Question regarding current grow - Cal mag issue?

Waffleman · Dec 13, 2024

Hi there!

I started this grow about 2 months ago. I just wanted to ask for a second opinion.

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So one issue i seem to always get is that these little black flies show up whenever i try growing indoors. Its strange because they never show up in our house plants. But the moment I start growing MJ indoors these little shitbags show up. Not sure why, maybe the fact that its more humid in the tent or something?

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In any case I was able to fight them back a bit with Stenema (not sure what its called in english) but its basically small organisms that you put in water then in the soil and they eat the eggs/larvae if the flies.

What I want to ask more about is that one leaf has been showing this:

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There were already some signs of something not being right (i thought the flies) but i was also thinking its a cal-mag issue. Now that the leaf looks like this I would think even more so? But would like to get your expertise on this! I do notice when I give the plant water with Cal-mag it perks up more. So maybe I should give it more often. Currently I do a water - feed - water routine. Especially because before I have overused nutrients so maybe I'm being too careful? Would you suggest giving cal mag with each watering?

Thanks in advance!

Mikedin · Dec 13, 2024

Waffleman said:
Hi there!

I started this grow about 2 months ago. I just wanted to ask for a second opinion.

View attachment 2339432

So one issue i seem to always get is that these little black flies show up whenever i try growing indoors. Its strange because they never show up in our house plants. But the moment I start growing MJ indoors these little shitbags show up. Not sure why, maybe the fact that its more humid in the tent or something?

View attachment 2339433

In any case I was able to fight them back a bit with Stenema (not sure what its called in english) but its basically small organisms that you put in water then in the soil and they eat the eggs/larvae if the flies.

What I want to ask more about is that one leaf has been showing this:

View attachment 2339436

There were already some signs of something not being right (i thought the flies) but i was also thinking its a cal-mag issue. Now that the leaf looks like this I would think even more so? But would like to get your expertise on this! I do notice when I give the plant water with Cal-mag it perks up more. So maybe I should give it more often. Currently I do a water - feed - water routine. Especially because before I have overused nutrients so maybe I'm being too careful? Would you suggest giving cal mag with each watering?

Thanks in advance!

Gnat larvae are in the soil you bring in Stickies will keep the adults at bay but gotta tackle the root cause, eggs in the soil

I use misquote bits (BTI) in my water at all times, I keep about 1/2 cup in the bottom of 5 gallon water Jugs, use the water down to about 1/2 gallon left then refill, I rotate 3 jugs, and use 1 jug a day. After a week you’ll notice a decline. Another option is Diatomaceous earth also known as DE, it has to be put on top of the soil but stay dry, when the adults crawl through it it’s like glass on their exoskeleton an will essentially dehydrate them till they die

It’s also a great source of silica, but like silica it’s not good to breathe or get in your eyes I do mix some in to my soil at up pot then if you wanna use it for gnats, I water, then put down an inch of perlite on top of the soil then cover that with the DE

Blastfact · Dec 13, 2024

I use Gaia Green as my nutrient. So I mix Gaia Green, worm castings, DE in when I start a grow. And don't over water. No gnats or calmag needed.

StanM · Dec 13, 2024

Blastfact said:
I use Gaia Green as my nutrient. So I mix Gaia Green, worm castings, DE in when I start a grow. And don't over water. No gnats or calmag needed.

I do pretty much the same only I use a different brand of dry amendments. With photos I use DE at transplant and when top dressing or adding soil when it settles. A sticky trap in each pot and avoid over watering and allow them some dry time between waterings. If I see a few I know they’re going to be gone soon so I don’t do anything beyond my usual routine.

The only other critters I sometimes see is a spider that lives up by the light. He rappels down when I water to say hi. Seriously, they eat the bad bugs and don’t touch the plants.

Unfortunately I have not found a way to eliminate this pest.

StanM · Dec 13, 2024

PS, the buckets are 5 gallon and 3 1/2. I use them to even out the canopy with tall vs bushy plants. Works pretty well for my small scale medical garden. Chopped these autos yesterday at 75 days. There were a few fungus gnats the first week that succumbed to DE and sticky traps.

Waffleman · Dec 13, 2024

Thanks so much for all the replies! So actionable item would be to get DE and apply this to my soil. You were saying it needs to stay dry? So do you put a layer of DE after each watering or am i misunderstanding how it is used in the context of marijuana growing.

