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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 20, 2014 21:49:55 GMT -5
A post on a recent thread about Promix got me thinking about fungus gnats possibly growing in these, and then, thinking about my usual way of preventing them (watering occasionally with a Microbe lift solution), got me wondering if anyone has had any problems with mosquitoes breeding in them? If they are watered almost all the time, to keep the water to the overflow point, seems it would be a possible problem, unless the tray dried out frequently.
Most of us do not think about fungus gnats on outside plants, but they can still harm young plant's roots. So I always water with the Microbe Lift when I first put small seedlings out in pots (mostly herbs). I am thinking of adding some drops occasionally to the Earthboxes, for preventing these, as well as mosquitoes (what it was originally made for).
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 21, 2014 9:33:07 GMT -5
I have not personally had a problem with fungus gnats in my Earthboxes, though I've heard of it...this seems to happen mostly if your medium is already infested with eggs when you get it.
I have no idea whether the Microbe Lift would be effective for treating fungus gnats in the mix if you add it to the water reservoir. The microbes would have to wick all the way to the top with the water, or colonize upwards.
If the primary concern is damage to young plants' roots, I suggest setting up the box as normal, setting your transplants, and immediately watering the transplants through the planting hole with Microbe Lift solution. This will distribute the Microbe Lift around the transplants' roots. (This is in addition to keeping the reservoir filled with plain water.) You can repeat the Microbe Lift treatment as needed until you think the plants are big enough to be safe.
It's fine to water through the planting holes as long as the holes are small enough and located far enough away from the fertilizer strip that the water won't drain through the strip. When you think about it, water is going to get in via the planting holes every time it rains anyway.
If you think your media might have come with an infestation of fungus gnats, I recommend treating all of it. When you fill the box, top water with the Microbe Lift immediately before you install the fertilizer strip. However, that won't get the media that you use to mound up above the fertilizer strip. Two options for that: (1) Put the media that you plan to use for mounding in a bin or wheelbarrow and moisten it with Microbe Lift before adding to the box. (2) Top water the media with Microbe Lift after mounding, everywhere except directly over the fertilizer strip. With this method you could actually water a very small amount over the strip, just enough to moisten the surface of the media but not enough to cause water to drain through the strip.
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Mosquitoes breeding in the Earthbox can happen, but it is not as big a problem with the current Earthbox design with the lip over the drainage hole. (The current design reduces algae growth, too, because almost no reaches the water in the reservoir.)
However, if mosquitoes do breed in your boxes, I'd guess that Mircobe Lift drops in the reservoir would work, since the water is where the mosquitoes breed. But most EB users use solid Bt in the form of Mosquito Dunks (donut shaped pieces) or Mosquito Bits (granular). They drop either 1 tsp of granules or 1/4 of a "donut" down the watering tube once a month as needed.
(Where I live the city sprays aggressively for mosquitoes. It doesn't seem to make a difference whether I treat my boxes or not. Especially since right behind my house is a great big drainage ditch with standing water 365 days a year. Any mosquitoes that breed in my boxes would be unnoticeable compared to the hordes that would be coming from the ditch if the city quit spraying!)
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 21, 2014 10:17:54 GMT -5
I know what you mean about nearby water - a very slow moving creek is about 150 yards away from me (the source of the pepper maggot flies, as well).
Good idea for the mosquito dunks. I use them for my water collection barrel (which I haven't needed the last two summers!), so I could break off a piece and put it in there.
I water my indoor plants from the bottom, and the Microbe Lift seems to work, even in the deep pots, like the kaffir lime. As long as I am diligent about using this every few waterings, I never see any fungus gnats, so the bacteria must wick up to the top, though I never really gave it any thought.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 21, 2014 11:00:08 GMT -5
Cool.
For seed starting and indoor plants I use a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the soil. (I get cheap cinnamon in bulk for this and save the good stuff for eating.) It inhibits fungus, so the fungus gnats have nothing to eat.
But if cinnamon ever fails to work I will get some Microbe Lift.
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indigogirl17
Pro Member
Blazing here again...90's and dry after aq period of 3 weeks of solid rain a few weeks back. .
Posts: 191
Zone:: 5b
Favorite Vegetable:: sweet corn, collards, turnip greens, yellow wax beans, Cherokee purple tomatoes
Joined: March 2011
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Post by indigogirl17 on Mar 26, 2014 14:40:32 GMT -5
Could someone explain earth boxes briefly or refer me to a good link? Thanks in advance
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mohoghead
Junior Member
Posts: 26
Joined: February 2011
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Post by mohoghead on Mar 26, 2014 15:41:18 GMT -5
This is the first I've heard of using cinnamon, could you go into it a little more whilst I grab a glass of wine and google it. Cool. For seed starting and indoor plants I use a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the soil. (I get cheap cinnamon in bulk for this and save the good stuff for eating.) It inhibits fungus, so the fungus gnats have nothing to eat. But if cinnamon ever fails to work I will get some Microbe Lift.
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Post by stratcat on Mar 26, 2014 18:25:48 GMT -5
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