm going to choose to focus on Michigan people. Keeping it local gives us all a chance to make a more meaningful difference.

I agree. Local is the way to go. Now that I am understanding things much better I can easily source things. I am going to hit up all the organic markets and fairs next spring and summer. Way to set the example for us to follow Rrog. You are making a difference.

Hamish.....I am betting you find everything you need and more as time moves along. I am really excited for you. I really love the business idea.

Rrog said:

I'm glad you find resonance with that MadH. There are so many people everywhere that could be put to work. Small local business helps. I would pay more and wait longer because it's important.

I feel bad for Chinese and their corporate masters, I really do. But I'm going to choose to focus on Michigan people. Keeping it local gives us all a chance to make a more meaningful difference.

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don't feel bad for these fuckin assholes rrog, i mean..... ya don't fucking feel bad lol. check this out.

http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/chinese-pharmaceutical-factory-looks-more-like-the-palace-of-versailles.html

HGK420 said:

don't feel bad for these fuckin assholes rrog, i mean..... ya don't fucking feel bad lol. check this out.

http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/chinese-pharmaceutical-factory-looks-more-like-the-palace-of-versailles.html

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I try my best to not judge. I just want them to FREE TIBET! A cause I am pretty passionate about. And I do prefer my goods to not fall apart after a few weeks.