Hi everyone
I’m trying to grow lettuce on my balcony for the first time. I got these seedlings from Bunnings last week, and put them in 2 different planters. The first one is clearly not growing much compared to the other planter (last photo).
The difference is that the 2nd planter uses new soil (same type – osmocote tomato vegetable and herb planting mix).
But the soil in the 1st planter is only ~2 months old, so I don’t think nutrients is the problem (?). I think the main issue is the fungus gnats which I’ve been struggling with for a while. The traps have helped cut down the number of gnats flying around but there are still a lot of them.
I’ve seen a lot of people recommend BTI/ mosquito bits but I don’t think they’re available in Australia. I have BTK/ Dipel from a huge caterpillar infestation last month (they ate all my basil leaves and I had to get rid of the plant) but I don’t think BTK works for gnats, only BTI. Does anyone know if diatomaceous earth works? I’ve seen some people recommend that too.
I also found a roach in the first planter 2 nights ago so I’m not sure if roaches have been eating my seedlings too…
Any advice/ suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance 🙏
by pipinhotcheeto
2 Comments
You should be able to get mosquito bits from amazon. Works well for me, I just add them into my hand pump watering thing. Can also just add them to the soil and water them in.
Diatomaceous earth may be helpful