Can i use molasses 4weeks into flowering

Cap'n Jack

Member
dont be alarmed by possible onset presence of gnats.
Pick up some nematodes at home depot and treat your plants.
They eat the pesky gnat larvae.

A pre-emtive strike will help keep gnats from moving in for 4-6 weeks.

I also leave ant bait traps on the floor of my area in case ants that are attracted to sugar find a way in.
The bait traps are factory filled with boric adic and sugar, or something. They take it back to the colony and poison their buddies.
 

Cap'n Jack

Member
hmmm thats not a bad idea I guess. I've got coco going right now, and i've got them full on.
The Gnats themselves are nothing but a nuisance... But the larva (babies) eat your roots.
I also add a 1/4inch layer of washed sand to the top of my soil. It dries out quickly after watering and the gnats have a hard time finding a spot to lay their eggs. The eggs and larva need moist soil or decaying biomass to live, so thats where the gnats lay eggs.
 

Cap'n Jack

Member
Rinse the hell out of it and any sand should do. I use pool filter sand because its cheep and inert. It wont F with PH and whatnot.
 

baaamalaaam

Well-Known Member
It doesn't necessarily need to say blackstrap. The important thing is that it's unsulphered. Just look for that.
Good luck, have fun!
 

buraka415

Active Member
i havent gotten the beach sand yet. it wont seep down into the medium and effect drainage though? how much does that pool filter sand cost?

i was also trying to think of the best way to wash this sand, and then dry it.. without it taking forever. I have a big old gnarly 4x8 plywood.. guess i could lay it out on that? and dry outside?
 

Cap'n Jack

Member
Been AWOL for a bit...

I use a pillowcase in a bucket. Holes in the bucket.

Pool filter sand is cheep. Anywhere that sells pool stuff has it. (Walmart, Lowes, Home De Pot.)
 

Nullis

Moderator
Grandma's is NOT BLACKSTRAP... it is like 2nd molasses or some kind of blend. Blackstrap molasses is thicker, darker, and less sweet- it has a more bitter taste. It is less commonly used for baking and may be found in the "Natural Foods" section of supermarkets, or at health food stores. Common brands are Plantations Blackstrap and Brer Rabbit.

Blackstrap is the FINAL by-product of sugar refining (from sugar cane or beets); it is what remains after the 3rd round of extraction (by boiling), where just about as much sucrose as possible has been removed from the material. Although it does still contain some carbohydrates: primarily sucrose, fructose, glucose, and raffinose (in beet molasess). It has a much higher potassium and mineral (iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium) content than a 1st or 2nd molasses like Grandmas.

Plant roots themselves have only been demonstrated to be able to take up very minor amounts of exogenous sugars like glucose and sucrose (they exude these compounds). It will be utilized by soil biota, where present.


Oh yea... Fungus Gnats. I never liked putting anything like sand on top of the soil, it can water in and get messy. If you use the wrong kind of sand you can end up clogging your medium up. Soil has to be able to breathe.

Go to the hardware store and look for Mosquito Bits, where the fly strips and pest products are. If they don't have the bits, just get the Mosquito Dunks. The actual product is called Bacillus thuringiensis israeli, along with it's associated toxin. It is a species of Bacillus (bacteria that form Endospores) which produces a toxin that only kills a small number of insect larva, including mosquito, fungus gnat and black-fly.

Bits are more convenient to use, Dunks you should break up and soak for about 12 hours in a gallon of water (half dunk is fine). Adults should be vacuumed up periodically if possible, get sticky stakes or hanging fly traps.
 

Cap'n Jack

Member
Sand adds drainage when it settles in. So no clogging there.

Like I said, pool filter sand for the most inert stuff and playsand if you wash it. Anything else might bring salts or pH issues to the party.
 
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