dingo bingo Posted Monday at 23:41 Share Posted Monday at 23:41 Evening all, Got an almighty swarm of fungus gnats currently settled in the pots of coco in my tent. Will be potting up in to final pots in the next couple of days and just remembered I have some Neem cake stored away, I've previously used it in compost but not sure if I've ever used it with coco - has anyone used it in coco before? Good results? I'm also worried that the neem will interfere with the nematodes and hypoaspis mile ( gnat larvae predators) that are in the post and will be added to the coco when they arrive - any thoughts? Perhaps Neem is best used as a deterrent/preventative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BilgePump Posted Tuesday at 06:02 Share Posted Tuesday at 06:02 If you've got biological controls on the way don't use the cake mate 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted Tuesday at 08:34 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:34 (edited) I regularly chuck neem meal all over my benis (including nems and miles) as part of my top dress mix and it doesn't seem to do them any harm, the oil definitely fucks some of them up, not from the azadarachtin but just from getting covered in goop. Azadarachtim itself only effects bugs with certain mouth pieces that are designed solely for feeding from plants. It's also an ingredient that was mixed into my soil before I used it and I have a very healthy population of all kinds of critters. Never used it on Coco though. Not sure if doing so might cause other issues? Like effecting PH or run off EC maybe? Edited Tuesday at 08:36 by MindSoup 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingo bingo Posted Tuesday at 09:39 Author Share Posted Tuesday at 09:39 I'm happy with the predators - they always do clear up an infestation but it's a reaction and not a cheap costing one either. It would be great to use the Neem cake which is just sitting doing nothing and if prevents an infestation from happening then that'd be ideal in the future. When it comes to topdressing in coco - does it work with drippers still? I was thinking of topdressing some Charge from EcoThrive at some point but I'm not sure how effective it would be without it getting soaked in via handwatering.... A good point about it affecting EC and pH though - anyone know if that'd be a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted Tuesday at 09:58 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:58 (edited) Predators are definitely better as a preventitive measure IME, but for most methods it's hard to maintain a population. I farm rove beetles as per @FarmerPalmersNT's thread so I have my own supply for basically nothing after the initial cost, I'm still spending probably 20-30 quid a run on swirskii though, I've been given PTSD by some relentless thrips so now there a constant flow of sachets to keep them gone. Can't offer any guidance on anything to do with Coco though I'm afraid. It would be speculative at best... Edited Tuesday at 09:58 by MindSoup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai Stick Posted Tuesday at 13:01 Share Posted Tuesday at 13:01 4 hours ago, MindSoup said: I regularly chuck neem meal all over my benis...... You what mate?..... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted Tuesday at 13:05 Share Posted Tuesday at 13:05 Beneficials!!! I promise that wasn't a typo, I'm not that sexually deranged . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamedodger Posted yesterday at 12:52 Share Posted yesterday at 12:52 Mosquito Bits, one application and they’ll be gone, top tip from @Shumroom Not sure what implications for soil life is, but it’s a natural product. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.o.i.n.t Posted 8 hours ago Share Posted 8 hours ago On 02/07/2024 at 08:34, MindSoup said: I regularly chuck neem meal all over my benis (including nems and miles) as part of my top dress mix and it doesn't seem to do them any harm Do they have babies, or if not do you top up your creatures manually (so to speak - buy more?) Cos this kinda challenges my point of using neem at all if you notice no effect - which is to prevent bugs (plus "it's not really an 'organic mix' if something in it doesn't smell horrible"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted 7 hours ago Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) Do my beneficials have babies? Yes and no. All my soil dwellers tend to maintain a population, but the plant dwellers, tend to need topping up because they solely live off pests where as most soil dwellers will eat other bits and bobs as well. Do I also use neem? Yes Because not all my plants are in the no till bed, but also just because it's incidentally in the soil and top dress mix I buy (ecothrive) I'm not sure what you're second paragraph really means? Maybe it's too early . Belt and braces mate, use everything you can. Plenty of organic stuff smells lovely/neutral, rock dust, kelp, mollases, chopped up ganja plant, hay mulch, etc etc. The Life Cycle itself doesn't smell much at all either out of the tub, only when a large quantity of it gets wet and then it's only certain components that make a mild odour, especially since they dropped the crab meal. Neem smells really nice, sort of spicey. But yeah also mosquito bits, totally forgot about them, not used them before but seen others have great results. Pretty sure they're safe for beneficials as well... I hope that's actually relevant to what you where saying? Brains not switched on yet Edited 7 hours ago by MindSoup 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.o.i.n.t Posted 6 hours ago Share Posted 6 hours ago @MindSoup Yep, I could have been clearer there but you covered what I was curious about - cheers. I've been using crushed neem husks for a few years now, in a slightly pimped compost but not the depths you go to, and not with deep thought - my presumption/simple usage goal was 'fucks up bugs'....but with your experience there, it not having a big effect on your 'herd', it makes me think my use case...well, seem a bit pointless. And we differ on the smell - yuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted 6 hours ago Share Posted 6 hours ago (edited) Well like I say azadarachtin (active ingredient) only targets insects that feed on plant sap, so it is effective at controlling those pests, but nothing else, hence being perfect for applications like mine when the beneficials need a little help to win the battle. If you just want a blanket insecticide then it's not the right option for you, but I would follow that up with asking why you would want a blanket inesctide, other than an irrational fear/phobia of bugs I can't see a reason myself, but I'm well down the rabbit hole by now . Edited 6 hours ago by MindSoup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.o.i.n.t Posted 5 hours ago Share Posted 5 hours ago @MindSoup I'm fine with a few bugs like fungus nats - just not too many! Seems I've been looking at it too simply. You just got my thinking is all. Ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted 5 hours ago Share Posted 5 hours ago (edited) I would say I probably don't look at things simply enough . Like i say if you don't mind the presence of insects, but you want to protect your plants from pests then it's a good addition to your soil mix for sure. Edited 5 hours ago by MindSoup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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