do fungus gnat eat mostly phosphorous?

[little-soldier]

I was jjust wondering what nutrients fungus gnats mostly eat when they are in your medium.

 

[asa42]

to my knowledge adults do not eat, they only drink water and try to reproduce. it is the larvae that eat. and to my understanding they eat living plant tissue as well as decaying material. i read somewhere they will eat root hairs and feeder roots which can cause brown scarring and a lack of root hairs. coarse i imagine that is with a large infestation.

you having problems with gnats?

 

[little-soldier]

yes i am and it seems like im always getting phosphorous def. no mattr what

 

[medical_shed]

May be something to do with the larvea munching the roots. Nematodes will kill them and there's a new neem product for it too but don't know much about it.

There's a product here in te UK called Gnat Off that's just crap and not worth twenty quid.

 

[DocLeaf]

Hi

good info asa42

Watering from the bases of the pots will help dry surface and make it inhospitable for soil fly larvae. Likewise a thin layer of coco fibre can be added to the top of pots of soil to help discourage gnats and larvae.

Yellow sticky cards will also help control the adult flies.

Where possible,, always keep it organic

All the best,

 

[Core]

bugs can trow a plants ph of ...BIG time!!.....its stress related imhe
so that could explain your P prob....

 

[Weedninja]

I know they love bone meal, but like asa42 said, they like organic matter and I don't think they'd be able to assimilate enough P to cause a def..BTW those are good tips Doc. You can also cut a slice of potato and lay it on the soil surface, which will draw the maggots, then flush it down the toilet and replace it with a fresh slice. Not an instant cure, but it will definitely thin the herd.

 

[robotwithdreams]

i have always wondered if its safe to use the dunks toward the late stages of flowering, last few weeks.

I have used them to a great deal of success during veg.

 

[inflorescence]

bugs can trow a plants ph of ...BIG time!!.....its stress related imhe
so that could explain your P prob....

Haven't seen a Core post in quite a while.
WoW. Good stuff!

 

[little-soldier]

my ph is actually quite stable. i did try coco last round and the gnats seemed to have survived. right now i am using hydroton in my hydro setup but i have cloned them in peat pellets and the top of some of them turned so white [gnat eggs] its insane. the thing is that i hardly see gnats around. i tried looking for muskito dunks but they dont have it in my area and cannot order fom the net. but even if i had dunks, i dont trust those things anyways. i like to know what i smoke. i also tried putting potato peals in my room but didnt see any eggs on them plus the peal dried so quick its not even funny. next round im definatly cloning in rockwool though i have heard that gnats love rockwo0l and apparently they are more problematic and leathal to your plants in rockwo0l than in earth. can someone confirm this to me?

 

[inflorescence]

do fungus gnat eat mostly phosphorous?
I was jjust wondering what nutrients fungus gnats mostly eat when they are in your medium.

Maybe it's a mutally exclusive problem??

 

[Whatever]

the thing is that i hardly see gnats around.but even if i had dunks, i don't trust those things anyways. i like to know what i smoke. next round im definately cloning in rockwool though i have heard that gnats love rockwool and apparently they are more problematic and lethal to your plants in rockwool than in earth. can someone confirm this to me?

Are you having a phosphorous issue? If you can hardly see gnats around then why you worried as virtually impossible to eliminate gnats? Why not trust dunks? They are just Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and only live in the medium and get inside gnat larvae guts and has nothing to do with what your smoking...nothing.

You can have major infestations in soil or rockwool. Since they thrive in moist enviros they're easier to control in soil by just going with better wet-dry cycles which is not possible in rockwool. I ran rockwool for over two years and used BTI solution dunks for the cubes before putting on the slabs. A few other little tricks but gnats were always there to some extent but never a real problem.

 

[Hammerhead]

A layer of Diatomaceous earth on the top with kill them. When they try to escape it suffocates them from what I've herd.

 

[00420]

A layer of Diatomaceous earth on the top with kill them. When they try to escape it suffocates them from what I've herd.

i belive DE is like boric acid (borex) it dont suffocate it's a absorbent for liquids like cat litter {witch is made from DE) there for it dry's them out so fast/bad they cant live.... ever seen that movie with the heat lamps on that guy "intraceable" this is why its used for ant traps as well..... but if ant's touch the DE or BA they die befor they get home this is why it's mixed with syrup or honey so the eat some and take it the rest back home to kill the rest that eat it...
yep thats right them $$ you spend on ant traps is 1 cup syrup/honey 2 tbs BA

EDIT: How does it work?
To insects DE is a lethal dust with microscopic razor sharp edges. These sharp edges cut through the insect's protective covering drying it out and killing them when they are either dusted with DE or if it applied as a wettable powder spray. If they ingest the DE it will shred their insides.

*

Comes with complete instructions for use on insects, flea and lice control, bed bugs, grain storage, parasite control in animals (use in feed) and fly control.

What insects can DE be used for?
Diatomaceous Earth may be used as a barrier to control adult flea beetles, sawfly, coddling moth, twig borer, thrips, mites, cockroach, slugs, snails and many other insects such as:
Aphids, thrips, earwigs, silverfish, and ants. Can be used for bedbugs, cabbage root flies, carrot root flies, fleas, pillbugs, ticks and is helpful in dealing with fungus gnats. Indoor and Outdoor Application: Sprinkle a light layer of DE in areas where pests frequent, including under stoves, cabinets, sinks, garbage cans, window and door frames and sills,
entrance ways, sewer pipes and drains, and in cracks and crevices. Repeat treatment as needed.
Carpet Beetles: Thoroughly dust along baseboards, carpet edges, under furniture, carpet, and rugs, and in closets and shelving.
Bedbugs: Take apart bed and dust joints and channels. Dust any hollow tubing and the interior framework as well as the mattress and all cracks in the room.
Fleas: Thoroughly dust carpets and pet's bedding and sleeping areas, as well as cracks and baseboards. It also can be rubbed into your pet's fur.
Flies: Thoroughly dust areas where flies frequent (walls, straw bedding, livestock pens). It also can be applied to livestock coat as an insect repellent/contact insecticide.

 

[Core]

Haven't seen a Core post in quite a while.
WoW. Good stuff!

hehe nobody listens to me ...its hardly worth posting as it is now....and some posts are just a mess with all that guessing....some peeps are even to lazy to fill in the infirmary questionairs .....they only want straight answers....and it does't work that way.....

i to have limits to my knowledge....so i'm still on the background reading inhere...:wink: