Vegan Organics Aka Veganics With Matt Rize

RPsmoke420

Active Member
haha, Roots comes with little friends inside each bag, huh? what do u think makes the gnats like Roots mix?
i'm also looking at the Sunshine Organic mixes which seem to be basic and are OMRI. is it a big deal not using any bat guano or worm castings in the mix? i found this http://www.vitallandscaping.com/index.php/soil-a-amendments/soil-amendments/vital-earthsr-organic-compost-omri-
for adding compost, seems kosher.....
I heard the gnats are coming from the middle man, not from roots directly, and the gnats are affecting all the potting mixes from this middleman. ??
You got it. Word is, it's the shipping company, and effect much more then just Roots. They said the shipping company stores the bags outside, before shipping. Apparently this is a fungus gnat heaven. During transport, the adults usually are blow out, but the eggs are left behind. You start watering, and bam... gnats. I think FF soils are also having this issue, as well as some small companies using the same shipping.


He's probably paid to let it get infected by people that make the products to get rid of the problem.

You never know...
Contact roots. They've been hooking their customers up with free nematodes (natural predator of the eggs/larva). Helps. I get my own at a local shop

I store my soils with a sponge soaked in a nematode solution. Water it once in awhile. spray with neem. I mix a 'super soil' so I do this while it cooks, and gets ready. Usually don't have any issues.

Thanks RP.

I am a patient and familiar with Steep Hill Labs (a few collectives in my area use them), however I am not a vendor and only make it for my own use.

Plus I'm sure they would want more material than I can pull out of my one gallon kit.
Good to hear man.

Matt nailed it. They need about 1 gram of concentrate to get you your results.

If you ever decide you want to start producing more, or want to start vending to collectives, email: [email protected]

Matt when are you coming out with another article already, lol.
Ya Matt! :-P
 

PakaloloHui

Active Member
Thanks RP, I have only scene a few gnats and I easily got rid of them with a neem drench and a layer of Diatomaetious Earth on top of the soil, a sticky trap around the stalk and problem solved.

Still use my roots and got plenty of supersoil:)
 

RPsmoke420

Active Member
Thanks RP, I have only scene a few gnats and I easily got rid of them with a neem drench and a layer of Diatomaetious Earth on top of the soil, a sticky trap around the stalk and problem solved.

Still use my roots and got plenty of supersoil:)
You bet brother! No worries.

I also rock the neem to cut down those adults. A little neem, a little pro-tekt spray and the nematodes as a soil drench

Another idea, when storing your super soil... you can throw one of those nematode sponges on the soil. Then water in some nematodes from time to time. Seems to work for my soil bins.
 

Matt Rize

Hashmaster
You bet brother! No worries.

I also rock the neem to cut down those adults. A little neem, a little pro-tekt spray and the nematodes as a soil drench

Another idea, when storing your super soil... you can throw one of those nematode sponges on the soil. Then water in some nematodes from time to time. Seems to work for my soil bins.
I'm using granulated BTi (like mosquito dunks but slower release and higher quality) and neem cake in my media. gnats are 99% gone with that combo.
 

beeznutz

Active Member
do you guys spray anything for prevention? iv been using pest-out and it works allright, u kinda have to keep doing it weekly- is neem oil from dyna better? pest out has the neem plus a few other things in it.....
this is when is gonna get super hot and humid and i kno these little bastards r gonna attack my ladies, already starting to...
 

PakaloloHui

Active Member
I'm using granulated BTi (like mosquito dunks but slower release and higher quality) and neem cake in my media. gnats are 99% gone with that combo.
Hey matt,

I got that same BTi Mosquito stuff for my koi pond, how do you apply it to your soil. ie. my supersoil bin.
 

RPsmoke420

Active Member
I'm using granulated BTi (like mosquito dunks but slower release and higher quality) and neem cake in my media. gnats are 99% gone with that combo.
Good deal. Would definitely work indoors.

Make sure to use BTi, and not just BT. BT stands for bacillus thuringiensis. This is more effective with Caterpillars (moth and butterfly). Where BTi is bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and will work to control fungus gnats in an indoor situation. Outdoors, it doesn't seem to be as effective.

do you guys spray anything for prevention? iv been using pest-out and it works allright, u kinda have to keep doing it weekly- is neem oil from dyna better? pest out has the neem plus a few other things in it.....
this is when is gonna get super hot and humid and i kno these little bastards r gonna attack my ladies, already starting to...
What are the "few other things"?

Some places will mix small amounts of chemical pesticides to make their product more effective. I am not someone who is 100% against all synthetic products, but I simply like to know what I am using.

I use Dyna-Gro cold pressed neem right now. I am not brand loyal... simply look for a 100% cold pressed neem product. I mix mine with Pro-tekt.

I use neem as my prevention. I spray early, and fairly often in veg (every 7-10 days). Outdoors I also work in some Compost Tea sprays, as well as BT sprays (battle those damn caterpillars). I work to keep my grow clean. I do not wear my daily clothes into the grow rooms. No animals (ok.... the dog sneaks in from time to time, but I'm getting better at that. lol). etc. Outside is always a battle.

