RO soil for seedlings

That's why ill be using roots, I dont mind spending the extra money to treat gnats, Ive seen amazing results and I just want the same. I have a few more questions though, do I put in the nematodes after 30 days of cooking or can I put them in right after im done mixing the supersoil? Should I topdress the supersoil with DE or just mix it in? Thanks for all the great advice.

I would / will do the SS again. It worked great, and I would have added the nematodes, crab meal, neem meal and DE in any event. I'll say again it worked great and I would use Roots again.

I top dressed with the DE, since it's a weapon (razors) when dry. Having said that, it's a great water retention material, like perlite. I'll likely mix the DE throughout and then top dress also. Neem and crab meals were mixed all throughout.

I would do all this when you start the mix. I also plan to start the SS earlier and let cook for two months.

Rrog said:

Having said that, it's a great water retention material, like perlite..

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Or like the desert, am I right?

Afka, so sorry but I'm not following. DE holds water, but when it is wet it's not sharp to slice up pests. When dry the microscopic razors cut the bellies of the pests. That's why it's good on the soil surface where pests try and enter the system

Perlite doesen't hold water very well, (similar to desert sand) I was just makin' a crack at you

Ah. I see.

I've not seen a gnat since using roots. FFOF was where I got gnats and what made me switch to roots

Are you guys talking about root aphids when you say gnats? Ive also had problems buying bug infested soil.

I used Roots and did not see a gnat, possible because of my pre-treatment when I initially mixed

Is crab meal neccesary for gnats? Im pickin up some food grade DE, neem cake, and predatory nematodes but I cant find crab anywhere. Best I could come up with is FFOF and Roots organic Greensfield. I cant find much info on the GFRO but it has ingredients like coarse peat, coco fiber, compost, perlite, pumice, worm castings, bat guano, fish meal, crab meal, fish bone meal, soybean meal, feather meal, kelp meal, glacial rock dust and mycorrhizae. Would this good be a good soil to mix in with the RO or should I just use the RO alone?

You can take the scrap crab shell from your last crab dinner. Any crab shell is made from Chitin. Lots of chitin attracts chitin-eating bacteria. The jaws of many pests that we hate are made from chitin. The increased population of chitin-eaters means death to the chitin-jaw pests. I wouldn't do a grow without it.

http://www.organicgardengrower.com/product/CS-612

http://www.amazon.com/Crab-Meal-Organic-Plant-Nutrients/dp/B0057K4I7Y