diatomaceous earth Powder causing drainage problems

[Garderner88]

So I’m having an issue with root aphids in my grow i read about this stuff being really good and organic way to kill them i put some on about an inch layer on top of my coco and now i feel like I’m having a drainage issue since it turns into a paste when wet.

was thinking maybe it’ll clear itself out after my next watering or if i should do a good flush with just water ph’d any input would be appreciated thanks

 

[Vagician]

An inch of DE is way too much. I just sprinkle some on top of the soil and work it into the top few inches but it hasn't ever made the pasty/cake kind of thing. It doesn't take much for DE to work.

 

[Garderner88]

An inch of DE is way too much. I just sprinkle some on top of the soil and work it into the top few inches but it hasn't ever made the pasty/cake kind of thing. It doesn't take much for DE to work.

So do you think I’m going to have a problem or will it just kind of wash itself

 

[Edinburgh]

I use de exclusively, even killed off thrips on seedlings, but an inch way way way i can keep going to much, with de you let your topsoil dry and sprinkle around plant not much but it must remain dry, you can lighley dust your fans, after 72 hours a light flush and ph check and 99.99%of time your good, more is not better, more this more that keep things simple, well you somehow must flush it all out, next time go easy, but thats how we learn by our mistakes and dont feel bad I've made some doozies.

 

[Vagician]

So do you think I’m going to have a problem or will it just kind of wash itself

If possible you should try to remove the excess, mostly because of the watering issue that it is creating. DE is basically microscopic shards of silica that get wedged in and cut up the pests crawling through it. Because of this you should also be very careful not to breathe any in as it can cause some pretty serious lung damage which is hard to recover from because your body doesn't absorb silica. It basically scars your lung tissue, permanently reducing their capacity.

 

[Jimster]

Try to remove as much of the paste as possible as it can raise the Ph if used in excess. DE is supposed to be dusted or sprinkled on, not planted in! Seriously, though... you should try to remove as much of the loose DE and paste that you can. If you give a regular water drink, it might help to break it up a little. It is made out of the fossilized remains of diatoms, tiny water organisms that turn into a powder that has very sharp edges... to us it is OK in reasonable quantities, but to bugs, the sharp edges cut into their bodies and cause water loss and respiration damage... bugs dehydrate and die.

 

[Garderner88]

Thank you all very much I’m cleaning off the top soil which has little paste on it and going to put some more coco/ perlite to replace it