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Reply With QuoteA simple problem with gnats can be resolved by putting coffee grounds on the top of your soil. They do not like the acid and it is nitrogen for the plants.
What am I Missing?
Hi all,
I just took a very long drive in search of organic supplies, which are difficult to locate in Winter. I came home with the following, earthworm castings, mushroom compost, and a base organic potting soil. I got lucky on the soil, very lucky. I found a whole pallet of it at Lowe's of all places, the manufacturer is out of Georgia. I checked the labeling and found no chemicals. In the past, I have amended my own outdoor garden soil with very good result. Only as I have posted and discussed here w/Rrog, I always have gnat problems. So rather than dealing with that issue, I figured it was better to blend my own from scratch. Yet, my outdoor native plant garden(coneflowers etc)and the herb both love the soil.
Should I just go with what worked in the past, or does everyone think I could use those 3 ingredients...or I could even amend my outdoor soil with the other stuff. But then, I would have to deal with the bugs. I also would like to re-use this medium.
Any input would be greatly appreciated, I have cracked beans ready to go.
TY!
"There is nothing new under the sun".
A simple problem with gnats can be resolved by putting coffee grounds on the top of your soil. They do not like the acid and it is nitrogen for the plants.
I'm glad the ground has not frozen yet, I'm heading out back to get soil. I want microbes already in existence, then I can use the rest to blend a nice medium.Originally Posted by personified
Do coffee grounds change your Ph?...I have a strain here that prefers acidic soil.
"There is nothing new under the sun".
too much coffee will change the ph. a layer of sand will help with the gnats if they arise or they have better things like azamax. if you have access to it, just get pro-mix or a seed starting mix and blend with the compost for a good mix. if not get some peat moss and perlite and you can mix with the compost and castings to make your own soil. dolomite lime would be helpful. i can help you with ratios if you need.
Do you have any idea what was causing the gnats? A lot of things that would be helpful, and ordered online, for example dolomite lime, bat guano, etc-are not necessarily associated with gnats to my knowledge.
Sure anything changes pH this is an acid. The tell tale sign you soil is to akaline are the gnats. Realize that Ph is not an issue with organics as long as you are feeding the soil microbes. That is why you want organic matter to ad acidity during the break down cycle; your soil probably lacks humic. Humic substances are formed by the microbial degradation of dead plant matter so you next batch of soil add composted material or just add coffee grounds into the mix both degrade and feed teh rhizosphere.
When a plant takes up nitrogen as ammonium it releases hydrogen ions which will make the rhizosphere more acid. When a plant takes up nitrogen as nitrate, it releases hydroxyl ions which make the rhizosphere more alkaline. This action doesn’t usually affect the bulk pH of the soil.
Last edited by personified; 12-14-2011 at 02:40 PM.
All posts have been for entertainment value only. Nothing was actually intended to occur and anyone attempting such things should be aware it was only a hoax nothing more.
I lived with the gnats all last Summer, they're annoying but don't really harm anything. 2 months ago I dumped them along with the used soil back into the garden. I looked up the bag of soil from Lowe's I grabbed, the link is below. Upon opening the bag, I found it to be somewhat on the sandy side...too sandy actually. So, I mixed it 50/50 with the outdoor soil. Normally, I would use mushroom compost to amend sandy soil...no?. At any rate, I have the mushroom compost here along with the straight worm castings(expensive stuff)and leftover perlite as well.
http://www.timberlineyard.com/products.htm
I think my base medium is on solid ground at this point, but would much like to know what the proper ratios would be to maximize the overall medium.
Thanks!
"There is nothing new under the sun".
The gnats are in my outdoor garden soil I have been amending over the years.
"There is nothing new under the sun".
is that soil 100% organic?? it didnt really say anything on the ingredients. i think the texture is the main thing you will be after and i would just mix in some compost and castings and a bit of perlite and mix until its real light to the touch. its a shame you dont live close to the store because with some peat moss and dolomite lime, i could give you a pretty good ratio to go from as this is what i use to mix my soil. it seems like the soil is the blame of the gnats and while they arent a huge problem, they sure are annoying. a layer of sand on top of your pots will help disrupt their life cycle if the need arises.
im quite sure gnats are not a tell tale sign of akaline soil. if that was the case, fox farms and roots organics probably wouldnt sell as much soil as they do. in fact both of these companies have problems with gnats. i think the issue is when organic matter is decomposing, it is a inviting environment for pests, gnats included. with that being said, it is probably almost impossible for soil makers to eliminate the risk of bugs so the risk is always there when working with a living soil. it seems from your post you may have some knowledge of how decomposition works in soil, and for that i would ask you why you would suggest to someone growing cannabis indoors for quality would use coffee grounds as a source of humus? i understand how organic mediums work and how microbes buffer soil ph to their liking, but i dont understand where coffee grounds have their place in the soil?
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