I am not at all pleased with the beginning of this grow!
There is only one that is within my expectations, based on past performance. I have a close second. The others.............NOT SO MUCH!
The only difference.....................FUNGUS GNAT infestation from the Oly compost. The timing crap bit me in the ass!
I set up my Earthboxes and let them sit idle for a period. This is to get everything 'cooking' and getting all the
GOOD helpers thriving.
Timing..........I didn't see ANY gnats until the day I dropped beans in water.......only a handful.
Dem bitches hadda fuggin
HATCH!
The first up girls have done the best. They got their root structure established first. The larval gnats had to have had an impact on the root system. The very last one up is severely stunted!
Irony...........If I had planted two days earlier, ALL would have had well established root systems by the time of the gnat bomb went off! Dammit!
I'll treat again today with BTI to keep up the pressure. Hopefully the nematodes are getting well established.
Good news!
The other day I mixed up a little sumtin' sumtin' to see if I can do something to help.
Dash of Humic acid.......just enough to lightly color the water as the first step.
Powdered coconut milk
Quality Aminos...... light dose
Recharge
A touch of Medina Horticulture Molasses........feed microbes
Wettable mycos.......I forgot what brand and too sore to go look!
A touch of surfactant, but not really needed with the aminos and coconut milk. I add it to all my top waterings on EBs
The water was 94*F......shooting for anything over 90
Bubbled for an hour.
I slowly gave them all the same amount. I had a little left over, so I diluted it a little and gave all the Jrs about 10 oz in the Rez. This will help the roots find the wicking areas a little sooner, I think. Not really worried about over saturation. The other media will adjust it. ........within reason.
All have shown a marked improvement!
The two oldest are praying this morning!
Lesson learned!
Isolate new compost in tote. Add a little food.......chicken laying crumble.... lightly wet with light dose molasses water and sprinkle on bokashi. Cover and let cook! You should know something in 10 days or so.
Growin my own worms is gonna be a must for me. Best source for life in an Earthbox!
The unplanted Jr will not be planted with signs of gnats. Gonna hit it today also and give it fresh rat glue traps, so I can gage any infestation. Pretty sure it's still gonna be a photo. It will be a test of how and when I'm doing the second top dressings and if I need to hit photos harder with the organic nutes.
Honestly, I don't think there will be any difference in the demand
RATE based on equal size.
I think the EB makes it equally available or either auto or photo..........with each getting the same DLI during the flowering period.