Living organic soil from start through recycling

[BlueJayWay]

The oasis cubes will keep the percentage of surviving seedlings higher since the tender yummy new taproots are easy game for hungry soil organisms.

Should've done this when my fungus gnat larvae (or something) were eating about half of my seedlings, the ones that didn't break the surface quick enough. Have you tried rapid rooters? Just asking because that's what I happen to have right now for taking cuttings , I like 'em for cuttings, probably the same as oasis cubes though, I have always used cubes, just recently started messin' with rapid rooters & the like. ***But for some reason never thought to start seed in either....***

 

[Funion]

Great thread!

 

[theJointedOne]

ty both for the great responses

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

Yes exactly, if a growers isnt accustomed to looking at his garden with a 30x+ (really 60X) scope or loupe, its is very hard to see these until youre a couple times through their growth cycle.


GS

So what do you think my chances are? Lol. The simplest recommendation I got was to spray with a solution of isopropanol and water - def didn't work (observed living mites on sample under microscope an hour later).

I got mint & rosemary + 8 drops lavender Doctor Bronners & 5 gallons h2o runnin thru my airlift brewer for spraying tomorrow.

EDIT: also cilantro in here, per CC's suggestion


Im open to all recommended solutions up-to and including 'heavy' solutions. On that note - anyone know if Judo is a systemic and/or how long it'll persist?

 

[GeorgeSmiley]

So what do you think my chances are? Lol. The simplest recommendation I got was to spray with a solution of isopropanol and water - def didn't work (observed living mites on sample under microscope an hour later).

I got mint & rosemary + 8 drops lavender Doctor Bronners & 5 gallons h2o runnin thru my airlift brewer for spraying tomorrow.

Im open to all recommended solutions up-to and including 'heavy' solutions. On that note - anyone know if Judo is a systemic and/or how long it'll persist?

Theres a natural organic orchard spray with sulfur and pyrethrins.... I recall it being organic but it may cont Piperonyl Butoxide which is not allowed in organic production but would be a first step alternative to other pesticides.

A couple of pesticides with various oils

GC Mite is cottonseed oil, clove oil, garlic oil. The product "MiteX" by bonide is this formulation in an RTU spray.

Ecotec, ecosmart, sporan, are rosemary, peppermint oils that are used in professional settings. There is sns 217 but haven't used that particular spray just their drench 203 for a diff purpose.

Another product Im interested in trying is Monterey all natural disease control. Its rosemary, clove oil, peppermint as well as bentonite, citus acid, dolomite, guar gum, kaolin clay, ascorbic acid sodium bicarbonate, yeast its meant for control of leaf bacterial diseases but with the oils and other ingredients I think it may have an effect on several levels. Im not currently dealing with any pests in any of the gardens but am always looking for that new new.

Judo is the exact same thing as forbid 4f. spiromesifen trans-laminar, not systemic but has persistence for about 30 days.
Pesticides are something I know quite a bit about, they run rampant through the oregon med community, but Im hesitant to go into all the wheres hows and whys of these types of pesticides in gascans thread about organic growing/methods. You can drop me a PM if you have further questions on that one.

HTH
GS


Ultimately, I think the key to getting rid of some of the more catastrophic pests we face is housekeeping/cleanliness of our spaces. This is very difficult especially for organic growers. And starting fresh on clones and not flowering until the problem is handled. The weapons and methods you have at your disposal is cut by 80% once you're flowering.

 

[shmalphy]

Never dealt with russet mites, never heard of them before actually.

I use neem in a rotation of lavender, mint, lemon basil, nettle, garlic, ginger, lacto B etc for spider mites. I heard somewhere that mites develop a resistance to any one thing so switching it up is important. If I get an outbreak I am not afraid to use more than one type per day.

When making botanical teas, remember the quality/potency of the starting material plays a big role. I have a variety of lavender that has almost no effect, but it also has almost no smell, and another that smells strong with a slight brush up against it that is extremely effective.

Also make the environment less inviting by making it cooler and/or more humid if possible. Mites LOVE hot dry spots. Keep them moist with frequent light misting.

I'd call this guy over to release 10,000 ladybugs into my house before I sprayed with any of those chemicals, but that is just me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-4PO0QLPUY&feature=relmfu

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

That's awesome - I wanted to start a ladybug business like that!

