TopDress + Blumat?

[chico1st]

So I have a blumat system and I top dress my plants primarily.

Does topdressing work with bluemat based plants? In my head it does since the roots come up to the top of the soil thus eating the topdressing, but I'm not sure I'm doing something sane. Maybe topdressing only works with handwatering -_- and I thought it was worth asking.

Many thanks!

 

[kratos015]

With Blumats or SIP grows, top dressing will work just fine. The water will still make contact with the top dress, and will eventually decompose.

In fact, the top dresses will be more effective with SIPs/Blumats because you aren't losing whatever water soluble nutrients in the top dress via runoff.

When I had SIPs indoors, I top dressed as normal, and just took a sprayer and gave the top dress a quick spray. Done deal

 

[Richard Drysift]

One thing about top dressing w/blumats is whatever fertilizers you decide on usually attracts gnats. Not really a big deal as they are fairly easy to control with something like a straw mulch, a sprinkle of DE, and sticky traps. Blumats tend to keep the top layer of soil wetter than it normally would be if hand watering which can attract gnats, been through the wringer on this myself. Considered adding mosquito dunks to the reservoir but never actually tried it because DE and sticky traps work so well. Not sure how safe for organics the active ingredient BT in the dunks are. Maybe some one who has tried this will weigh in…

 

[m4s73r]

Alternatively you could also buy some nematodes and water them in. Add in some kashi to really get that soil biology alive and you shouldnt have any gnats. They should be consumed by the nematodes at the larva stage. But in the beginning before all that soil biology is up and kicking hard I have used Gnatrol before. Avoid the dunks.
I actually just make a gnat trap out of a small glass of warm water, a tablespoon of sugar, splash of apple cider vinegar, and 2 drops of dawn dish soap. Give a light stir and put it in the room. top up with warm water every couple of days. It keeps them under control while your soil bio-life ramps up. Then one day they're just gone. Keep your soil covered with plastic or grow cover crop. Do NOT let organic soil dry out. ESPECIALLY peat based soil-less mixes. Peat goes hydrophobic and you will end up with dry spots if you dont water with a whetting agent.

I wont comment on blumats. You already have them. I wish you my sincerest luck on them. Keep a sharp eye on them and don't make a reservoir bigger than 5 gallons.

 

[JustBlazin]

One thing about top dressing w/blumats is whatever fertilizers you decide on usually attracts gnats. Not really a big deal as they are fairly easy to control with something like a straw mulch, a sprinkle of DE, and sticky traps. Blumats tend to keep the top layer of soil wetter than it normally would be if hand watering which can attract gnats, been through the wringer on this myself. Considered adding mosquito dunks to the reservoir but never actually tried it because DE and sticky traps work so well. Not sure how safe for organics the active ingredient BT in the dunks are. Maybe some one who has tried this will weigh in…

Hey dick I used aquabac to get rid of my gnats, whenever I top dress I sprinkle it on my top dress and haven't had any gnats since. Might see 1 every week or 2 but that's it.
I used to use the dunks before I got my blumats but they did not eradicate them, just kind of kept them at bay.
I tried lots of stuff to get rid of them but the only thing that worked for me was aquabac. I also recycle my soil and just finished my third go with this soil(2nd gnat free) not sure if that has anything to do with the gnats being gone or not.

 

[myke]

Friggen gnats!

 

[m4s73r]

You know I was reading about what the guy over at RedbudSoil does. He keeps rove beetles. Keeps them in a tupperware container with some oatmeal. I have been considering looking into this. Looks easy.