Soil

[nastyhr]

does putting a layer of hydroton rocks on top of you soil work to make it so you have no bugs so they cant lay their eggs..???

i don't know if its true thats what i heard. because its my first time with soil and i didn't sterilize it and i really don't want bugs..its a indoor grow by the way.

and does it really matter much if you don't sterilize your soil first? (and i wanna hear different opinions on this subject because i have no clue)

and what are the most common bugs to pop outta soil? thanks guys!! and sorry if these are stupid questions!

all underlined sentences are my questions haha
thanks again!

 

[Waggs]

what kinda soil? I made a mistake of using some miracle grow mixed with some dirt from the cornfield outside.. and that ended up with some bugs in it.. I wont try to be cheap again lol. I was making a cheap mix for some catnip plants to save my fox farms soil.

 

[nastyhr]

im using foxfarm soil.. its the ocean forest one

i used 70 percent foxfarm soil and 30 percent perlite

 

[T.H.Cammo]

does putting a layer of hydroton rocks on top of you soil work to make it so you have no bugs so they cant lay their eggs..???

How would Hydroton do that - "Magic"? Hydroton balls wont do anything except give the bugs a place to hide!

 

[nastyhr]

like i said. i dont anything its just what i heard. people say it helps because some bugs lay their eggs on the surface. i just wanna hear opinions.. but back to sterilizing does it matter if you dont.. does everyone when they grow indoor??

 

[Waggs]

I use my ocean forest and perlite right out of the bag. Not sure what the point would be in trying to sterilize it. That would ruin the stuff.

 

[jakeman311]

fox farm most definitely comes with fungus gnats and they are probably the most common indoors for soil followed by the dreaded spider mite...yikes. ive never tried the layer of hydroton but i do know they thrive in wet soil conditions

 

[nastyhr]

yes. i;ve also heard this, someone told me that it would waste your soil if you sterilize it.. so is this true? and why?

I use my ocean forest and perlite right out of the bag. Not sure what the point would be in trying to sterilize it. That would ruin the stuff.

so is there other ways to prevent these fungus gnats and spider mites? besides having good air? thanks again guys

fox farm most definitely comes with fungus gnats and they are probably the most common indoors for soil followed by the dreaded spider mite...yikes. ive never tried the layer of hydroton but i do know they thrive in wet soil conditions

 

[jahjah kush]

you could try baking the soil however that woul ruin the nutrients you know what you should do???? get one of those vaporizer light things and kill the bugs that way!!!

 

[nastyhr]

vaporizer lights? hmm imma look it up.. thanks!

 

[nastyhr]

i also just found this... "Drench the soil with a solution of pyrethrin, an organic pesticide made from chrysanthemums." does that sound familiar to anyone? or has anyone tried anything similar? and also it doesnt effect the plant does it?

 

[nastyhr]

does putting a layer of hydroton rocks on top of you soil work to make it so you have no bugs so they cant lay their eggs..???


and does it really matter much if you don't sterilize your soil first? (and i wanna hear different opinions on this subject because i have no clue)

and what are the most common bugs to pop outta soil?

questions from the first page haha..

 

[nastyhr]

any more opinions?

 

[jakeman311]

You can kill off the fungus gnats by watering beneficial nematodes into your soil, they can order them for you at the hydro store they are basically a parasite for parasites and they work wonders as long as you use them right.
http://www.naturescontrol.com/controls.html
As for spider mites they are they WORST and it will most likely be a life longer battle for your plants once they are spotted and once you think there gone they will pop up again... they are never gone spray spray and spray again even if you dont see them and use different product every time you spray too (insect killing soap, neem oil, etc)

 

[dura72]

using a sulfur burner or sulfur candle can kill bugs.

 

[Louie El MarIwanoo]

I have not heard of using of layer of hydroton, but I know that adding about an inch of sand on top of your soil will prevent adult gnats from entering and stops their larva from growing. Leave it till you see that those bastards are gone. You can get some play sand at home depot or any store like that. Hope this helps. Happy growing

 

[jakeman311]

Oh I just want to add if you use sand for your plants make sure its not beach sand its way to salty. Builders sand.