Fungus Gnats setting up camp in organic soil

[Hazy brain]

I noticed that my babies have some fungus gnats in their soil. I felt so guilty like I did something wrong. There has never been any algae in the soil but the organic materials must be attracting the useless little flyers.

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. I've been letting the soil dry out before watering and then I water enough for the water to start to drain from the holes in the bottom of the pots.

Maybe I need to add coco so the soil drys out faster. The mix is actually really well constructed and it drains well. It's Dr. Earth Home Grown Soil Mix.

I'm so pissed at the moment 'cause I've been trying to do everything right. Then these little M.F.'s decide to set up camp in my babies pots.

I just wanna catch 'em and burn alive.

If anyone has any experience with getting rid of these gnats successfully please, PLEASE let me know. This is only my second attempt at growing and the first one was a plant that was a male.

Peace,
Hazy Brain

 

[resinryder]

Go to the hardware store and buy a pack of 000 steel wool. Unroll the pads and stretch/form them into shape to fit the top of your pots. This will shred the little bastards to pieces and rid you of your problem. Remove them before watering and replace after watering.

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

I like Mosquito Dunks (sold at Lowes and Home Depot) crumble 1/2 teaspoon and sprinkle some on top of the soil and some around the runoff water holes. Some people like about an inch of Diatomacious earth on top of the soil in the pot to shred the little SOBs. Yellow sticky traps also catch the fliers. You can try smearing vaseline on yellow colored paper or cardboard as bugs love yellow. My cat chases the fliers all day when I get infested but I imagine that is not pest control.

 

[OrganicBuds]

I have had fungus gnats for years, never really bothered me. My clones still clone in the same amount of time, never really thought of them as a problem. I offered a buddy some GSC clones and told him about the gnats, and he turned down the clones. I guess some people see them as a problem, maybe I should too.

 

[oscarthegrouch]

I have the same problem right now. I started using canna bio terra plus and it came loaded with fungus gnats, it's like one of those biblical plagues there everywhere in my house. I've been using the yellow sticky traps along with a product called vecto-bac. It's the same stuff that's in the dunks but in a liquid form. I find it more effective for some reason. I've had some success, but they are not easy to get rid of. You can also use nematodes, I haven't tried them yet but its next on my list. I planted a pack of seeds last week and the little bastards ate the roots off 2 of them.

 

[Granger2]

Yes, nematodes work, if they are viable when you buy them. Careful on the source. If you can get the Gnatrol powder and be sure it is fresh or has a good date on it, it is very effective. And don't skimp on the concentration. It won't hurt if you use it strong. Good luck. -Granger

 

[chazz michaels]

Go to the hardware store and buy a pack of 000 steel wool. Unroll the pads and stretch/form them into shape to fit the top of your pots. This will shred the little bastards to pieces and rid you of your problem. Remove them before watering and replace after watering.

They fly into the wire and get slashed?

Don't they look where they are going?

 

[BudToker]

Microbe-Lift BMC

1ml per 20L from start to flush.
Add it last after you have pH'ed your water.
Bye bye fungus gnats!

 

[resinryder]

They fly into the wire and get slashed?

Don't they look where they are going?

Lol. You have a point. but when you stretch the pad completely around the pot they have no choice but to go through it. they like to lay out below the top surface of the medium because it's usually moist but not overly wet which is conducive for the flying little bastards to breed. They have to go through it to lay out and have to go though it to fly around. As they go through the steel wool it shreds their exoskeleton which kills em off and any new hatches have to eventually come out of hiding. it is unconventional but it WORKS, it's CHEAP, and it KILLS EM!!!

 

[yesum]

^^ Never heard of using steel wool before. The gnats I had would also go into the drain holes at the bottom so...

I used the dunks and put a piece of dunk in water for a day, then water the plants with it. Can reuse the dunk in this way a few times.

I had gnats for the first few grows and learned they are more a nuisance than anything. They have to be flying in the hundreds before they munch your grow down.

I clap my hands together on them anytime I see them and have kept their numbers down to where they do not get into the grows.

Few drops of liquid soap in the water and use that to water, will kill the larvae as well.

 

[Hazy brain]

Thanks for all the responses. Interesting and informative to say the least. When I woke up this morning I knew I had to something fast or my plants would be males from the looks of their stress levels.

I bought some Neem Oil concentrate and gave them all a root drench. Maybe I should erect some steel wool barriers over my pots. I'd love to watch 'em suffer as they got torn to shreds.

No one ever told me about the fungus gnats when I started growing organically. I did consider it when I smelled some of the teas I've brewed but I guess I'm actually lucky so far.

What is Micro Lift BMC? Is it Bti or something? I haven't had any luck with Bti or nematodes. But they may be because the Bti I tried was too late 'cause the population of gnats was like frickin' China! The nematodes I got came from the Hdepot and they were dead I think.

Thanks Again dudes!

 

[Hazy brain]

Try some Neem oil concentrate. I just used it and I have't seen any movement around the pots yet. I've tried Bti and nematodes without much luck. I tried the yellow sticky traps and they kept getting stuck on everything. I'm more of a "do it and get it done" type of person. I hate waiting for results.

