You probably don’t want to get me started on, how some in the grow supply chain try to sell us stuff even if it is not needed. Anything they can think of, to convince us to transfer dollars from our accounts to theirs.
The manager of my local grow shop told me this. He has no problem selling someone a tent, with less than half of the other needed equipment if that is what they want. He knows when they fail the tent will be sold to a friend. And this friend will start buying his stuff, and he will end up selling support equipment for the same tent to multiple people. This is another reason why so much of the sells pitches are aimed at the new grower.
The only soil that I have bought in the last few years is Roots Original. It has good drainage, and enough balanced nutrients to get the seedlings going. Never have any ph problems when watering at 6.5 ph.
I believe it …
I also totally get some of the products we need to buy are necessary even tho gimmicky lol
I use this
But before I do I use a seedling mix I make myself from vermiculite ,peat moss. and pearlite
When it comes time I mix the above into that,and also add earthworm castings and it becomes my main medium …
Then for the most part I use fox farms nutrients the dry and the liquid trios
With cal mag and bembe on plain water days .
Works well for me .I don’t even measure PH or PPM in or out …
I did it religiously last season ever watering and I never saw a single reason to change anything
So unless I see something happening I’m not even bothering
I also don’t flush …I just use plan water a few or couple weeks out of when I know it will be time …and then the last few days I starve it completely
I just find it works for me and I try to avoid a lot of the “bro” science otherwise I’ll be infatuated with every decision I make …
It is just a plant after all lol …
I’m not boiling then. I did make my soil and try to stay natural, right down to my boxes of untreated wood. I take some of my sandy yard garden soil, with sheep manure compost, peat moss, sawdust, perlite, and wood ashes. I guess the perlite cancels the “natural” claim but anyway I liked finding a worm in my soil box.
thanks a lot!
Mosquito bits. Living soil here. Always moist. Takes a week or so but wipes them out.
There was another member that was posting about feeding his old root balls to his worm farm. Now having a way to recycle root balls would be a big help to me.
Go the no till method.
then the worm farm used to catch trout, then the fish guts feeds the soil? lol hmmm got me thinking. A friend does no till and some gardeners I watch on yt, almost has me convinced
thanks for the topic! about gnats, I had them in one out of 4 tent grows, they seemed active for a couple weeks then went away. After a couple waterings with just water I think the molasses went away, they went away, or just a fluke
At this point I’ve got my answer, I asked “does using Living Soil always result in gnats”
Many good replies - thanks to all !
Lmao. Yep. A VERY small part. 
@spudeater65 , Now that is funny…….huh sorry, I meant to say please we are trying to run a family forum here. 
Not a fluke they swarm around the cap of my molassis bottles especially if some drips down a little
Last Spring when I started a new crop, I microwaved all my new soil (Organic Black Gold).
I had no bug problems with any of those plants at all. Until I brought in some plants from our greenhouse. I have been fighting them ever since. Recently got some DE, top dressed my pots. Watered from the bottom. All went away.
I use an organic fertilizer product called Bud Doublin, got it on Amazon, took my top dressing off, top watered due to solids in fertilizer, and got em back again. As soon as the soil dries enough, I will top dress again and water only from bottom to complete the grow.
Bad cases of these damn flies will clog your soil so it does not dry out, and will cause root rot. By the time your plants quit growing and you notice it you are too late. Going to try 5 gal bags next grow. Should dry out better, and help prevent the problem, I hope.
Sounds like you got it figured …the one I have in my tent came from outside and the soil and fabric pot had already harvested one plant this season
So far I haven’t seen any bugs in my tent fingers crossed
You have to be diligent once you have them or they will be back. Almost cannot wait to start next crop, with a clean start. Maybe now I can get a clean grow w/o gnats.
Reading all this, I now will be mixing in some DE in my nuked soil next grow.
I have a compost pile that I started about 5 years ago. First 2 years, 1 each year of a 4 wheeler trailer dump of horseshit and straw, every year I add salmon carcasses, table scraps, lots of melon rinds, and about 3 years ago I shoveled in about 4 shovels worth of ashes from my wood stove. Turn it a few times each summer, and this summer it looked so good that we decided to try it. Really nice black compost. No fish bones left from last summers roughly 25 salmon. I cut that with my last grows old soil about 50/50. Used some of it for Marigolds. Check them out!
Might have to go dig up some for my next grow, try it on 1 plant.
Wow those look amazing …I also this season did an experiment …I planted cardinal climbers …one in last years soil …and one in last years soil …that I poured boiling water over
The difference in the plants that were grown in the boiled soil was not only completely apparent but amazing …
The soil I used for the one I brought in the tent was natures living soil …and then the others I added to my tent are also …I am strictly bottom feeding with ac infinity self watering bases …so the top of the soil has only been wet from me too watering seedlings so barely any water ever …hoping I never see any
1st I’ve never (knock on wood) had bugs of any kind in my tent. To start with if it comming from your soil find another vender (they may be storing improperly). 2nd check your sink drains, put tape over your drains at night and check if flys are stuck on the tape (drain flys) 3rd i never store or bring anything in my tent from outside period! 4th if discovered in drain pour salt in the drain and rape over. If you get a sample fly and go to a Orkin storefront and they should id the bug for you as a courtesy.