Sweet Tooth - From Seed

SO here I thought I'll stop updating the journal... then I woke up and found Fungus Gnats flying around my babies. So knowing that there couldn't be too much damage done yet, or at all with the root systems on these plants - I began to scout the plants for any other signs of stress or pests. After careful consideration I decided that I would have to be more careful about how much I water the plants, since a moist, warm environment is a great place to grow fungus, therefore, a great place for fungus gnats to thrive. Now I should also point out that I am using a Peat Mix which contains mycorrhizae, which is a beneficial fungus network which aids the plants in a symbiotic type of relationship. This is great for the plants but probably also contributed to the fact that I now have a fungus gnat problem. The question is how did I get them in the first place? Well they could have been in the peat mix I purchased, I don't steam my peat, or cook it in any way so it's at least possible. I think however that's because of the way I was storing the peat mix, in my garage, with the lids creaked open to let it breath. In any case This is how I intend to tackle the issue. I have some Integrated Pest Management (IPM) training, so I know that best way to approach this problem is wisely. I need to disable the pest from creating any more generations by attacking the adults and the larvae at the same time, while also ensuring I adhere to a more careful regimen of watering plants when needed, rather than on schedules. I searched online and found a decent deal on a product that was at least rated at 3/5. I attribute most of the negative reviews to people who don't understand that this approach is not a set it and forget it approach. Anywho, the Potpopper 8 pack serves my purposes nicely because I needed something quick and effective. The PotPopper contains 8 sacks of (1 million) nematodes incubating and waiting for some fungus gnat stew. You just put a single sack per 5 gallon pot on the surface of the soil near the crown of the plant and then water them in. The nematodes will hatch and move into the soil looking for food, and eating the fungus gnat larvae. The yellow cards are extra sticky on both sides, 8" x 6" and non-toxic. Adult fungus gnats are attracted to the colour yellow, once they land on the yellow cards they will never leave, much like a roach motel. So I hope that this will be enough to reduce if not eliminate the fungus gnats in the tents. I also made one other adjustment. I wired up my duct fans to constantly be on. What this does is created a backwards pressure in the tent stopping any of the fungus gnats from getting out by any means other than the fans, (except when I open the door, obviously) which will force them outside. Best I can do with the tools at my disposal. I'll let you know next week how the fungus gnats problem is going as I apply the second wave of attacks!!! God I wish someone would give me a job...