Good luck with the little bastards, clip their freakin' wings!

Peace,
H.B.

 

[yerboyblue]

I have had fungus gnats for years, never really bothered me. My clones still clone in the same amount of time, never really thought of them as a problem. I offered a buddy some GSC clones and told him about the gnats, and he turned down the clones. I guess some people see them as a problem, maybe I should too.

I feel the same way, they are pretty benign. My heaviest yielding harvest ever was also the one that was infested the most with FGs. 1000's of them. There were clusters of dead ones swirling on the floor next to the fan.

As far as Hazy is concerned, they come in pretty much all soil mixes these days. Don't blame yourself. The Bti and nematodes are more of a repeat treatment kind of thing. With the Bti I just usually use it as a knock down a couple times, still see a few from time to time, but just live with it.

 

[ozzieAI]

PURE neem oil as a drench and then top dress with neem cake...worked wonders for me on both FG and RA...

 

[bigshrimp]

I have used the microbelift product (bti) and it worked for control.

Made a very strong solution and concentrated it on the top few inches. Also incorporated neem meal and crab meal into soil.

Honesty the #1 control mechanism for me was the shopvac, shake pot - vacuum fliers and crawlers - water - and vacuum again. Time consuming yes, but effective.

As my soil mix has matured they have ceased being a problem. Most likely due to increased competition ( worms ) and predetation ( roves and mites). I've also been pickier about my compost - making sure it is completely finished.

 

[katz53]

gnatrol. no more gnats. The gnats will stress some plants in to hermies. This stuff works. I've heard roots organic soil mixtures have a problem with this a lot.

 

[medicalmj]

I noticed that my babies have some fungus gnats in their soil. I felt so guilty like I did something wrong. There has never been any algae in the soil but the organic materials must be attracting the useless little flyers.

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. I've been letting the soil dry out before watering and then I water enough for the water to start to drain from the holes in the bottom of the pots.

Maybe I need to add coco so the soil drys out faster. The mix is actually really well constructed and it drains well. It's Dr. Earth Home Grown Soil Mix.

I'm so pissed at the moment 'cause I've been trying to do everything right. Then these little M.F.'s decide to set up camp in my babies pots.

I just wanna catch 'em and burn alive.

If anyone has any experience with getting rid of these gnats successfully please, PLEASE let me know. This is only my second attempt at growing and the first one was a plant that was a male.

Peace,
Hazy Brain

See next post...

 

[medicalmj]

I noticed that my babies have some fungus gnats in their soil. I felt so guilty like I did something wrong. There has never been any algae in the soil but the organic materials must be attracting the useless little flyers.

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. I've been letting the soil dry out before watering and then I water enough for the water to start to drain from the holes in the bottom of the pots.

Maybe I need to add coco so the soil drys out faster. The mix is actually really well constructed and it drains well. It's Dr. Earth Home Grown Soil Mix.

I'm so pissed at the moment 'cause I've been trying to do everything right. Then these little M.F.'s decide to set up camp in my babies pots.

I just wanna catch 'em and burn alive.

If anyone has any experience with getting rid of these gnats successfully please, PLEASE let me know. This is only my second attempt at growing and the first one was a plant that was a male.

Peace,
Hazy Brain

[FONT=&quot]Don't worry about your mix if it's draining well and you like it. And it's totally not your fault. I have had them and have beat them.

I hang yellow sticky traps to alert me to their presence and population levels. They will not control them, they only inform you of their presence.

If you have a bad infestation here's a list of things to use:
Predators, azadarachtin (Azamax), neem oil, SNS-203, cedar oil, or nuclear with Imidacloprid.

When it comes to azadarachtin (active ingredient in Neem) I go for Azamax/Azatrol for drenches instead of Neem. I use the neem for for foliar. SNS 203 is extracts of rosemary and clove prepared to be used as a drench. Cedar oil needs to be flushed thouroughly. And if you're in veg and have all types of issues than Imidacloprid will wipe out a lot shit. As you may know it's a systemic so don't use if you got flowers already.

My suggestion, couple drenches of Azamax followed up by the predatory nematodes.

I now treat my coco with predator nematodes about 3 times from start to finish to be proactive. I never have them squirming around like they had done in the past but once in a while I'll find a flier on my yellow sticky card. Once you get a couple fliers on your trap its time for a new dose of nematodes.

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[mtbazz]

I deal with these fuckers all the time…

The only things I've found that work are treatment of the soil with azama and sticky traps. If the infestation is bad and I don't have anything in mid to late flower I will hang up a no pest strip…

Now, azamax is stupid expensive, so shortly I am going to experiment with a Neem oil drench for my soil.

 

[medicalmj]

I deal with these fuckers all the time…

The only things I've found that work are treatment of the soil with azama and sticky traps. If the infestation is bad and I don't have anything in mid to late flower I will hang up a no pest strip…

Now, azamax is stupid expensive, so shortly I am going to experiment with a Neem oil drench for my soil.

That's why I don't use Azamax as a foliar, too $$$, so i use Neem. I find its worth the money to use Azamax for drenching though. It doesn't cost that much to treat. But if using Neem, add it to water that's 80-100F and add a non-ionic surfactant, and shake well.