Anyone topdress their soils with sand for bugs?

[Colo MMJ]

The grow weed cheaply guy suggests it to kills any soil bugs. You would probably have to drip to avoid washing it away. If so, what kind of sand? I know you can sand at Lowes and Hiome Depot for kids sand boxes. Supposedly cuts up bugs with silica and cheaper than diatem earth.

 

[frizfrazjaz]

The grow weed cheaply guy suggests it to kills any soil bugs. You would probably have to drip to avoid washing it away. If so, what kind of sand? I know you can sand at Lowes and Hiome Depot for kids sand boxes. Supposedly cuts up bugs with silica and cheaper than diatem earth.

I didn’t have much luck with it. I used sand box sand. Drip system works just ok, and siphon watering just seems to breed more gnats and such. I think diatomaceous earth would be worth it.

 

[ruwtz]

I was using Gnatnix as a top dress to knock back fungus gnats. Works but I was getting through it so fast and a big fuss trying to sift it from the medium in between transplanting and at chop. I just went back to a layer of perlite on top, works great.

 

[SPLFreak808]

I've used both sand & food grade de, they both work but have pros & cons.

Sand
-hard to see soil moisture
-hard to weigh soil moisture
-certain insects can still burrow in sand.
-cheap

DE
-expensive
-only last 1-2 waterings
-nothing will crawl through it
-silica

 

[SensiPuff]

Man Idk how much sand costs but nematodes are like 30 bucks shipped and will destroy the lifecycle of anyrhing that lays larvae in the soil

 

[Tom Tucker 313]

Baking soda topdress. It will dry them gnats out.