Happy End of Week 1 Everybody,
I had a few hiccups with the initial transition from seed to seedling this week. When the seeds were transplanted to the Earthboxes, the grow tent light was set to 18 inches above the soil level. I think the light was set too high because the seeds all stretched toward the center of the light. The seeds are all planted at the back of the Earthboxes which probably worsened the stretch. To correct this I lowered the light to ~ 8inches above the soil and covered the seedling with a bigger cloche. Together, the combined effect increased the air temp around the seedlings to 75-80 degrees when the lights were on. At the end of the week I drenched the soil with a mix of mychorrizal and microbial ingredients. My biggest concern at this point is that the of the seedlings being so close to the back wall may limit the plant grow once they get bigger.
I'm running the Kind grow light at 25%. The winter air here is about 35% RH. Right now I'm not doing anything to manage the environmental conditions other than run an 18:6 light cycle.
Thanks for checking in!
I applied some beneficial nematodes a little over a week ago and the gnat problem has almost gotten under control. I might do another application later this week or next.
I also put up some sticky traps to catch the adult fliers.
@PartTimeUnicorn,
Love to hear that. Seeing those gnats in the tent is such a downer! The zevo that I put in the tent seems to have resolved the problem for me too. I haven't seen any new gnats in a few days.
I top dressed my soil two days ago because the plants were showing pre-flower. I didn't see any gnats crawling around in the soil when I pulled back to plastic cover sheet. Hopefully it holds up.
Have you had any issues with fungas gnats in the earthboxes? Seems like whenever I top dress, I get an infestation of them. I did add some beneficial nematodes recently and it seems to be helping.
@PartTimeUnicorn
Dude! Fucking YES!
I haven't put up my week 3 post yet, but I have started noticing them. I ran a power cord with a zevo bug catcher into the tent. It's quelled them but there's still a few stragglers. The bug catcher emits a blue light to attract the gnats. I use them in my house during the summer, especially near the sink and fruit bowl. They work well.
I had gnats in a lime tree pot a few years ago and used nematodes with good effect, but ended up changing the soil when I moved the plant outside the following spring. Otherwise I'm trying not to put more water in the basin than can be absorbed in a day or two. The fungal gnats drive me fucking crazy though!
The earth boxes are so damp that I think gnats are going to be a problem the whole time. I asked my GF for some of the milled mustard seed from build a soil for Xmas. Its supposed to kill of gnats and boost mycelial growth. Hopefully that helps. I'll let you know if it does.
Good luck hunting!