Added calcareous sand for gnats close to harvest,NEED ADVICE

Louisville79

Louisville79

Member
I already got the sand and used it my problem is, its calcareous sand. which means when I added a drop of vinegar to it, and it fizzled. they say that calcareous sand is bad and will cause high pH and possible nutrient lockout if I water them pouring the water through the sand which is now the top inch of my soil! I'm not having any drainage issues or having the sand turn to cement because I allowed my soil to completely dry out before adding the sand last week and the sand was also completely dry.things have been fine for the past 5 days,I can tell because,A)I haven't seen a single gnat since adding it,and,B)when my medium is dry and receiving airration,my room gets extra aromatic[good aroma:)lol]my room has smelled beautiful again now for the first time in weeks!when I first noticed the fungus gnats and the damage they caused, my aroma completely disappeared for almost 3 weeks! But now its back and my girls are starting to thrive again and are starting to hit that peak maturity,amber trich spot.what my concern was, is the sand going to raise my ph now that ive given them theyre final flush yesterday?it's the first and only time ill be passing water through the calcareous sand before harvest.I am only 7 days from harvest and I only watered once yesterday. it was my final flush. I was only worried about watering but didn't get responses in time on my other post and went ahead and watered anyway. distilled water pH balance at 5.8 using a 1/4 cup of plain sugar and 8 ounces of 3%h2o2 mixed into 2 gallons of water. this will be the last time I water them before chopping in 6 days. I'm planning on taking two of them and making them mothers. so I would like to know if what I did will be harmful for what I plan to do,and also if It'll be ok for the next 6 days before chopping them in case having watered them through the calcareous sand will cause nute lockout and if that will do any harm to my harvest? again I haven't seen a single gnat in a week now and they have finally resumed they're maturing! I did the final flush last night and I run my lights from 6 p.m. till 6a.m. so I haven't been able to go in and look at them but I can smell them :)! Only 6 days left,and I won't be watering again? will I be okay?
 
Hazydat620

Hazydat620

Well-Known Member
Louisville79 said:
I already got the sand and used it my problem is, its calcareous sand. which means when I added a drop of vinegar to it, and it fizzled. they say that calcareous sand is bad and will cause high pH and possible nutrient lockout if I water them pouring the water through the sand which is now the top inch of my soil! I'm not having any drainage issues or having the sand turn to cement because I allowed my soil to completely dry out before adding the sand last week and the sand was also completely dry.things have been fine for the past 5 days,I can tell because,A)I haven't seen a single gnat since adding it,and,B)when my medium is dry and receiving airration,my room gets extra aromatic[good aroma:)lol]my room has smelled beautiful again now for the first time in weeks!when I first noticed the fungus gnats and the damage they caused, my aroma completely disappeared for almost 3 weeks! But now its back and my girls are starting to thrive again and are starting to hit that peak maturity,amber trich spot.what my concern was, is the sand going to raise my ph now that ive given them theyre final flush yesterday?it's the first and only time ill be passing water through the calcareous sand before harvest.I am only 7 days from harvest and I only watered once yesterday. it was my final flush. I was only worried about watering but didn't get responses in time on my other post and went ahead and watered anyway. distilled water pH balance at 5.8 using a 1/4 cup of plain sugar and 8 ounces of 3%h2o2 mixed into 2 gallons of water. this will be the last time I water them before chopping in 6 days. I'm planning on taking two of them and making them mothers. so I would like to know if what I did will be harmful for what I plan to do,and also if It'll be ok for the next 6 days before chopping them in case having watered them through the calcareous sand will cause nute lockout and if that will do any harm to my harvest? again I haven't seen a single gnat in a week now and they have finally resumed they're maturing! I did the final flush last night and I run my lights from 6 p.m. till 6a.m. so I haven't been able to go in and look at them but I can smell them :)! Only 6 days left,and I won't be watering again? will I be okay?
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I think not watering for 6 days is a bad idea. I don't think it's gonna hurt them at all this late in the game to water them at least once during that time.
 
