Grow Journal Reports

Starting another Sea Of Green with my MAC 1. Vegged her longer this time to 18 inches. Flowers started showing on day 6. This should be a really good grow because the clones were really healthy and uniform in size.

I am running them under my HLG 650R and using House and Garden nutrients. I wont be using the Top Shooter this grow. It caused foxtailing and reduced trichome production. I really like the rest of their line though and will continue using it. You can see my last MAC SOG on my sister site here: MAC 1 SOG HOUSE AND GARDEN GROW – 420 GROWER

MAC 1 is a clone only strain. She is the perfect plant for a sea of green because of her narrow upright profile but she is not an easy plant to grow. She is a very slow vegger for one thing. She needs a ton of CaliMagic to grow right too. Her buds are rock hard and caked with trichomes. I think a plant that produces buds of her quality is worth the extra trouble.

I have a review of my nutrient line up here: HOUSE AND GARDEN AQUA FLAKES REVIEW – MY FLOWER CYCLE – How To Grow Weed Indoors (420dotcom.com)

Sea Of Green Clones Set In Day 0

So the clones were set into my flood and drain table. There are 21 in 6 inch net pots. Growstones with the clones themselves in a small coco plug in the center. A bit of droop from the transplant but they will pick up fast.

MAC 1 SOG The First 2 Weeks

Growth has been explosive. I removed a lot of lower branches and bud sites. This will focus growth on the buds up top that get the most light. I hate trimming small larfy buds so I do all I can to eliminate them early in the grow. I really have not had to do a leaf stripping on these girls because all buds are getting light.

 

GROWING THE MAC WEEK 3

Week 3 in my sea of green is looking good. Buds are starting to size up and frost is showing up too. Thanks to aggressive branch and lower bud removal I do not need to leaf strip these girls. I removed a few fan leaves that were directly on top of buds though. In the next few weeks buds should really start to grow.

GROWING THE MAC I DAY 28

I love sea of green growing and I love growing the MAC 1 in it. It has the perfect structure for SOG because it grows as a narrow column. Not a lot of branching but what there is grows close to the main stem and is pretty upright. So on day  28 I did a res change. I dropped the Power Si Bloom and went with just the Aqua Flakes A+B, Bud XL and Top Booster. I had really good results with the Top Booster last time. I ran it earlier and longer than their feed chart says and my buds exploded in size. Hoping for the same result again.

I will not run the Top Shooter again. It promotes foxtailing and seems to reduce resin too. It is the only product in the House and Garden line that I dont like. Here are a few day 28 MAC 1 pics:

 

 

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DLI ANYONE? DAY 35 DIMMING THE LIGHTS?

This is a lower bud on day 35. It is much frostier than my upper buds that are getting full light. Which leads me to wonder if my plants are getting too much light. I am running my HLG 650 R and it puts out a lot of light in that small space.

Are you familiar with DLI? It stands for Daily Light Integral and it is often used by greenhouse growers to calculate how much supplemental lighting to use. There is a formula that measures the amount of photons a plant gets each day and different plants have different light levels. Cannabis requires a lot more than most crops.

I am not going to get real technical here other than to say there can be too much of a good thing. In practical terms there are 2 ways to adjust it. One is dimming the light levels and the other is to shorten the time lights are on. Some growers routinely run 11 hours on and 13 off in flower. It generally does not hurt yield and can make them finish a bit earlier.

I measure my light with a par meter and keep my par levels under 1000 which is the max weed can use without CO2. Sometimes a few taller plants can get a bit more though. LED light can be pretty intense and it wont burn your leaves. In extreme cases it can cause bleaching and high light can cause other leaf issues and even stunting.

All my MAC 1 buds are frosty but I want all my buds to look like the above picture. So I am turning my lights down a bit to see if there is any affect and will wait a few days to see if there is a difference. I noticed my lowers are getting about 400 micromoles which is half what the top is getting. Some strains dont like as much light as others. Some will foxtail if they get too much light but some wont do this as this trait is more linked to Sativa genetics.

DAY 42 AND 11/13 LIGHT CYCLE

So I changed my light cycle from 12/12 to 11/13. DLI is an important factor to consider. I used to just monitor my par levels but I have learned sometimes that is not enough. This is especially true with high powered LED lights like the HLG 650R.

Plants wont show heat stress like you would with HPS but too much light can also cause stress. On my MAC 1 the lowers were much frostier than the uppers. While they have not caught up I do see improvement of the trichomes.

