Nullis
Moderator
omg why does everyone misread me? I never said soil was easier, even if I personally think it is. I said it's easy to grow in soil without getting pests.The last two grows now in soil and I get bugs, the last two times I was given clones already growing as teenagers. Now when I get out of this crop, I need to do some serious cleaning, and I am going flood and drain at the very least. And I will even still do some spraying early on, just for insurance, but the whole, " soil is easier " thing, maybe not freakin bugs suck, thanks for your expertise
And yes, IPM definitely helps prevent spider mites and other pests... that would be the very point of it. It entails spraying your plants with something like Spinosad or even Dr. Bronners peppermint soap once every couple weeks. If you have a healthy soil and vigorous plants you're less likely to get them anyways because as mentioned they do go after stressed out plants. Your risk of getting them probably depends on a lot more factors than if you're growing in soil or hydro: like how common they are where you live. Obviously if you live near wooded areas as opposed to a desert or concrete jungle you're more likely to get them. Then there are seasonal factors. Then there is the whole issues of pets, if they go outside and how far you can keep them from your grow room. All of that would determine if you need to implement IPM regardless of any signs of pests actually being on your plants way more than "soil vs hydro".It's not about "easy" or not.... But of course not, wellknown fact hydro = less pest management than soil. SAR does not make up for that in any way and is not exclusive to growing on soil, i.e. totally irrelevant. Same for the concept IPM... Throwing those terms around may be useful to grow epeen, won't help kill or prevent spidermites.
Oh... And try condoms...
BTW fuck condoms, I love my son and I make super cute babies.
See above comments pertaining to risk of getting spider mites.i have never taken any precautions with my hydro garden to prevent or control bugs that could harm the plants, bugs just don't seem to be interested in my hydro plants,
i do not think soil would be as simple to stay bug free if it requires adding stuff to soil to control pests
But I'm adding stuff to my 'soil' anyways, I build it myself again using a hydro mix as a base. It often includes fresh earthworm castings, which predator mites persist in. That means the predators do fine all on their own and come from something I am adding to the mix anyways. I do not have to keep adding them and I've never purchased them. This "stuff" isn't solely for the purpose of controlling pests either, that's just one of their benefits. They also shred organic matter for microbes, keep my mix aerated, and any pests they do eat they are turning into fertilizer. All other inputs are minimal. No checking pH, no feeding schedule, no need for pumps of any kind and my plants can live enitrely without me for a week or more. One of the many reasons I grow in soil is because if I was doing any hydro and my power ever went out for days at a time, which has happened, I'd be totally screwed.