Louisville79

Louisville79

Member
My drainage time is usually 3-4 days on my regular waterings before the medium is dry.I've had issues with root rot and fungus gnats in the past,so I've already learned the hard way about watering too much! (Hence the layer of sand currently for fungus gnats) my current problem is I used calcareous sand because it was all I could get my hands on to control and kill off the gnats,and have already watered through it once and it has probably raised my soil pH to the8.0 to 9.0 range.but since I was going to make it my last watering I figured I would be ok as to not send more 8.0 to9.0 pH water into the medium this close to harvest.I figured two extra days without watering would be better than nute lock out and also loading them with water when I'm about start drying?
 
Hazydat620

Hazydat620

Well-Known Member
Louisville79 said:
So nute lock out I should not worry about? This close?
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It is barely taking up anything right now, at least it shouldn't be if harvesting at the right time. I have a hard time seeing you having any problems between the time you water and the time you harvest 3 days later. They could be in worse shape not watering them for 6 days than watering them after 3. Is this 6 days exactly 8 wks or something? Personally I don't see the harm in cutting em down 3 days early if you are that worried about it. hell even now. You really seem to be stressing yourself hard about some FG 6 days before harvest.
 
Louisville79

Louisville79

Member
my issue is I am very limited the amount of time I can devote to that.I'm watching the trichomes n they're just hitting the beginning of theyre peak maturity window. the problem is I will not have the time to cut trim and hang until Saturday. I have work, physical therapy, 2 kids and normal everyday things to do. I'm trying not to stress myself out but I also would like them to go the extra 6 days since there only at the beginning of the window, and I also would not like to start this process at 830 at night (which is what time I get home everyday between now and saturday ) and spend 8 hours cutting and trimming and then go directly to work the next morning with no sleep if I can push them till saturday. I work 12 hour days and have physical therapy daily everyday routine between now and saturday when I will have a full day that day to devote to that.
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
Louisville79 said:
So nute lock out I should not worry about? This close?
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you are sweating this WAY too much man.
Ph issues don't manifest themselves instantly, unless you are growing aeroponics or something and even still, it's not something you'd typically see in 6 days..
Think about it, is water going to dissolve that sand like vinegar does?
Nope.
you are fine man, go smoke one and relax a lil.
Also, i'm in the minority here, but I don't look at the trichs with anything except my naked eyes, you'll get a feel for what a ripe plant looks like.
Wise grower once told me, "if you think they are mature? Wait another week"
good advice.
 
Louisville79

Louisville79

Member
Yes,just plain water no nutes or molasses in 14 days now.I water every 3 to 4 days.but let me correct myself.I took someone's advice and added some h2o2 an a little plain sugar twice. Because of the sand,my soil became compacted and all the water was running straight down the side of the pot and out the bottom. I did research on the h2o2 and found out that it helps with compacted soil and root rot,it oxygenates the soil to help un compact the soil and get oxygen back to the root zone.and it kills the harmful bacteria associated with root rot.problem is it also kills the good bacteria associated with the microbes in the soil and that is what the sugar is necessary for,it replaces temporarily the the carbs the plant needs that the microbes normally provide. After bubbling,the h2o2 is nothing more than plain water.so it doesn't add anything to the soil,only removes stuff! Alot of gardening sites recommend h2o2 for flushing. I only used it diluted 2 out of 5 waterings,and surprisingly my girls looked the most healthy and smelled the strongest for the following 24 hrs after those 2 times.
 
F

Fletch12

Member
So the sand has solidified almost and is not letting your water through effectively and now the top of your medium has trouble drying quickly? Almost like a makeshift cement. I hate to be the I told you so type person but oh well. Dig up a bunch of the sand and churn the rest of top layer to get better draining on top. Get distilled water and add something to increase its ionic bonding properties. This will let it bond easier with existing salts and minerals and the distilling of the water gives it more room to absorb what you want to take out. Soak your soil and let it sit for 15 min minimum then pour your next few gallons to rinse out the leached salts and other excess nutes. Repeate process as needed for a great flush. Oh yeah and try the dish towel thing for the gnats next time, direct a fan at the towels if you are able to. No more sand ok. Nematodes, traps, and dry soil on top next time. Don't overwater your plants hate "wet feet"
 
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