Happy Week 3!
The plants are really taking off this week! They look healthy; deep green, hearty leaves with stalks now starting to thicken.
I reapplied the soil drench this week. When I looked closely at the soil I was able to see very small mushroom pins and a few feeder roots poking through the surface of the soil. I started bottom watering the plants this week as well. They each got about 1/2 gal. The first watering was absorbed by the next day, so I re-watered another 1/2 gallon each. This is being taken up more slowly.
Unfortunately, I noticed some fungus gnats this week. I ran an extension cord into the grow tent and plugged in a small bug catcher. It's keeping the tent from being overrun with gnats, but I'm still working on a better long term solution.
Environmental conditions are largely the same this week as last week. Temps ~ 80-81 during the day, RH low 30s. The light was raised to about 16 inches above the plants. The light intensity was increased to 50% at the start of the week and again to 75% on day 21.
Other than the fungus gnats I'm happy so far with everything I'm seeing from the earthboxes and the build-a-soil nutrients.
Have a nice week!
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!