I could use help

Ok, im a little over 2 weeks into growing, and when I get up very close to the soil that my plants are in, I can see very very very small white parasites. I don't see any on the plants themselves just in the soil. Someone please let me know how I can get rid of these without causing any harm to my plants...

Please help, Thanks

I would suggest changing the soil ASAP.. to do this, you will have to make sure the soil is very dry, and tap the pot a few times to loosen the soil, sow gently pull the plant out and the soil should come with it. Tap off the most soil you possibly can and discard the soil. Repot the plant. If you are using store bought potting soil it should be free of contaminants. Yet, if you are using soil from outside or some sort like that, you will need to bake the soil in the oven at low temps to remove any bacteria/parasites and the like. Baking it at 100 farenheight for 30 mins should suffise. Also make sure you wash out the pot you are growing in with a mild bleach solution to kill any leftover parasites. After using this technique, this problem should not reoccur. Good luck, and happy growing!

How do you re-pot exactly? Do you spread out the roots? Or what?

hello again the little truck. With repotting, you will have to remove as much of the old soil as possible, by lightly tapping the "root ball" (you will see what i mean when you pull the plant out) and making as much of the old soil fall off. You then fill pot with the new soil(after cleaning it) and make a whole big enough for the "rootball" to go in. lightly press the soil down to remove air pockets and you are ready to go. Make sure you touch the roots as less as possible. there is no need to "spread" the roots out, they will kinda be clumped together, and will gorw out after more soil is added. Hope this helps ya littletruck

TY sir. I am prob gonna have to re-pot soon, just wanted to check up.

Alrite dude, hope this helps ya. Remember, careful not to destroy the roots too much, or some of the leaves may die off in compensation.

How long into the process before you should usually re-pot from the dixie cups to like a 5 gallon pot?

johntoubia said:

How long into the process before you should usually re-pot from the dixie cups to like a 5 gallon pot?

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Hello Johntubia, I usually repot them after they reach 6 inches or so. This is about the time they have their third to fifth set of leaves and are strong enough to handle the stress of being repotted. The best way to know, is to have drainage holes in the bottom of your cup, and when you see the roots starting to come out the bottom, it's time to repot. Maybe 2-4 weeks of good growth I should say.

Stealing said:

Hello Johntubia, I usually repot them after they reach 6 inches or so. This is about the time they have their third to fifth set of leaves and are strong enough to handle the stress of being repotted. The best way to know, is to have drainage holes in the bottom of your cup, and when you see the roots starting to come out the bottom, it's time to repot. Maybe 2-4 weeks of good growth I should say.

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when repotting do you use the same soil or should you use some new soil?

ToxicX said:

when repotting do you use the same soil or should you use some new soil?

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Always try to use new soil. This is due to the nutrients being used u from the old soil, and it may also have a higher concentration of salts, which will in turn lower PH levels. If you absolutely need to use the same soil, it is possible, but I wouldnt reccomend it. If you do decide to use the same soil, you have to make sure to add some fertilizers in your water, and also give some calcium to keep the PH level in the soil. Also new soil is more sanitary, and will help prevent problems like parasites, and bugs.