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Unorthodox IPM – Ozone
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Unorthodox IPM – Ozone
I’ll start by asking the question and backfilling how I got there for the TL:DR crowd:
Does anyone use Ozone as a knockdown for pests in veg? Specifically flying insects, applied at night.
The long story:
3 small “tents” (2×2, and 2 2×3)
Media: Fox Farms Ocean Forrest
Currently in 1.5gal nursery bags, transplanting to 3 or 5-gal fabric
Current IPM: Sealed (but vented through fine mesh w/ neg pressure & carbon filters) growing space, Arbico Nematoad beads (both species), beneficial bacteria/fungi (Great White, Stash Blend). Neem Oil on standby.
Plants are approximately 5 weeks old. I’ve had 3 flying insect incidents since the beginning of this run – all pictured below, all within the last week & contained to the 2×2. No damage to plants, short what appears to be a calcium deficiency in an unaffected grow space.
Complicating Factor: I’m going out of town in approx 10 days for 2 weeks and have a friend with <0 plant knowledge or experience on grow duty. I need to give him a menu of easily applied fixes to problems that may arise, with a focus on… not being able to mess it up.
Pests: I’ve included pictures of the pests in question, I believe the first picture is a fly – Megaselia scalaris aka “coffin fly” and the second (pictured twice) is either a fungus gnat or an unlucky mosquito. The fuzzy antenna is the only thing that gives me pause about calling a fungus gnat.
Plan:
Ozone generator in the garage with the tents for about 4 hours in the night cycle.
Neem Oil Spray
Repot T+1 after neem spray with Nematoad beads + 1-2″ perlite topping to discourage activity in topsoil.
The Research:
Perdue Ag showed that a PPM of 1800 for 150 min killed 100% of bedbugs (https://www.google.com/search?q=does+ozone+kill+bugs&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS897US897&oq=does+ozone+kill+bugs&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDMyMTlqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#:~:text=(Fig.%201).-,Effects%20of%20ozone%20on%20the%20common%20bed%20bug%20(Cimex%20lectularius),https%3A//ag.purdue.edu%20%E2%80%BA%20feston%2Dcapstone%2Dsummary,-PDF)
Studies out of Germany showed as little as 50 minutes killed 100% of roaches exposed withing 24h.
Conclusion:
Am I totally off base here? Can I use Ozone with minimal damage to plants as an effective knockdown? Or should I stick to the neem and IPM srays for the next 10 days before I leave and hope that solves the issue? Would love to hear your experiences with Ozone.
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10 Replies
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I’d giv’em a preemptive spray of Lost coast Therapy an pray like hell they’re still green when you get back
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Spray and pray is most likely going to be the method. since I have it on hand, dr. Jacks Neem followed in 7 days by Athena IPM.
The mad scientist in me really wants to see if the ozone works though 😅
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I believe @scottyreal mentioned he used it back in the day on a recent episode. Sounds effective but it messes with your sense of smell. He said he has a hard time smelling weed now. 😟
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If my memory is correct he was using it for smell, probably at a much lower PPM – but either way I think you’re right that he had it running in the grow room, or maybe into the exhaust.
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I’d keep O3 away from my grow as oxidative stress of plants is a real thing. O2 isn’t an issue but the oxygen free radical released can be an issue.
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Right, I know O3 oxidative stress is a killer, but I’m wondering if there is a “therapeutic” level where the benefits outweigh the damage done to the plant.
I ended up applying Athena IPM this morning and am going to go the chemical route (along with heat sterilizing my repotting media), but I’m definitely going to be running some experiments in the future and will post a thread when that day comes, probably in a month or so.
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For those wondering, the fine folks at the entomology lab in my state were kind enough to ID both insects. The first is an undetermined species of phorid fly, and the second is a midge- apparently an aquatic pest more than something I should be concerned with. Another photo of one of the midges pictured below
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U should more than be concerned with? Why do they repopulate fast? Eat the hell of all your plants or are impossible to kill? Or all of the above? Good luck!
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I wrote that awkwardly – according to the entomologist they should not be a concern for “houseplants”
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Upon more research, it appears they do feed on plants, though they shouldn’t be able to complete a life cycle indoors under normal conditions. They need an aquatic environment for their egg/larval stage.
I spoke to Arbico and they suggested BTi soil soak (and some in the self-watering pot bases). In my case, it is used with the NemaAttack beads and a foliar horticultural oil spray (Athena IPM).
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This reply was modified 1 month, 4 weeks ago by lab_grade.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 4 weeks ago by
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