GrowUrOwnDank
Well-Known Member
So. I bought some cheap soil at the coop about a month ago. It was about $5 for a 25 pound bag. I consulted the guy that worked there and asked for a soil with no nutes. He recoed this cheap soil and I used a small amount to replant my banana trees with the intention of eventually using the rest around in our other house plants and whatever else I wanted to grow. 
Well, last night my wife wanted to replant some vines but she didn't have enough soil. I said well, do you wanna use some of my mine? I got over 20 pounds back in the man cave. She's like yeah!
I grab the bag and look in it and was like UHOH. Sure enough there are the little white spider mite webs in the bag of unused soil. I look around at the other potted plants around the house in other soils. And I see NO evidence of spider mites. Until I look at the banana trees I used the soil when I replanted. Sure enough. The beginnings of spider mite infestation.
So. I chunked the rest of that soil, well over 20 pounds in the garbage for the landfill. I dug out the top layer of soil from the banner trees, watered them and put diatomaceous earth on the soil that is left. Then I put a generation later of perlite on top of that and again put a liberal amount diatomaceous earth on top of that.
Thankfully, I replanted the nanner trees in an experimental Hempy bucket type coffee can and there is perlite in the bottom of the container. So maybe, I have it under control.
The moral of this long winded story is. I am not going to buy anymore cheap soil. I will handle this problem, but in the future I will be more than happy to pay even 4 or 5 times as much for soil, especially in potted plants I intend to have around for possibly decades.
Just saying. cheap is rarely really worth it. I relearn this lesson for the upteenth time.
Well, last night my wife wanted to replant some vines but she didn't have enough soil. I said well, do you wanna use some of my mine? I got over 20 pounds back in the man cave. She's like yeah!
I grab the bag and look in it and was like UHOH. Sure enough there are the little white spider mite webs in the bag of unused soil. I look around at the other potted plants around the house in other soils. And I see NO evidence of spider mites. Until I look at the banana trees I used the soil when I replanted. Sure enough. The beginnings of spider mite infestation.
So. I chunked the rest of that soil, well over 20 pounds in the garbage for the landfill. I dug out the top layer of soil from the banner trees, watered them and put diatomaceous earth on the soil that is left. Then I put a generation later of perlite on top of that and again put a liberal amount diatomaceous earth on top of that.
Thankfully, I replanted the nanner trees in an experimental Hempy bucket type coffee can and there is perlite in the bottom of the container. So maybe, I have it under control.
The moral of this long winded story is. I am not going to buy anymore cheap soil. I will handle this problem, but in the future I will be more than happy to pay even 4 or 5 times as much for soil, especially in potted plants I intend to have around for possibly decades.
Just saying. cheap is rarely really worth it. I relearn this lesson for the upteenth time.