Hey matt,

I got that same BTi Mosquito stuff for my koi pond, how do you apply it to your soil. ie. my supersoil bin.
I'd bet Matt is rocking the granulated version of the BTi dunks. Comes in little cruched up chunks. I would work them directly into the soil. Water them in, and allow the super soil to cook like normal. Work in some neem cake along with your next super soil run. Adds some NPK and neem oil. :weed:
 

Wolverine97

Well-Known Member
I read that if your medium is composed of more than 1% neem cake it could stunt young plants and/or prevent seed germination...
Are you noticing any reduced vigor after transplant? Anything that would lend credence to this? I read it on a suppliers' website (linked below), and it doesn't seem like they would want to discourage it's use whatsoever.

http://www.neemresource.com/NeemCake.html
 

Matt Rize

Hashmaster
I read that if your medium is composed of more than 1% neem cake it could stunt young plants and/or prevent seed germination...
Are you noticing any reduced vigor after transplant? Anything that would lend credence to this? I read it on a suppliers' website (linked below), and it doesn't seem like they would want to discourage it's use whatsoever.

http://www.neemresource.com/NeemCake.html
a little goes a long way with neem cake. a couple tbs makes 40 gallons potting mix smell like neem.
 

beeznutz

Active Member
What are the "few other things"?

Some places will mix small amounts of chemical pesticides to make their product more effective. I am not someone who is 100% against all synthetic products, but I simply like to know what I am using.

I use Dyna-Gro cold pressed neem right now. I am not brand loyal... simply look for a 100% cold pressed neem product. I mix mine with Pro-tekt.

I use neem as my prevention. I spray early, and fairly often in veg (every 7-10 days). Outdoors I also work in some Compost Tea sprays, as well as BT sprays (battle those damn caterpillars). I work to keep my grow clean. I do not wear my daily clothes into the grow rooms. No animals (ok.... the dog sneaks in from time to time, but I'm getting better at that. lol). etc. Outside is always a battle.
this stuff is omri which is why i got it, that and it got a lot of good reviews....however, after checking the ingredients again i now realize it doesn't have any neem :wall:
i'll be damned if it doesn't smell just like it though.....it's clove, garlic, and cottonseed:
http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemdesc.asp?ic=PCGCM16&eq=&Tp=

so ur spraying 7-10 days, that's pretty much what i have to do, it just never really
seems like i get any extended of time without seeing some little dude flying around..
 

RPsmoke420

Active Member
Here is another option I have read, never tried:
Start by mixing equal parts of Crustation meal (crab, lobster), and Neem seed meal.

Apply as a lite top dressing after a soil drench. A fungas developes that the creepy crawleys don't like, and can't reproduce in. The fungas looks like a little tuffs of mold here or there. I use 1/2 -1 tbsp for a 5 gallon pot.
I would probably also try the masquito dunks. Either buy the big ones, crush them up, and soak in water, or buy the granulated. Started applying the BTi to get them under control.

Sticky traps!

Make sure when you spray, you SOAK the plant. It should look like it came outta the pool. Dripping. Soak the soil. I come back a little later, and spray the soil again. The little bastards fly around when you start spraying, so making sure to hit them again, maybe helps?

I get outbreaks from time to time. Right now I am putting up a fight. That time of year I suppose.
 

mrbong73

Member
just a lack of gnats.
I've experienced this as well.
Since adding neem seed meal and crab meal to my homemade soil mix I have noticed the absence of those pesky critters.
I've also noticed that top dressing neem meal and/or the application of a neem tea will clear up a gnat problem as well.
 

TheOrganic

Well-Known Member
haha, Roots comes with little friends inside each bag, huh? what do u think makes the gnats like Roots mix?
i'm also looking at the Sunshine Organic mixes which seem to be basic and are OMRI. is it a big deal not using any bat guano or worm castings in the mix? i found this http://www.vitallandscaping.com/index.php/soil-a-amendments/soil-amendments/vital-earthsr-organic-compost-omri-
for adding compost, seems kosher.....
I'm currently growing a OG kush in....well started in Sunshine organic mix and the whole grow in veg was lacking nutrients had to supplement like crazy finally got her rite and top dressed with some FFOF/LW and added about a gal of it below under smart pot.....It helped out. So I would amend soil for sure. And there is alot of perlite in Sunshine organic also so beware.

Matt NICE BUDS she is foxtailing. never had any grow like that for me yet how is it? And that Seems alot of Sub's strains bud on fan leaves thats sweet!
 

farmer2424

Well-Known Member
Hey Matt, just read through the first 40 pages and last 15 of this thread. After doing so, my brain has swelled from all the information, and i have to stop reading at this point to let it all soak in haha. That steep Hill Lab article on the Jack Herer Ice extract was awesome. My mouth is literally watering from all the pics of fine bubble in this thread. Just wanted to thank you for all the great info and techniques, i'm definitely going to grow more veganic if not completely at some point. Much Respect. :joint: farmer
 
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