Halloweed · Dec 13, 2024

StanM said:
I do pretty much the same only I use a different brand of dry amendments. With photos I use DE at transplant and when top dressing or adding soil when it settles. A sticky trap in each pot and avoid over watering and allow them some dry time between waterings. If I see a few I know they’re going to be gone soon so I don’t do anything beyond my usual routine.

The only other critters I sometimes see is a spider that lives up by the light. He rappels down when I water to say hi. Seriously, they eat the bad bugs and don’t touch the plants.

Unfortunately I have not found a way to eliminate this pest. View attachment 2339514

That's a big ass pest! I love cats.

Halloweed · Dec 13, 2024

I was using DE but since I top water it's hard to keep dry and makes a mess. You would probably have to top dress after waterings.

And the sticky traps help alot.

Blastfact · Dec 13, 2024

StanM said:
I do pretty much the same only I use a different brand of dry amendments. With photos I use DE at transplant and when top dressing or adding soil when it settles. A sticky trap in each pot and avoid over watering and allow them some dry time between waterings. If I see a few I know they’re going to be gone soon so I don’t do anything beyond my usual routine.

The only other critters I sometimes see is a spider that lives up by the light. He rappels down when I water to say hi. Seriously, they eat the bad bugs and don’t touch the plants.

Unfortunately I have not found a way to eliminate this pest. View attachment 2339514

We have one of those Calico pest. Thank goodness she only likes the dog.

Blastfact · Dec 13, 2024

Waffleman said:
Thanks so much for all the replies! So actionable item would be to get DE and apply this to my soil. You were saying it needs to stay dry? So do you put a layer of DE after each watering or am i misunderstanding how it is used in the context of marijuana growing.

Just break up the soil in your pot and blend it in and forget about it. Watering has nothing to do with it... Water like always. Here is one of my setups. The soil in the pot is already made up and ready to grow with 50% fresh Ocean Forest, 25% reclaimed soil, 25% coco, Gaia Green, worm castings, de. The jar is a premade up Gaia Green, Recharge and de feed to be used around the 7 to 8 week mark in the grow. The pot is 7 gal. And thats about a 1-1/2 cups of de. Smallest pot I use is 5 gal. For a 5 gal pot make up I use 2 cups of de. Then top dress 1 cup of de mid grow. 7 gal pot make up is 3 cups of de with 1-1/2 cups mid grow. It's bone idle simple....

Waffleman · Dec 14, 2024

Blastfact said:
Just break up the soil in your pot and blend it in and forget about it. Watering has nothing to do with it... Water like always. Here is one of my setups. The soil in the pot is already made up and ready to grow with 50% fresh Ocean Forest, 25% reclaimed soil, 25% coco, Gaia Green, worm castings, de. The jar is a premade up Gaia Green, Recharge and de feed to be used around the 7 to 8 week mark in the grow. The pot is 7 gal. And thats about a 1-1/2 cups of de. Smallest pot I use is 5 gal. For a 5 gal pot make up I use 2 cups of de. Then top dress 1 cup of de mid grow. 7 gal pot make up is 3 cups of de with 1-1/2 cups mid grow. It's bone idle simple....

View attachment 2339715

Ah i gotcha, what would you recommend for someone who has the plant already growing in the pot? :p I will try this out on my next grow but with the current one I don't think breaking up the soil is an option anymore. Anything I can still do with the DE even though the plant has already been growing in the pot?

Blastfact · Dec 14, 2024

Waffleman said:
Ah i gotcha, what would you recommend for someone who has the plant already growing in the pot? :p I will try this out on my next grow but with the current one I don't think breaking up the soil is an option anymore. Anything I can still do with the DE even though the plant has already been growing in the pot?

What?????? You can break up and crush soil in your hands that's in your pots and work it up. Break up and crush the top 1/2" to 1" of soil. You should already be doing that to help make watering your plants and getting ferts to them easier. Put the DE on the broken up soil and mix it into the soil you just broke up. You don't need to dig down in a planted pot 6" to top dress and mix.

Waffleman · Dec 14, 2024

Blastfact said:
What?????? You can break up and crush soil in your hands that's in your pots and work it up. Break up and crush the top 1/2" to 1" of soil. You should already be doing that to help make watering your plants and getting ferts to them easier. Put the DE on the broken up soil and mix it into the soil you just broke up. You don't need to dig down in a planted pot 6" to top dress and mix.