Russet mites (acculops cannabicola) are microscopic little douchebags from Serbia that seem to have evolved a plethora of resistances to standard controls. A lot of growers freak out because they'll eat glandular trichomes. Under 800x magnification they look like creepy teardrop shaped beetles with a mouth on the fat end - they cruise along the undersides of leaves rasping & sucking whatever they can.

But enough about my russet mites - lets get back to the regularly scheduled programming - sorry for the temp hijack, GC!

 

[shmalphy]

I found a ladybug on one of my plants today. I had to move the plant to get at one behind it and she flew away. I was hoping she would come back and about 20 minutes later, there she was in the same spot in the same leaf.

I have been searching for lacewings to bring home, they eat everything.

 

[Durdy]

Hello! A few quick questions.........

I want to give my plants a little cal/mag boost.

I Have some powdered dolomite lime

there is none in the original soil mix

my plants are mulched with straw, is it fine to top dress on top of the straw?

if so, how much lime should I use?

can the lime be mixed with water? then applied to the soil?

 

[chief bigsmoke]

if only you had Emilio...

 

[Microbeman]

Why does nobody believe me about rove beetles? Lady bugs are zero in comparison.

 

[Microbeman]

That's awesome - I wanted to start a ladybug business like that!

Russet mites (acculops cannabicola) are microscopic little douchebags from Serbia that seem to have evolved a plethora of resistances to standard controls. A lot of growers freak out because they'll eat glandular trichomes. Under 800x magnification they look like creepy teardrop shaped beetles with a mouth on the fat end - they cruise along the undersides of leaves rasping & sucking whatever they can.

But enough about my russet mites - lets get back to the regularly scheduled programming - sorry for the temp hijack, GC!

Are you sure you mean 800X magnification? That is more than I use to look at bacteria. If I used that to view a mite, I would only be looking at a tiny portion of his body.

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

Are you sure you mean 800X magnification? That is more than I use to look at bacteria. If I used that to view a mite, I would only be looking at a tiny portion of his body.

I can view em move at the same magnification as I viewed my soil samples with - 20x eyepiece, 40x objective.

This is what they look like at 60x:


At 800x, they look like monsters from some mid 90s PC game

EDIT: according to this paper: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0354-4664/2007/0354-46640701081P.pdf they max out at 210 micrometers long

 

[shmalphy]

Hello! A few quick questions.........

I want to give my plants a little cal/mag boost.

I Have some powdered dolomite lime

there is none in the original soil mix

my plants are mulched with straw, is it fine to top dress on top of the straw?

if so, how much lime should I use?

can the lime be mixed with water? then applied to the soil?

[ ] Durdy read the thread
[x] Durdy did not read the thread

 

[Illuminate]

whys the dude not holding the suicide pipe over his shoulder, aint gonna hit a barn door like that..lol..

 

[Toes.]

Why does nobody believe me about rove beetles? Lady bugs are zero in comparison.

I've got those in my indoor 3gal right now!... they were in the leaf compost I just mulched with.... Bonus!

 

[Durdy]

[ ] Durdy read the thread
[x] Durdy did not read the thread

guilty as charged, short on time these days, haven't had time to sit down and read the whole thing.

 

[shmalphy]

I thought rove beetles were for soil pests?

I have a terrible time identifying bugs so I stick with ladybugs. Even those have lookalikes that have had me fooled.

I had an idea this morning for determining which herbs to use when controlling new bug attacks. Make a mini terrarium with about a dozen different "mint family" plants for torture testing. Add a ton of infested leaves, and see what survives and make a tea out of that.

 

[shmalphy]

Durdy, read the whole thread, it will answer that question, and save you from being tarred and feathered here in the later pages

 

[Toes.]

I thought rove beetles were for soil pests?

I have a terrible time identifying bugs so I stick with ladybugs. Even those have lookalikes that have had me fooled.

I had an idea this morning for determining which herbs to use when controlling new bug attacks. Make a mini terrarium with about a dozen different "mint family" plants for torture testing. Add a ton of infested leaves, and see what survives and make a tea out of that.

good idea... shouldn't take long to figure out after the mints get established.