MAC 1 WAS HARVESTED DAY 63

The lighting change seemed to bring a bit more trichome coverage and I dont think it will affect yield. I debated taking these girls 70 days but I have plants backed up and ready to go in.

They are done but I wanted a bit more fade. They are not really drinking and white hairs are gone. Trichs are cloudy which is how I like them. There are some really nice purple highlights on the buds and they look really good. Here are some pics:

Here is a video from Instagram since YouTube wont show them anymore.

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Starting a new grow with 8 mixed up moms from my veg tent. Death Bubba, Animal Cookies, MAC 1, Koffee F3, GMO, GG4, Black Banana Cookies, and Tropicanna Cookies.Lighting is HLG 650R and running Media Feed from Dutch Master Commercial Edition nutes.

2 CLOSETS ON DAY 15

Closet 1 is 8 mixed up moms from my veg tent. Death Bubba, Animal Cookies, MAC 1, Koffee F3, GMO, GG4, Black Banana Cookies, and Tropicanna Cookies. Closet 2 is a mixed SOG with Gorilla Bubble, Platinum Candy, Bad N Boujee, BBC, GMO and Koffee Lighting is HLG 650R and running Media Feed from Dutch Master Commercial Edition nutes.

THANKS FOR WATCHING! PLEASE LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE!
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Full HLG 650R review at: https://420dotcom.com/hlg-650r-review.html
MAC 1 SOG at: https://420dotcom.com/mac-1-sog-under-the-hlg-650r.htmlhttps://420dotcom.com/mac-1-sog-under-the-hlg-650r.html
•
You can buy the HLG 650R direct from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2WuOHDf
Or buy through my Amazon Store at: https://www.amazon.com/shop/howtogrowweed420
•
Dutch Master Nutrients Review:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/howtogrowweed420

You can order Dutch Master Nutrients here:
https://dutchmasternutrients.com/?rfsn=4449097.f8ec40
Use discount code 420GROWER10

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YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvMLDq605YnUc54Vq2vBrrw?

STAY GREEN Y’ALL!!!

Day 21 Time To Leaf Strip My Mixed Moms

Closet #1 on day 21 all my mixed up moms were leaf stripped and a trellis was put on. Plants are coming out of a calmag deficiency. They were not getting enough in veg even though Veg + Bloom shows adequate amounts on the label.

Since they are in coco and under LED lighting they need supplemental calcium and magnesium and I dont think there is a base nute available that has enough without supplementation. Although my Dutch Master feed chart calls for adding it it doesn’t seem to be enough at least for coco.

Normally I use coco for my moms and flower in grow stones but since closet 1 is moms I am rotating out I just kept everything in its original 1/2 gallon containers. I put them into 1 gallon pots with a couple of inches of grow stones in the bottom. This lets me run them in flood and drain without over watering.

I want to make sure all the buds will get good light because these are larger plants for the most part. So right now they look pretty bare but they will fill out.

Day 28 Mixed Up Moms Bud Shots

I just like to call these plants mixed up moms because they are all different strains that I have been holding in my veg tent for clones. Now they are in flower and judging by the buds they are not mixed up at all as far as knowing what to do.

Day 28 Silica And Testing Power Si Bloom

Things have recovered nicely from the leaf strip and I see trichome production coming on nicely.

MIXED MOMS DUTCH MASTER POWER SI BLOOM UPDATE

Things are going well on day 42. I am seeing a difference with the Power Si Bloom. My buds continue to show fresh pistil growth after they had stalled out. Also I have noticed the smell getting much stronger. I am happy with the Dutch Master line but I have swapped out their silica supplement for the Power Si Bloom

DAY 63 BUD SHOTS AND HPS VS LED

Looks like YouTube is blocking my videos because they are restricted so you will need to watch them on my channel and while you are there please like and subscribe. Fortunately I have pictures too.

Day 63 Video of my Mixed Up Moms And HPS VS LED

You can watch video on 420 Grower my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/T6tcq9FfdBk or on my Instagram page.

 

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Bad ‘n Boujee is a Chem 91 by Black Banana cross from Solfire Gardens. The Chem 91 is crossed with an unknown strain although I am sure Solfire knows what it is. He’s just not telling!

I only have second hand information on this strain and was told the buds were really nice and the gassy Chem terp profile was out of this world. I was gifted a pack of Solfire’s Bad ‘n Boujee and decided to give it a grow. More info on this strain and genetics can be found at: https://en.seedfinder.eu/strain-info/Bad_n_Boujee/Solfire_Gardens/

I popped 12 seeds and got 6 girls and 6 boys which I culled. Back up clones of the girls were taken and then they were put into flower. There was some height differences with 2 tall, 2 medium and 2 shorter plants.

