Hi all so i made the switch to organics a few months ago and everything is going good thanks to a few members on theses forums. I do have a few questions about using a sipp setup 1. If I feed my plants a tea while using a sipp system do I water the soil or the reservoir filled with perlite? 2. I was told I could use molasses to remove the chlorine from tap water when I do this do I water the soil or the tray? Also how much molasses per gallon of water? 3. I think algae is growing on the top layer of perlite is this ok? Is there a way to remove it or prevent it from happening? 4. I'm getting a lot of little flies flying around the pots and soil how do I keep them away? Tried using sticky paper it killed a lot of them but there still seem to be some always flying around Thanks
I can help you answer a couple of those questions. 2. Molasses will not remove chlorine from water. Letting the water sit out for 24 hours will allow the chlorine to evaporate naturally. The other way to remove chlorine would be by reverse osmosis water purification. Usually you want to add about 1 table spoon of Black Strap molasses. If you can't get Black Strap, get Unsulfered. 4. Amending neem cake seems like a great way to create a defense system in your soil to defend off those flies and other bugs. Check out http://www.neemresource.com It costs about $90 to $105 shipped for a huge 44 pound bag of neem cake from them depending on your location. Just amend 1/2 cup per cubic foot of soil. I think that ground up crab shell helps a bit for the plants self defense and other things.
1. Remove your plants to a drain tray to apply compost teas. Apply to the soil. You don't want ANYTHING in your reservoir other than straight up water. 2. I have heard/read that adding any organic material (molasses, EWC, citric acid) to chlorinated water will remove the chlorine. How much for how long, I have no idea. I have a well. Best to follow Rizzo's advise and let it sit overnight. I'd put an airstone in it for good measure. 3. Don't worry about the algae. Other than being an eyesore, it will do no damage to your plants. When you're done with this grow, just set the perlite out in the sun for a few hours to "sterilize". Then reuse. 4. I don't get flies in my garden. But if memory serves, putting a good layer of DE (diatomaceous earth) on top of your soil will kill the larvae before they transform into flies. Continue using the sticky paper for the adults. Get the yellow stuff if you don't have it. Apparently it really attracts them. Good luck!
Alright so I'll order some neem cake from Kis since I have to order a few other things from him as well. And I usually have a garbage can filled with water always being aerated but right now I don't. I'm going to buy a few gallons of water at the supermarket for now. One more question How much molasses do I use per gallon just for normal watering? And should I stop giving the plants molasses prior to chopping or is it good for every watering up until I chop?
I use a table spoon of molasses per every gallon of water and give it that about every other watering until the chop. You can do every other or every third. Or you can even stop giving it molasses a week or two before you chop. It really don't matter. Molasses is organic so you can use it all the way to the end if you want. I buy that stuff called Strapped which comes in gallon containers. Its pretty cheap to get it that way.
On using molasses... http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-growing-techniques/290744-using-molasses-nutrient.html
Thanks for all the info once again I'll put it to good use. +rep for molasses link I learned a lot from it