Soil question please

[flyawayclyde]

So I have some organic soil, that is infested with fungi gnats. I just laid out a 10x10 heavy tarp and laid out 3 large bags of this on it
It is about 2" deep, and I live in south Texas, to bake in the sun, and boy is it hot down here this time of year. So about how many days will it take to kill these pests?

I also know that doing this will sterilize the soil pretty good.
What will I need to do too bring the soil back to life after I have killed it?

Flyaway

 

[Southernontariogrower]

So I have some organic soil, that is infested with fungi gnats. I just laid out a 10x10 heavy tarp and laid out 3 large bags of this on it
It is about 2" deep, and I live in south Texas, to bake in the sun, and boy is it hot down here this time of year. So about how many days will it take to kill these pests?

I also know that doing this will sterilize the soil pretty good.
What will I need to do too bring the soil back to life after I have killed it?

Flyaway

Microbials. And food for them to get foothold.

 

[flyawayclyde]

Microbials. And food for them to get foothold.

So like some EWCs and molasses?

 

[Southernontariogrower]

That sounds good to me! If in peat with lime you only need copper to round out.

 

[flyawayclyde]

That sounds good to me! If in peat with lime you only need copper to round out.

What do you mean "if in peat with lime"
Do you mean to add some peat and lime back in to the soil to round it out?

 

[Southernontariogrower]

What do you mean "if in peat with lime"
Do you mean to add some peat and lime back in to the soil to round it out?

No 3 quarters peat 1 quarter wc, plus lime and mollasses, the cu missing! Sorry if l wasnt clear, Promix works.

 

[bam0813]

Why not pot it up,treat and go. I dont think sun baking soil will work plus your soil is outside so how you stopping the adults from laying more eggs

 

[bam0813]

They like heat,not cold

 

[mudballs]

its called solarization. whats really at play here is raising the temperature of the soil above 140degreees for a sustained time. hotter kills more biology. Just doing the tarp wont do anything unless temps get higher under the tarp.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

It's just fungus gnats. If you keep your soil at the proper moisture level, their populations will dwindle. Are you doing a living soil, or recycled?

 

[bam0813]

So if it happens to rain one night are you back to square 1?

 

[bam0813]

Still not sure why you would want to " sterilize" organic soil.

 

[mudballs]

Still not sure why you would want to " sterilize" organic soil.

i do it whenever i bring soil inside the house....then i add myco again...it's a good way to know exactly whats in your soil, even if youre doing organic methods a clean slate is great methodology.

 

[Hollatchaboy]

A good ipm keeps bugs at bay without sterilization, but to each his own.

 

[bam0813]

I get that , i know the method, i got a friend who used to put soil in his oven lol. Its hust to me organic and sterile are opposite ends of the scale. Is it just to save cash buying soil? I get that too. Just seems like easier ways to kill fungas gnats than to strip my soil to zero

 

[Hollatchaboy]

In living soil, you want a few of everything. Let nature sort it out. Lol

 

[flyawayclyde]

To all
Thank you for the information here. My wife said to dry out the soil and the gnats & larva would be gone.
the soil is not under the tarp, it is laying on top of it to be directly sun-baked.
No I am not doing an "Organic Grow" but I did get this soil because it seemed to have a better composition than most of anything else my local nursery store.
I am currently waiting on some of the "yellow sticky traps" {they will be here Monday} so I am doing the treat and go method as suggested, and I have applied Diemetcumis earth to my current pots in the tent. My drying the soil is so I can have new soil later for after this grow is over. So I have time to bring the new soil back to life for later, without the pests coming into my tent.