sand or diatomaceous earth ontop of soil?

which should i use? what are the advantages or disadvantages? thanks

It suffocates the bugs that are in your soil.

My vote is for diatomaceous earth because as i understand it, this earth actuall cuts up the bug larva and eggs so reproduction ceases. Sand does not offer this advantage. Any crawling insect will not want to pass through a field of sharp edges, although it may not deter them if sand was the path of choice.

I have cured a fungus gnat problem by putting a few inches of sand on top of my5 gallon soil buckets before... They just can't get their dumb asses up through the sand and they die.

i like DE. sand could possibly cause an oxygen problem for your roots, thats why i have stayed away from sand

If water can pass through the sand, so can air, no?

Not that those little diatoms are bad or anything..

hmm. i think im going to go with the DE. sounds like sand may cause oxygen problems. any particular type of DE to use? ive seen a big bag of it at lowes

tommyo3000 said:

If water can pass through the sand, so can air, no?

Not that those little diatoms are bad or anything..

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same time post!
thats a good point. now im curious haha

what about a mixture of sand and DE?

I successfully used sand, no problems.. I even did a 2-4 inch layer -- way more than the 1/2inch people say... When water goes through your sand and dirt, behind it comes air that is pulled down... so I think any loss of air exchange is negligible...

still, this is not an argument against diatomaceous earth..

de is the best!! get food grade de you can use it to kill pests and it is healthy for you and pets . look it up do not use pool grade de it is harmful to breath , but food grade you can eat and it helps with artharites , lowers blood pressure , great for just about everything and it will kill pests not pets. skit27 i eat a table spoon a day and really helps to feel good

skit27 said:

de is the best!! get food grade de you can use it to kill pests and it is healthy for you and pets . look it up do not use pool grade de it is harmful to breath , but food grade you can eat and it helps with artharites , lowers blood pressure , great for just about everything and it will kill pests not pets. skit27 i eat a table spoon a day and really helps to feel good

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GOOD CALL! I was just going to mention that pool grade DE should NOT be inhaled. I never knew there was a food grade DE. Do you know what the difference is? I would have figured that DE is DE.

i have some st gabriel's insect dust I caught on sale for 3 bucks. I have a small fungus gnat problem NOW. Over the past few months I have used neem oil drench. It has brought the gnat population way down but I want something something cheaper, something I can apply without water if possible. I am tired of seeing this bag of de go unused. How would I use DE insect dust? I have a ton of plants so do i just layer the top of the soil with it? or do I have to mix it in the soil? or can I mix it in water? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

de pool grade has been heated to a real high temp to change its structure. you can google more info skit27http://www.earthworkshealth.com/products.php also the pool gradehttp://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html

DE is awesome is works on a microscopic levels and cuts the bug exoskeleton and they dry out and die. It only works when its dry though but cuts again when it drys out cuz it is not water soluble. Figure out a way to keep it dry when you put it on the top of the soil like a buffer layer of perlite, which also acts as a barrier, but not as good as DE. Definitely get the food grade as mentioned. You can even sprinkle and rub it on leaves you see are bug damaged or a spot they are starting to attack and away they go. I mix some into my soil as well, it won't effect the Ph of your soil, it neutral. I love it great stuff. Some people have even reported ingesting it and having amazing health improvements, people do it.