Salt content: quartz is totally inert. Silicon dioxide. Just like glass. And.. if there were any salt, a simple rinse would remove it. But, if the product is being sold for a plant use, I doubt the seller would sell it if it could damage plants. Think of the bad publicity.
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Yea. It' has a "better homes and gardens" label on it. So I really doubt the sand is to blame. But the seedlings I sprinkled it over (Not Copiopoa) didn't seem to like it. It's like they started shrinking. I turned them on their side to knock most of it off. probably just coincidence,and the gnats were to blame. I only sprinkled the sand/quartz on the seedlings that weren't doing so good.
Copiapoa cinerea
Re: Copiapoa cinerea
I guess I have more quartz sand on there than I remembered. I have kind of been neglecting them lately.
My ages on the plants wasn't right either. The seeds came from Mesa Garden.
The margineta were sewn last september,and unbagged around the first of November. I wrote in my notes I thought they needed more light.
The Bridgesii were sewn in December,and unbagged only a couple weeks ago. They were looking big in the bag. Not so big now
I will keep up with Diatoms and go back to sand to keep the gnats down for now. The gnat population seems to be down quite a bit for now. It could be from daddy long leg spiders. I have also seen some lady bugs. Iduno. But I try to leave spider around seedlings alone. Here is a picture on my wicking mat. I know Spence favors bottom watering,and it has been working very well with everything I water that way. Which is why I shy away from mosquito bit tea. The only practical way to apply the tea is with a turkey baster. But I'm afraid of getting them too wet. Maybe the foq where Copiaopoas are from dampens the soil? I actually have no idea. But bottom watering is working so far.
My ages on the plants wasn't right either. The seeds came from Mesa Garden.
The margineta were sewn last september,and unbagged around the first of November. I wrote in my notes I thought they needed more light.
The Bridgesii were sewn in December,and unbagged only a couple weeks ago. They were looking big in the bag. Not so big now
I will keep up with Diatoms and go back to sand to keep the gnats down for now. The gnat population seems to be down quite a bit for now. It could be from daddy long leg spiders. I have also seen some lady bugs. Iduno. But I try to leave spider around seedlings alone. Here is a picture on my wicking mat. I know Spence favors bottom watering,and it has been working very well with everything I water that way. Which is why I shy away from mosquito bit tea. The only practical way to apply the tea is with a turkey baster. But I'm afraid of getting them too wet. Maybe the foq where Copiaopoas are from dampens the soil? I actually have no idea. But bottom watering is working so far.
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Re: Copiapoa cinerea
I tried the Mosquito Bits tea on my seedlings with fungus gnats and lost a lot of seedlings
The seedlings didn't like the bacteria laden water maybe
I now use regular insecticide to kill them, and Sticky Yellow Fly Traps positioned very close to the soil to keep them at bay
The seedlings didn't like the bacteria laden water maybe
I now use regular insecticide to kill them, and Sticky Yellow Fly Traps positioned very close to the soil to keep them at bay