Ah okay, thanks! Ye this is my second time trying to grow indoor so my experience is very low xD I was more worried about upsetting the roots or something if I were to break up the soil. Didn't even know thats something you should do regardless of using DE or not. I'll start incorporating it, many thanks!

m8ty · Dec 14, 2024

mosquito dunks in the water is most practical, use it every time you water, and hopefully you're watering once a week as to not overwater, gnats appreciate over watering.

Waffleman · Dec 16, 2024

Thanks for all the replies! In the meantime things have taken a turn for the worse with the plant. Couple days after some leaves that were showing signs of issues really got worse rapidly. I'm not sure what the problem is to be honest. Again I used stenema in the water to deal with the gnats + stickies. I do still see some at times but much much less than before, so I would assume thats not the exact issue causing the deterioration in the plant. Anyone got any ideas on what this might be?

I'm not overwatering as far as I know. Weird thing was after I added cal mag a couple of days ago it seemed to perk up the plant, only to get much worse a couple days after. I'm pretty stumped as to what it is at this point. Maybe nute lock?

The bottom leaves are showing the worst signs, but the top ones that before looked fine are starting to show some signs as well + the growth has definitely come to a halt.

Budtirement · Dec 16, 2024

Waffleman said:
I'm not overwatering as far as I know. Weird thing was after I added cal mag a couple of days ago it seemed to perk up the plant, only to get much worse a couple days after. I'm pretty stumped as to what it is at this point. Maybe nute lock?

The bottom leaves are showing the worst signs, but the top ones that before looked fine are starting to show some signs as well + the growth has definitely come to a halt.

Please take some pictures in normal white light if you can. Some pics of the leaves and some of the whole plant from a few angles.
What kind of soil medium are you using? Are you using a brand name product? Are those air-pots?
Describe your watering procedure in detail please. I think with air-pots you need to water them a lot since they have many holes for root aeration. Perhaps there's someone here who has used them who can guide you on proper watering practice. I was just reading that it's really hard to over water air-pots unless they are in standing water. The water can just drip out anywhere. Since the water can just drip out it makes me think it might be difficult to get them fully wet all the way to the bottom at watering time. I think that could cause the leaf issue. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just guessing here, but I imagine it might be easiest to water a pot like that by setting it in a bucket of water for 10 minutes every 3 or 4 days.
Is there a good thread on using air-pots?

jrok96 · Dec 16, 2024

We still using those blurple leds these days . It's hard to see whay going on with that dang thing turned on?

Halloweed · Dec 17, 2024

Could the Cal-Mag have locked out other nutrients?

Also, I use fabric pots and have found you will need to water them more often. They dry out faster.

Agree with Budtirement. It's hard to see what could be going on.

Dawgg · Dec 17, 2024

I switched to Coco Coir and perlite 50/50 mix called cloud coir and never have seen the little fkrs again lol you water just like a hydro system daily with nutes - bye bye gnats

Gmix · Dec 17, 2024

I use nematodes they are harmless & munch them right up.

De sorta works but not to well especially not with the infestation, you have by lots of the sticky traps.

Fungus Fly Killer Nematodes

What are Fungus Flies? The Fungus Fly, also known as the Sciarid Fly, can cause severe damage to plants. These tiny flies will lay eggs in compost or soil, from which larvae will develop. The larvae feed on young plants and seedlings at propagation. Fungus Fly are also a common pest in...

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Question regarding current grow - Cal mag issue?

Question regarding current grow - Cal mag issue?

Waffleman

Mikedin

Living Soil Student

Blastfact

StanM

StanM

Waffleman

Halloweed

Halloweed

Blastfact

Blastfact

Waffleman

Blastfact

Waffleman

m8ty

Waffleman

Attachments

Budtirement

jrok96

Halloweed

Dawgg

Gmix

Fungus Fly Killer Nematodes

Question regarding current grow - Cal mag issue?

Question regarding current grow - Cal mag issue?

Waffleman

Mikedin

Living Soil Student

Blastfact

StanM

StanM

Waffleman

Halloweed

Halloweed

Blastfact

Blastfact

Waffleman

Blastfact

Waffleman

m8ty

Waffleman

Attachments

Budtirement

jrok96

Halloweed

Dawgg

Gmix

Fungus Fly Killer Nematodes

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