Sharing the grow are 3 MAC 1 and a GMO. These plants are larger and to be honest I may decide to pull the GMO because I have heard it needs 11 weeks or more to fully mature and everything else will be done much sooner. They are in coco with a layer of growstones underneath and the rest of the plants are just in growstones.

I will be running Dutch Master Commercial Edition nutrients for this grow and running a HLG 650R for lighting. There are 10 plants in a 2×4 flood tray.

Bad ‘n Boujee Tester Grow Day 1

So far I like the Dutch Master line. It is very clean. It is a 3 part with micro, grow and bloom. When I started using their standard feed chart but my plants looked a bit underfed so I switched to the aggressive feed which contains more calmag and more bloom. Since I was not familiar with them it seemed safer to start lower and see how the plants react.

They sell from their website and if you want to try them and get 10% off go to:
https://dutchmasternutrients.com/?rfsn=4449097.f8ec40 Use discount code 420GROWER10

Bad ‘n Boujee Day 7

Some flowers are starting to show on the Mac 1 and I am seeing white hairs on the Bad ‘n Boujee so everything should be in full flower by week 2.

Growth has been good on these plants. I am trialing Dutch Master nutrients. I have switched to an aggressive feed after starting on a standard feed. I noticed some signs of cal/mag deficiency on the Macs. They are in coco so probably needed more.

These plants seem to be a different shade of green than I am used to seeing. They almost look a bit underfed but they are growing well. The Bad ‘n Boujee is in growstones so I dont want to go too high on the ppms. Right now I am at 900 with a pH of 6.

B ‘n B, GMO, MAC 1 Day 14

Day 14 is here and everything is flowering. The MAC 1 was the first to flower and so far has the largest buds. The plants look good and so far the Dutch Master nutrients seem to be working quite well.

You can order Dutch Master Nutrients here:
https://dutchmasternutrients.com/?rfsn=4449097.f8ec40
Use discount code 420GROWER10

DAY 14 OF FLOWER PICS

DAY 21 BNB MAC 1 GMO LOTS OF TRICHOMES!

Things are looking really good on day 21. Plants are eating and drinking a lot and stretch is ending. Did some leaf stripping and branch removal on the BNB (Bad ‘n Boujee) She is going to be a frost monster. The MAC 1 is also very frosty but the GMO not so much at this point.

The Dutch Master nutrients are working really well. No nutrient burn or clawing even though my ppms are higher than what I usually run. Plants are a healthy green, nutes ppms and pH are very stable and there are no deficiency or toxicity symptoms.

DAY 21 BUD SHOTS

BAD ‘N BOUJEE MAC 1 GMO DAY 35

Bad ‘N Boujee is a Chem x Black Banana cross from Solfire Gardens . Also running some larger MAC 1 and GMO plants. Running a HLG 650R for lights and Dutch Masters Commercial Edition nutes. Day 35 and seeing some crazy frost production on the Bad N Boujee and the MAC 1. The GMO has some really incredible stacking. Trichome production is not as heavy as the other plants but is increasing.

GMO DAY 42 TRICHS AINT EVERYTHING

GMO IS NOT THE FROSTIEST STRAIN BUT IT IS THE MOST POTENT PROVING THAT TRICHOMES DONT TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
Bad ‘N Boujee is a Chem x Black Banana cross from Solfire Gardens . Also running some larger MAC 1 and GMO plants. Running a HLG 650R for lights and Dutch Masters Commercial Edition nutes.

BAD N BOUJEE DAY 56

Another long video. Worth the watch though I know most only watch about 5 minutes. For those with ADD bud shots are at 13:30 into the video.

Running a MAC 1 SOG under my new HLG 650R. MAC 1 is a great strain and the HLG 650R is a fantastic light so hopefully this combo will produce a great grow.

GROWING MAC 1

MAC 1 is a strain created by Capulator. It pairs a Starfighter bred with a Columbian landrace strain as the male and an Alien Cookies girl. This strain contains a lot of Alien genetics in its lineage and that makes it a very unique plant.

The leaves are very unique they are long and narrow like a sativa but the leaf edges often turn up.  This is normal and it is genetic. It is not tacoing or a sign something is wrong. I have grown Alien Rift and it does the exact same thing.

