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Is it true about Fox Farm potting soil

  • Thread starter Thread starter Imnew2cannabis
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Is it true about Fox Farm potting soil

Imnew2cannabis 52 Replies 10,482 Views
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Imnew2cannabis

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#1
Hi I am new to doing my very 1st grow,,7 days in ..actually I got anxious and started early using my small bathroom. I am concerned about fungus gnats and spider mites
after looking at some videos ..it was mentioned that fox farms potting soil had fungus gnats in it >>?? let alone not good for Germination I will be growing outside when itwarms up in April God forbid I want them in my house. Thx
 
#2
Imnew2cannabis said:
Hi I am new to doing my very 1st grow,,7 days in ..actually I got anxious and started early using my small bathroom. I am concerned about fungus gnats and spider mites
after looking at some videos ..it was mentioned that fox farms potting soil had fungus gnats in it >>?? let alone not good for Germination I will be growing outside when itwarms up in April God forbid I want them in my house. Thx
Click to expand...

Semi new grower. Dealing with pests has been part of the learning process for me ✌️

Not that difficult to get ahead of it. Learn proper watering and dry back 😉🤓👍
 
#4
Also newer grower and agree with @BB22 proper watering with dryback i used fox farm for my 1st and 2nd grow some gnats here and there but not out of control did have soil mites on my second but if maintained they are beneficial good luck and happy growing 🤘
 
#5
Suds.an.buds said:
Also newer grower and agree with @BB22 proper watering with dryback i used fox farm for my 1st and 2nd grow some gnats here and there but not out of control did have soil mites on my second but if maintained they are beneficial good luck and happy growing 🤘
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Thank you appreciate it happy growing
 
#8
ArtfulCodger said:
I've done a lot of runs in Happy Frog and Ocean Forest, and you can definitely get some fungus gnats, but if you dry it out in a tub for a few weeks any bugs or larvae will die.
Click to expand...
Hmmm very interesting… how about drying it out in cold weather? While waiting for spring ?
Or how about flushing it with “boiling” water and SAVE runoff of nutrients for later watering?
 
#10
BB22 said:
Very interested in your process 👍🤓💨
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I can't take credit...this is all borrowed from Welcome to the Growtent. Ideally, buy three bags of the soil you want, because the nute levels in FF soils can vary. Mix the bags so you're averaging. Then dump the soil into one or more tubs, and put those tubs under the exhaust hose from your inline fans. Stir them occasionally. After 3-4 weeks, the soil will be pretty dried out, and any bugs will be DOA.
 
#12
Man if I gotta go through all that trouble I aint buying it honestly hahaha. Fox farms is not available in Spain and I see some people having problems with their soil. That said top growers here also use it and as mentioned already if you do the right things it works, and it has good ammendments that most other soils wont have. Id rather buy light mix soil and ammend it myself though, never have I found half decomposed stuff or unwanted guests with my soil, but I guess thats what you get sometimes when you buy it wet with ammendments, you just have to work around it.
 
#13
If your gonna grow in soil then your gonna have soil bugs no matter who makes it. You can treat it with a little DE, just know there's beneficial bugs in there that might be casualties too and at the end of the day the soil bugs are more a pain in the ass than being truly destructive. Hang some pest strips. Get a chameleon. And grow some good dope!

 
#14
Ninjadogma said:
If your gonna grow in soil then your gonna have soil bugs no matter who makes it. You can treat it with a little DE, just know there's beneficial bugs in there that might be casualties too and at the end of the day the soil bugs are more a pain in the ass than being truly destructive. Hang some pest strips. Get a chameleon. And grow some good dope!

Click to expand...

I think the problem is that the soil already comes with bugs and not just a few sometimes, an infestation. I dont want critters in my soil I have microorganisms for that, their carcasses have caused me moldy soil in the past. Of course this is more of an indoor/pot problem since you can have hundreds in a single pot. I had fungus gnats in the past, sure, but it was my own wrongdoing I wouldnt appreciate fungus gnats with my newly bought soil. That said I respect the people who use it because once you solve that is a pretty solid soil and saves you time if you buy their ammendments you get good super soil quick without having to calculate much, Ive seen their ingredients in their soils and ammendments and its pretty much what I use with a couple of exceptions.
 
#15
And no, I dont want soil mites either hahaha but I understand why people use it, not trying to bash anyone, just not for me, nor can I buy it anyway 🤷‍♂️
 
#16
Fuck it, Im gonna say it 🤣
Ive seen people saying how it was better in the past. And I have a speculation. Now everyone and their mothers is buying fox farms and all of the sudden it comes with critters and half decomposed stuff, hence why soil mites otherwise they wouldnt be there. I have never had soil mites in my 12+ years of using ammendments and its obvious theyre having trouble trying to meet the demand. Again, just voicing my thoughts since most people are happy with the soil, I just wanna talk about the not so good side too but that doesnt mean its a bad soil. Its very solid thats why everyone in the US is buying it. Homemade beats mass produced also, but takes more effort.
 
#17
Imnew2cannabis said:
Hi I am new to doing my very 1st grow,,7 days in ..actually I got anxious and started early using my small bathroom. I am concerned about fungus gnats and spider mites
after looking at some videos ..it was mentioned that fox farms potting soil had fungus gnats in it >>?? let alone not good for Germination I will be growing outside when itwarms up in April God forbid I want them in my house. Thx
Click to expand...
 
#18
I haven't bought soil in a long time. I've been recycling Fox Farm's soil. I also add other ingredients. I've had gnats a few times. I'm sure they can come from various sources. We live in a wooded area where they're natural inhabitants. They thrive on organic matter. I haven't seen many since I've been recycling soil. I also let soil dry, but I've used other eradication methods, as well. Attacking the larvae in the upper layer of soil is quite effective. Careful watering is best. I didn't have much success with diatomaceous Earth, but I'm sure it can be effective. A quick way to kill them (and my personal favorite) is with baking soda, but that can be difficult to apply and can raise the pH of the soil if not done carefully.
 
#19
For fungus gnats infestation soak with mosquito bits tea. 3 treatments over 3 weeks should take care of them. Sticky traps for the fliers.
A layer of Garden pumice screened to 1/8 will also keep them out.
Better not to have them at all, they damage the roots. Since I've switched to Promix and bottom watering I have not had any bugs in 2 years,6 grows.
 
#20
Been using FFOF for over ten years, never had any bug issues. As said, you can get soil critters in any soil, it normally has more to do with how it's stored and for how long by the retailer, than at the production level. I will say I live pretty close to the original FF plant, so the soil I get is very fresh.
 
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