Is Coast of Maine Stonington blend buggie right out the bag?

[Canachris]

I thought I had heard or red somewhere that COM Stonington blend was prone to having gnats or fruit-flies rite outta the bag. The last I used it I did have a bad bug infestation, it also was warmer and I was eating more bannas and they come with fruit flies. just curious cuz I killed a lil fly in grow area this morn an I haven't seen any bugs for months in here

 

[013]

Hey Chris,

Sorry - no experience with Coast of Maine Stonington brand soil mix. The big deal is often age plus how and where it pallets are stored. Outdoors makes it easy for weather to get to them and all they need is a torn bag or just 1 ant, 1 cricket or 1 mouse and it spreads from there.

think I read over at IntheSheds place where one soil manufacturer was adding black mites to eradicate the fungus gnats within a particular brands bagged soil products.

bump to put you back up top and let’s see if we can generate more replies

 

[Bill284]

I thought I had heard or red somewhere that COM Stonington blend was prone to having gnats or fruit-flies rite outta the bag. The last I used it I did have a bad bug infestation, it also was warmer and I was eating more bannas and they come with fruit flies. just curious cuz I killed a lil fly in grow area this morn an I haven't seen any bugs for months in here

I've never used it in particular.
But if I use bagged soil I cook it first regardless of the saurce .
I've seen many infestations from soil bags.
Takes a couple hours but better than bugs.
Good luck.
Happy growing.

Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Canachris]

Hi Bill, lost track of this. do you think pouring boiling water into a container of just soil would work

 

[Bill284]

Hi Bill, lost track of this. do you think pouring boiling water into a container of just soil would work

It might but I can't guarantee that it will.
The only thing I can guarantee is cooking it in the oven.
A big metal container and an hour in the oven at 350 kills everything, guaranteed.
Bugs are no joke.
A couple hours work will save a ton of heartache.
Never found any bugs in coco, jus saying.


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[Keffka]

Hi Bill, lost track of this. do you think pouring boiling water into a container of just soil would work

You could bake it like @Bill284 recommends but you will kill all the life, beneficial stuff included. Since it’s coast of Maine you’re depending on that beneficial life. Killing off everything in the soil defeats the purpose of spending extra money on coast of Maine. You would benefit from reading about the soil food web if you would like to continue with organic soils. Once you have your soil balanced according to the food web, bugs are no longer an issue.

For a short term solution that doesn’t involve killing everything you can use bti

You can pickup btI which is usually in mosquito dunks or bits. You can soak it in water overnight then water the soil. Do this again one week later, problem solved.

Unless you’re buying directly from the manufacturer you’re gonna deal with bugs in commercial soils. It’s almost unavoidable. Even if your soil doesn’t have bugs, it sits on a pallet next to other soils in the warehouses and at the store. All bags come with holes in them for oxygen and it’s no problem for bugs to slip through those holes.

Also, make sure you know the difference between fungus gnats and fruit flies. Fruit flies are coming from something food related in your house, not your grow. Fungus gnats are coming from either damp soil or from the store. If you haven’t had an issue in months I’d say it’s probably fruit flies. If it were me I would pickup yellow sticky cards and hang them in the grow. This way you’ll be able to tell what it is, and whether or not it’s in your grow or somewhere in your house. Then you can make a decision from there so you’re not spending time and effort fighting the wrong pest

Good luck Chris, you’ve had some awesome results so keep going!

 

[Janluna]

I have been using it for a couple of grows and it is prone to come with a healthy serving of gnats. However it is an excellent soil to grow with and recommend it to anybody starting to get into organic growing.

I prep and pot the soil 2 weeks ahead of transplant, by treating it with a mosquito bits and spread and mix diatomaceous earth on the top 2 inches of the soil.

This has worked wonders for me. Good luck

 

[Keffka]

I have been using it for a couple of grows and it is prone to come with a healthy serving of gnats. However it is an excellent soil to grow with and recommend it to anybody starting to get into organic growing.

Honestly, if you buy a bag of organic potting mix and it doesn’t have fungus gnats I’m not sure how healthy it is. Fungus gnats are there because there’s food and conditions are suitable for life.

 

[Janluna]

 

[Janluna]

Honestly, if you buy a bag of organic potting mix and it doesn’t have fungus gnats I’m not sure how healthy it is. Fungus gnats are there because there’s food and conditions are suitable for life.

 

[Canachris]

well it turned to not be an issue. I think the last time I used it my problem was fruit flies. ever since I started putting the bananas in the fridge an the disposed peels in a ziplock then in the trash. bugs haven't been an issue. thanks for everyone's input