The leaves are long and arched. This plant does not pray like most other plants do. This gives the plant a very unique appearance and once you have seen how it grows you wont mistake it for anything else.

The MAC produces buds of fantastic quality but she is not the easiest plant to grow and you need to know her quirks if you want to get a decent yield out of her. She really likes dry feet. She actually grows best when dry, almost to the wilting point.

She is a stout plant and grows like an upright column. She is not overly tall or stretchy and node distance is close, almost too close. Her side branches are very upright and strong. No floppy branches on this girl.

She is a very slow vegger too. Every other plant I grow can be put in my SOG as soon as the clone has roots. Not the MAC. She will only get 2 feet tall this way and produce about 7 grams per plant.

So she needs to be vegged until she is 12 inches tall. I found she does best in sea of green with all leaves and side branches removed along the entire stem. One node and flip works best for the MAC 1.

THE HLG 650R ROCKS

So this is the newest light from Horticulture Lighting Group. This spectrum includes more blue than previous lights like the 550R and the 660 red for the best spectrum of any LED on the market. And it is a powerhouse.

My light is 48 inches above my plants and par readings are in the 3-400 range. That might not seem like much but at 48 inches it is a lot. I am going to leave it there for now and let the plants grow into it.

The coverage is very even and penetration will be excellent too. If you are looking for a top quality LED this is what you want. It is cheaper than the Gavita or Spider and has a better spectrum. You can buy it from Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2WuOHDf  Read my full review at: https://420dotcom.com/hlg-650r-review.html”>https://420dotcom.com/hlg-650r-review.html

MAC 1 SOG UNDER THE HLG 650R

There are 32 plants underneath the 650R. They sit inside a 2 x 4 flood table which is lined with a capillary mat made from polyester batting.

The clones were rooted in jiffy pellets and then once rooted into small 2-3 pots filled with coco to veg for several weeks. Ideally they need to veg several weeks until they are about 12 inches tall. At this point they are ready to flower.

In SOG I remove most if not all branches and leaves below the top node before they are potted. They are placed in 6 inch net pots and filled in around the coco with growstones.

Because coco can hold a lot of water I make sure the plant sits on an inch or two of growstones. That way the coco does not sit right on the top of the flood tray but is raised up a bit above it for better drainage. Remember that the MAC 1 does not like wet feet.

MAC 1 DAY 1 OF FLOWER

The girls have perked up nicely after a few days and now it’s time to flower them. I am loving this plant! She yields much better than I thought.

Buds are really dense on her. I had 3 plants last grow and one was smaller than the others but I ended up with an ounce per plant average. I had to weigh it twice because it looked like less than 3 ounces, maybe 2 but the scale was right the first time.

BUD SHOTS OF THE MAC

MAC SOG DAY 7

So after 7 days the plants are very close to flowering. About half have made it through the screen. The rest will hopefully make it through too. Not a fast vegger or big stretcher but the plants have another week or 2 to stretch.

Some plants are taller than others. This is because there were 2 batches of clones and one was started about 7 days ahead of the others. So they had some extra veg time. Even the larger plants only managed to stretch about 3 inches during the first week of flower.

Day 14 Stacking And New Combo Meter

Plants have made it through the trellis and there are a lot of buds showing up. The HLG 650R is working great. It was moved closer to the plants this week and is about 24 inches above the tallest plants. I am seeing really nice bud development throughout the plants.

New Combo Meter Milwaukee MW 802

My CWP 24/7 monitors are going on 3 years old now and the pH probes are dying. This is normal because they are made from a porous glass and they get depleted over time.

I have 2 hand held meters but they dont agree with the readings on the monitor so I wanted to cross check everything.

PH is particularly important especially in hydroponics because it controls nutrient uptake and can cause lockouts if too far out of whack.

Blue Lab and Hanna both make good instruments but I decided to go with the Milwaukee MW 802 combo meter. It has a 3 foot cord so you can drop it in your reservoir and it’s large and easy to read. I like the calibration wheels on it too.

One reason I went with the Milwaukee was replacement probes were much cheaper than the others. Unless you are going to throw the meter away you will need a new probe every couple of years. They also have been making testing equipment for many years plus they are a US company.

MAC 1 SOG 14 DAYS LOOKING GOOD!

DAY 18 THE FROST COMES TO MAC 1

When I looked at my plants this morning the tops looked white! They are already very frosty even though day 18 is pretty early for most strains. Things will only get better from here!

