Diatomacious Earth and soil applications...

[SkunkPatronus]

I thought i would share a new thing i am doing right now. I had mites, and used pyrethrin and DE and save most(yes, not all) of my one rooms clones and all of my other rooms mom's... but i started to add a teaspoon to gallon of the DE to the water after everything else is added and it cleaned up my soil!!! I have always had a lot of critters in my soil, at all depths, and they have gotten away with living in HUGE colonies because i could rarely do anything with them. Anyone ever read 'SandKings', well these bugs go to work with thermos' and live in skyscrapers and drive buggy cars, they've been breeding and living in a utopia in my garden for YEARS learning jet propulsion... and they are now GONE. The DE water was to stop the mites hanging out in my soil waiting to walk back up to the leaves, and i killed my pointy nosed silver thermos carring bug coloney off too. I don't think it would work in a res, it's too sandy, but for soil applications it's a great cleanerupper. Shake well to keep it dispersed.

 

[AlbinoDanko12GA]

so its a product u root feed with????? or do u top dress it on the soil??? im sick of mites, how did u get rid of all of them if u dont mind me asking

 

[SkunkPatronus]

so its a product u root feed with????? or do u top dress it on the soil??? im sick of mites, how did u get rid of all of them if u dont mind me asking

i used the DE as a soil application just in the nuted regular feed water (top down) and i used fox farms pyrethrin spray, called 'don't bug me' on the leaves, every three days for 3 applications. I usually just rub or feather the DE all over the bottoms and tops of the leaves and it works, but i got hit badly like everyone else this year... so i used the pyrethrin. It worked well. Both worked well.

 

[BBFan]

Hello SkunkP-

I've never had to use DE in my grow room- but I do have a bag sitting in there on the ready should the need arise. For me it's a last resort item as it is pretty nasty stuff, particularly if it gets airborne (via fans, etc).

I have however used it outdoors, and I have never used it in any way other than as a dusting on the ground. When you apply it in water- does it remain on the soil surface after the water soaks in?

By the way- were you able to find any of the buggy cars after your defensive measures or were they destroyed along with their owners ? Well written description-gave me a good chuckle. Thanks!

 

[Hick]

DE is almost pure calcium, which can lead to problems if the concentration gets too high in your soil. Excess calcium may produce deficiencies in magnesium and potassium.
My well water is pretty high in ca, so "I" never have watered it in, and in fact, water from the bottom whenever I have used it. It is designed as a 'top dressing'.