New Grower Gorilla Glue Autos in a 4x4 tent. New grower. Advice welcomed.

[CCNUGZ]

How often would it be okay to soil dress with neem oil? Originally I was planning on only doing it once a week to prevent pests, but since i already have a small infestation should I do it more often?
I also have some Diatomaceous Earth I was going to add to the soil in between the days i dont add neem oil. I believe i read that its okay to add to the soil.



Haha happy holidays hairy! Thanks for the tip hairy. I’m just being a worry bug lol.



Gotta pick that book up.. “The art of LITFA”

Urgh!!! I hate knats. I was never able to get the little buggers under control. I've dont two soil grows and they ruined it both times. This is one of the reasons I prefer dwc

 

[ItzSticky]

Urgh!!! I hate knats. I was never able to get the little buggers under control. I've dont two soil grows and they ruined it both times. This is one of the reasons I prefer dwc

dwc? Sorry im still very nooby lol.

 

[CCNUGZ]

dwc? Sorry im still very nooby lol.

Dwc = direct water culture.
Its a form of hydroponics, where the roots are permanently in a solution of nutrients and and air stone to keep the solution oxygenated.

I find it can make bigger plants, if done correctly. Also in a sense it can leave less to human error. I.e. I dont have to water them and potentially run into issues there.

Its a bit more expensive initially but imo it pays off. I also love getting geeky with it all

 

[CCNUGZ]

My tent looks a bit like a spaceship

 

[ItzSticky]

Dwc = direct water culture.
Its a form of hydroponics, where the roots are permanently in a solution of nutrients and and air stone to keep the solution oxygenated.

I find it can make bigger plants, if done correctly. Also in a sense it can leave less to human error. I.e. I dont have to water them and potentially run into issues there.

Its a bit more expensive initially but imo it pays off. I also love getting geeky with it all

Sounds interesting.
Im having fun with soil right now.
Might look into dws when i have acouple more grows under my belt.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Don't use Neem oil. It is systemic and will be in your meds. Mosquito dunks or nematodes is a better organic approach.

Over watering is the attraction for fungus gnats. What you need to learn about watering will come with practice. Here are the basic rules: Never let the soil dry out. Soil and or coco can become hydrophobic if allowed to dry. This means it repels water. This in turn will create dry pockets in the soil and the roots and microbes will die there. If your soil - coco have accidentally dried out use a surfactant to help re-wet it. I like yucca powder. Don't let soil remain soggy by watering too much too often. Root rot, damping off, molds, fungus gnats and other problems start in soggy soil. When you do water water the entire pot. How to learn when to water starts before you plant the seed. Fill your container with fresh soil/coco and weigh it (heft it) this is the lightest weight and consider it a dry pot. Now slowly water until the soil/coco will no longer absorb the water and run-off begins; weigh the pot (heft it) this is the maximum water, the wettest the pot can get. The difference between wettest and driest is the maximum water weight, for ease of explanation lets just say the water weighs 20 pounds. When the pot loses 10 pounds (half of the water weight) it is time to water again. There is an art to watering.

 

[ItzSticky]

View attachment 1400294

My tent looks a bit like a spaceship
View attachment 1400295

That looks like some fun lol.

 

[ItzSticky]

Don't use Neem oil. It is systemic and will be in your meds. Mosquito dunks or nematodes is a better organic approach.

Over watering is the attraction for fungus gnats. What you need to learn about watering will come with practice. Here are the basic rules: Never let the soil dry out. Soil and or coco can become hydrophobic if allowed to dry. This means it repels water. This in turn will create dry pockets in the soil and the roots and microbes will die there. If your soil - coco have accidentally dried out use a surfactant to help re-wet it. I like yucca powder. Don't let soil remain soggy by watering too much too often. Root rot, damping off, molds, fungus gnats and other problems start in soggy soil. When you do water water the entire pot. How to learn when to water starts before you plant the seed. Fill your container with fresh soil/coco and weigh it (heft it) this is the lightest weight and consider it a dry pot. Now slowly water until the soil/coco will no longer absorb the water and run-off begins; weigh the pot (heft it) this is the maximum water, the wettest the pot can get. The difference between wettest and driest is the maximum water weight, for ease of explanation lets just say the water weighs 20 pounds. When the pot loses 10 pounds (half of the water weight) it is time to water again. There is an art to watering.

Thanks you! Very helpful since ive been making the mistake of leaving the pot of soil in the tent even though the seeds didnt pop above soil, then i would use the same pot for the next seed that i germinated.

So Yucca powder will probably be needed.

The only plant im noticing gnats is the one i forgot to water before placing the seed. Ive been misting it with water up until about last week.

Do you ever add Yucca powder when watering just to reap the benefits of it? Sounds pretty helpful.

“ a natural way to greatly increase your plant’s water intake abilities, thus providing much greater drought tolerance. It also is terrific for improving your dry soils ability to retain moisture, preventing the ‘channels’ that sometime develop in soils and cause the majority of water to run off or through your soils”

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Thanks you! Very helpful since ive been making the mistake of leaving the pot of soil in the tent even though the seeds didnt pop above soil, then i would use the same pot for the next seed that i germinated.

So Yucca powder will probably be needed.

The only plant im noticing gnats is the one i forgot to water before placing the seed. Ive been misting it with water up until about last week.

Do you ever add Yucca powder when watering just to reap the benefits of it? Sounds pretty helpful.

“ a natural way to greatly increase your plant’s water intake abilities, thus providing much greater drought tolerance. It also is terrific for improving your dry soils ability to retain moisture, preventing the ‘channels’ that sometime develop in soils and cause the majority of water to run off or through your soils”

Yes, I use it weekly.

 

[ItzSticky]

I would just mix the mosquito dunks with water?

Just about all my pots have gnats now. Sigh.