 DAY 21 THIRSTY MAC GIRLS

Day 21 has come and although the plants in this SOG are not large they are thirsty. They have been using a gallon a day and I just increased watering frequency. I was watering once a day and went to twice during week 2. But now in week 3 I have gone to 3 waterings a day.

MAC PICS WEEK 3

DAY 28 WHAT’S THAT SMELL?

Almost half way home. The frost is thick and they smell fantastic! The smell resembles apple pie to me. But everyone smells something different. However they all agree the smell is unique and quite nice!

I am probably going to remove some leaves this week. They have stacked pretty well. This plant grows like a column and branches are short, stout and held close to the main stem. So I want to increase light to the lower buds.

MAC 1 DAY 28 PICTURES

MAC 1 DAY 35

RULE BREAKER! MAC 1 DAY 42

Some plants just break all the rules that you think you know about growing. The MAC is one of those. I did a mid grow flush which is something I have done on all my other strains for years.

Well the MAC didn’t like that at all and I actually killed 2 plants by doing it. Started out looking like classic N deficiency a few days later and progressed to the whole plant pretty much dying back.

Fortunately only 2 plants were severely affected and it turned out the whole thing was unnecessary. There was no salt build up and the ppms came out at 400 even though I was feeding at close to 1000 ppm. Wont be doing that again with this strain. Live and learn.

MAC 1 BUD SHOTS DAY 48

DAY 56 Flushing And New Nutrients

Day 56 is here. I have been flushing for about 3 days now. Plants are starting to fade and are showing a lot of frost and some nice purples. This video is a combination of MAC 1 and an introduction to Dutch Master Nutrients which I will be switching to. You can read my Dutch Master review at: https://420dotcom.com/dutch-master-nutrients-review.html

HARVESTING MAC 1 SOG

Started harvesting the MAC 1 today. Buds feel really heavy so hoping for a good yield. Would have liked to go a bit longer but did not think it would be a good choice given the circumstances.

Some of the buds were totally dry as a result of the damage from the Rezin while others were still green and fading. I removed the damaged buds. But the buds are really dense and I was concerned about the chance of the dead buds spreading bud rot so I harvested the grow a few days earlier than planned.

MAC 1 SOG FINAL HARVEST BUD SHOTS

MAC 1 is Cap’s Cut of Miracle Alien Cookies it is clone only. Under a HLG 650 R in a Sea Of Green with 32 plants harvested day 60 of flower. Would have liked to go a bit longer but did not think it would be a good choice given the circumstances. Here are some harvest bud shots for you.

SOME STILL SHOTS OF MAC 1 BUDS

MAC 1 FINAL THOUGHTS

The quality of the grow was excellent. The buds had a fair amount of purple in them, far more than I expected. They were hard and dense with heavy trichome production and great smell. Kind of like apple pie with a cannabis bite to it. Very complex and hard to describe and very unique.

Yield in a 2×4 was just over 16 ounces but could probably been higher if not for the damage. I did not count the damaged buds I had removed. Larger clones probably would have produced more too.

The MAC 1 is a great clone only strain and produced one of the best quality harvests I ever had. Her upright column like growth habit makes her a perfect SOG plant. Her only drawback is her slow veg time but she is worth the wait. I will definitely be growing her again!

Want to know how to get rid of root aphids? It’s not easy for sure but read on, watch the video and kill these nasty little bastards dead in their tracks!

Root aphids are nasty little critters that can reduce yields or even ruin your harvest. They multiply quickly and are hard to kill and can be very hard to get rid of. Because they are in your roots and grow media you may not ever see them unless you look for them.

If you are seeing stunted plants or what looks like nutrient deficiencies in your leaves it is time to take a closer look inside your pots. Root aphids come in many colors like white, green, black and more. They also can vary in size. Years ago I had very small translucent root aphids that were sometimes called micros.

I beat them and never saw them again for years. Now they have reincarnated as large white aphids. I beat them back then and I will beat them again. I am going to tell you how so stick around.

How To Get Rid Of Root Aphids What To Do

Before you take controls to eliminate your infestation: First make sure you actually have root aphids! You may actually see them when you examine plant roots but some can be very small and you may need a [amazon_textlink asin=’B078N34WZR’ text=’jewelers loop’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’263a72f1-18cd-414b-920e-f222eb3c34da’] or [amazon_textlink asin=’B06WD843ZM’ text=’USB microscope’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’356f1a3b-775a-4864-ac07-7f7b9553a1ec’] to see them.
If you have fliers on yellow sticky traps make sure you can tell the difference between fungus gnats and root aphid flyers.

