I baked the soil in 2 plastic bags out in the sun. Saw 0 fungus gnats fly out! The soil was steaming hot, so there's no way anything survived. Thank you MikeInOz!

Not at all. You soak the bits in water and then use that water to water your plants. The bacteria in the bits get into the water and then kill the gnats. Thank you very much! Do you have a link to the ones you use? I bought them years ago. Here is the manufacturer's site: https://summitchemical.com...

Espoma sells a wide range of organic products. I bought their cactus fertilizer solely for the added microorganisms. Various soil bacteria and soil fungi. These are naturally found in our soils. What is found in the desert remains to be seen. I wish I knew. Fungus gnats: open the bag and let it dry...

Thank you! How long do I leave out for? Last time I did it the outside temp was about 30 degrees C and after about 4 hours the mix was too hot to handle. When it gets to that temperature you can be absolutely sue there will be no living insects of any kind left. Some weed seeds still make it throug...

The best way to treat the media is to solarize it. If you are still getting hot sunny days, put the mix into a clear plastic bag and lay it on it's side in full sun. Try to flatten it out to make it about 4 inches deep and fold over the opening of the bag to hold in the heat. The mix must be moist ...

Espoma sells a wide range of organic products. I bought their cactus fertilizer solely for the added microorganisms. Various soil bacteria and soil fungi. These are naturally found in our soils. What is found in the desert remains to be seen. I wish I knew. Fungus gnats: open the bag and let it dry...

ohugal wrote: ↑Wed Sep 06, 2023 9:11 pm As far as I know fungus gnats need moist soil in order to survive. Since the soil will mostly be dry, I don't think they pose a significant threat.

Inside the bag is pretty moist. Should I just let it air out?

Hello, I bought Espoma cactus soil, and once I opened it, I saw a few fungus gnats. How.do I sterilize the cactus soil in the oven? This product touts that it contains fungus on the label, and the gnats help to prove that. If you sterilize the soil, it most likely will kill the fungi, which defeats...

Hello, I bought Espoma cactus soil, and once I opened it, I saw a few fungus gnats. How.do I sterilize the cactus soil in the oven?

zpeckler wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 3:45 am

darth1211 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 2:54 am I've seen Spider Farmer's grow lights, but I don't have a canopy to hang the lights on. The plants are on my windowsill.

Ah, gotcha. Well, no need for anything particularly fancy. I just stuck together some 3/4" PVC I had lying around to hang my lights from.

Would 60 watts work?

I've been using some Spider Farmer grow lights for cactus seedlings for two years now. I know you said you didn't want LEDs, but I can't recommend Spider highly enough. Having the dimmer switch makes them incredibly useful for getting your seedlings acclimated to brighter light, and at max they're ...

Hello, I have a few cactuses and succulents, and I can't seem to find what wattage they need. I am trying to find a lamp for them. Dont want linear LED battens. The plants are facing east, and people say that's a bad side for indirect sunlight. So I've been recommended to buy a grow light, but can't...

I can't find any local Bonsai Nurseries. Might have to buy online. Don't get too hung up on pumice -- as I said in a previous post, granite gravel will do just fine. Check out your local nurseries here... https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=gardening&find_loc=Woodbridge%2C+VA+22191 ..then pick up ...

I can't find any local Bonsai Nurseries. Might have to buy online. Don't get too hung up on pumice -- as I said in a previous post, granite gravel will do just fine. Check out your local nurseries here... https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=gardening&find_loc=Woodbridge%2C+VA+22191 ..then pick up ...

Okay, that's good to know! When you add mineral gravel (pumice, granite gravel, etc.), you can do it proportionally: Add 1 part mineral gravel to 2 parts cactus soil. The resulting mix will give you a total of 50% soil and 50% mineral, so that should be just fine. Mix the ingredients thoroughly in ...