Fungus Gnat question

[Roadblock]

Using a F/D table with fabric pots, the top 4 inches of hydrotron is above Flood level so will be dry, will Gnats go that deep through the dry clay balls to get to the wet bits?

Can adults/lava penetrate the fabric pots in any way by laying eggs on the outside of it maybe?

They have been giving me heaps of trouble in another system, Im thinking F/D will be ok as I run Peroxide every few days but not sure as the gnats are pesky and keep turning up, so I'm thinking I gotta keep them out of the root zone, the dam things will get in through a crack.

Cheers

 

[Creeperpark]

Hydrotron is alkaline and adding that on top will hold more moisture in the containers. You need more drainage and dryer conditions and until you fix that you will continue to have problems with gnats. You can use smaller size fabric pots or less water to get better results. Your soil mix may be holding on to too much water?

 

[Roadblock]

They're not in soil mate, they are in clay balls it's a F/D system, 6 inches of the fabric pot is flooded the top 4 inches is dry.

 

[GMT]

Put a small pot of wet compost in the same room/tent. They will lay eggs in there instead. Change it each day. After a couple of weeks you should be ok again.

 

[Creeperpark]

They're not in soil mate, they are in clay balls it's a F/D system, 6 inches of the fabric pot is flooded the top 4 inches is dry.

Sorry, my bad.

 

[Roadblock]

Put a small pot of wet compost in the same room/tent. They will lay eggs in there instead. Change it each day. After a couple of weeks you should be ok again.

That sounds like a good move thanks.

 

[Roadblock]

Well the gnats will definitely go 4inches deep through dry clay balls to get to the wet area, so the next round is in fabric pots expanded clay, only this time an inch below the top is a layer of chux super wipe cloth, then another 3 inches of dry clay ball then the root system that gets irrigated, surely they can't get through this fabric to lay eggs.

 

[Three Berries]

I use this with normal watering as long as I see the little buggers.

Mosquito Bits. https://summitchemical.com/products/mosquito-bits/

It is some form of carrier for the BT spores and they say a tablespoon per gallon and then skim off but I just leave the stuff in the water.

 

[Roadblock]

I use this with normal watering as long as I see the little buggers.

Mosquito Bits. https://summitchemical.com/products/mosquito-bits/

It is some form of carrier for the BT spores and they say a tablespoon per gallon and then skim off but I just leave the stuff in the water.

I have got some Microbe-lift BMC which is the same sort of thing I just used it a week ago but it was too late as the gnats caused root rot at the 5th week of flower, the mistake was to have the pots on a flood table with a cover so the roots can go wherever they want inside the table, all it took was the gnats to find a way under the cover and it was game over.

Lessons learned with these bugs got to keep them out of the root system, the fabric pots with a fabric barrier on top and a good dry zone should do that.

 

[StickyBandit]

I tried everything and gave up in the end and bought an automatic bug spray thingy and mounted it to the wall
At least I get bumper crops now and no-one cares when they're smoking it
Maybe I can go natural when I'm retired

 

[Roadblock]

I tried everything and gave up in the end and bought an automatic bug spray thingy and mounted it to the wall
At least I get bumper crops now and no-one cares when they're smoking it
Maybe I can go natural when I'm retired

Yeah they are a mongrel of a thing to get rid off, I'm pretty sure the fabric pots and the fabric top barrier should keep them out, I watched them run all over the table edge like ants and they find a dip in the plastic and they in, and trouble you see only one or two and all of a sudden you got a hatch out, I figured if they in the room who cares but its a must-do to keep them out of your root zone, Ive tried the sand and pumice and they burrow through, which is why Im going for a hard barrier like cloth or very fine mesh on top just under the surface layer something that breaths but they cannot burrow through.

 

[troutman]

Predatory mites, nematodes and Bti help a lot albeit they do take time. Stratiolaelaps scimitus
(aka Hypoaspis miles) and Gaeolaelaps gillespiei are two mites I purchased this year along with
the nematodes. I also purchased some Bonide Mosquito Beater Water Soluble Pouches which
have Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) in them. All I know is before I had a infestation of
fungus gnats and my yellow stickies were covered. Now I see maybe1 or 2 gnats a week at
most. They are finally under control and being taken care of as they appear. I much prefer
a natural long term solution than a chemical spray.

 

[midwestkid]

B.T. as a drench. Cheap and effective

 

[Three Berries]

Diatomaceous earth is a natural non toxic bug control agent. Applied to the soil surface and mixed in with it too.

https://www.diatomaceousearth.com/bl...d/pest-control

 

[Morcheeba*]

I grow in raised beds in living organic soil using cover crops and fungus gnats were a consistent problem until i got some Nofly WP. I used it every watering for a couple of wks and i have not seen a gnat since and its been several months since i used it last.

https://www.koppertus.com/nofly-wptm/
https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/nofly-wp-organic-mycoinsecticide/pest-solver-guide-mites


peace

 

[Three Berries]

^^ interesting 'new' control. Here's some good nighttime reading about the little bug destroyers.

Secondary Metabolites and the Risks of Isaria fumosorosea and Isaria farinosa

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412548/

 

[Morcheeba*]

^^ interesting 'new' control. Here's some good nighttime reading about the little bug destroyers.

Secondary Metabolites and the Risks of Isaria fumosorosea and Isaria farinosa

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412548/

Thanks for the info, reading it now. I never thought to research myco-insecticides but now ill do a bit more research on the subject.




peace

 

[Three Berries]

Saw something chewing a hole in my new plants today. I tried some Ivory Liquid soap and water. 5 tbls to a gallon, 2%. Sprayed ithe whole plant and soil around it.

Thinks it is from the house plants I brought in last fall......

 

[Gry]

Have had to deal with them when using a reservoir. In the past, ceder oil has worked.
It did not this time. Same set up, it had worked just fine, not this time.

So I went with the Gnatrol WDG Biological Larvicide.
Sounds like it would be similar to what Morcheeba was using.
Took 3 timed applications to be rid of them.
With a 25 gallon res, it took quite a bit of it to do the job.
It did work real well, and will keep it on the shelf.

 

[Creeperpark]

You can't go wrong using yellow stickies in every grow from the beginning to the End. The best thing about using them is early detection before they get worse. The flying insects are attracted to the yellow that resembles dying or dead leaf and land to lay eggs. What they think is home turns out to be their grave. You can always spot flying insects using yellow stickies.