There is a good and very long forum thread here: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=159960
They do look similar so the best way to know for sure really is to find them on your roots.

ORGANIC ROOT APHID CONTROL

I use chemicals to get rid of root aphids but I realize many growers are organic and dont want to use them. Your job may be harder because it will be harder to eliminate the eggs. The first thing to eliminate them would be a root drench with pyrethrum. It will provide a quick knock down and kill your root aphids but if that is all you do they will definitely be back.
The Pyganic is OMRI certified and naturally derived and the cheaper Bonide product is synthetic and not certified.

[amazon_link asins=’B0035HA0AK’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’588d67e5-c5f9-429b-8be2-6bdbfa39df35′]

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Your mainline of defense after knocking them back will be Botanigard. This product is pretty expensive but contains a combination of pyrethrins and Beauveria bassiana which attacks the aphids. Since it has pyrethrins in it you may not need to purchase them separately. It comes as a liquid and a wettable powder. You will have to reapply it more than once to kill the root aphids off probably every 3 to 5 days at first. [amazon_link asins=’B000J2K34W’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ce518988-c684-4868-a42a-8713298b687b’]

[amazon_link asins=’B007ROV0BU,B01NH0PWXX’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’538ff263-71c3-4b98-a696-bcd6dfe8d760′]

[amazon_textlink asin=’B01NH0PWXX’ text=’Botanigard’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’faf5f321-961c-4c1e-9924-91cf7f666024′] may be a good option even for growers who are not organic per se.

There are a lot of various home remedies that organic growers use and claim to work but I would be cautious about trying them. For example a neem oil drench is recommended by some but can actually suffocate your roots. Generally speaking oils and soaps are bad for your roots.

Nematodes are often recommended as another weapon against root aphids for organic growers. Some say it works some say it doesn’t. A big problem is getting live ones. At least one breeder of nematodes when asked said they will not control them.

Some growers report success with [amazon_textlink asin=’B004Q2K31Y’ text=’Azamax’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’305e826d-a907-4fef-ab72-ba7ce7a3f58a’] which is a derivative of neem oil. I think it will be partially effective if used as a drench but it may damage roots. It may act to repel them if you spray your plants with it.

YELLOW STICKY TRAPS

Using [amazon_textlink asin=’B000I6K3JY’ text=’yellow sticky traps’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’58cb0a05-8457-4f94-9d60-c6590b642656′] is a good idea whether you grow organically or not. If you are using them to trap fungus gnats it is a good idea to check them for root aphid flyers too.

[amazon_link asins=’B000I6K3JY’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’622dd683-20fb-4931-9e28-2b004612e6ab’]

Root aphids damage the roots and cause them to die. Because fungus gnats are attracted to decomposing organic matter it is not uncommon to have both.

If you are seeing stunting, slow growth, smaller than normal leaves or unusual deficiency like symptoms in your leaves the problem may be caused by root aphids and not fungus gnats.

HOW TO GET RID OF ROOT APHIDS – NUKE ‘EM THE CHEMICAL APPROACH

I respect organic growers and in fact I was an organic grower myself many years ago before it was even popular and considered lunatic fringe.

But root aphids are a serious problem and can quickly get out of hand. They breed really fast and many organics are slow acting or dont kill eggs. I want to stop these buggers fast and not have to continue treating them for weeks on end.

Root drenching is stressful to plants so the less I have to do the better. So my approach is to nuke the little bastards. Once and done with insecticides can be less stressful than multiple treatments with neem oil for example.

So my #2 closet received an IMD treatment and I left it recirculating in the res for 5 days. I use [amazon_textlink asin=’B00C4Y2774′ text=’Merit 75 WP’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8aca8e19-38b6-48dd-a666-f81439087535′] Then the plants received a root drench with [amazon_textlink asin=’B015BSUY88′ text=’Orthene 97′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’buildkoipondc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d9134aa5-071a-4044-82e1-093e3b8b465a’]. I left this in for about 6 hours and then flushed the reservoir.

I could not find IMD as wettable powder so not sure if it is available. It seems to come in pouches now or granules but it will still work although mixing may be different. As with all chemicals make sure to read the label and measure and calibrate so you dont over apply. More is not better and may harm plants.

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So now I am seeing positive results. Last grow plants never really rooted into the mat under them. But this time I am seeing healthy white root growth and it is growing into the root mat and spreading out.