has any one used fox farm soil noticing any fungus gnats. i was thinking about getting some. My last soil jungle growth HARVESTED the little pricks out of control. I mean they killed anything and everything that was growing in its first month of growth. Just spawning out of control no matter what I did to try and stop them. I think the fungus gnat is seriously underrated as a bug that can do SERIOUS harm. It ghosted all my leafs till they fell off the plant. they were ina and out of every nook and cranny of any hole on my pots. it was liek the soil was a orgy breeding ground for these things. people who have had a bad case know what Im talking about. Slow growth, nutrient deficiency, basicly the plant barley grows if you have them bad enough and will seem like your doing something wrong, not enough light till you keep puting the bitch closer and burn them. Just fucking rediculse. What I don't understand is why some people get them bad and some jsut a get a couple. I mean these things started off with like 1 or 3 and then it was no stopping them. I would kill like 20 of them a day without even denting them. I got DE and that didnt work, sand, soil drying out, steralize it in the oven, fly traps ect ect ect ect. I tried a $30 bag of bacillious t or however you spell it and that shit didnt work. Its like their the terminator or something, "ill be back". these little shits messed up 4 diffrent runs and Im so unmotivated to start another only to be battling them again and have them destroy my next run again. any one used a bug zapper? think they might be attracted to it? are they liek other bugs and will fly twords the neon light?
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fungus gnats, the things you don't ever want.
- Thread starter Sunbeam
- Start date
johnnybhang
Active member
Lol yeah ive used fox farms ocean forest twice and both times crazy gnat populations straight out of the bag. They end up getting stuck on the buds due to the resin. Its like a giant gnat trap come harvest time. Lol they should list the percentage of gnats along with bat guano, worm castings, kelp, ocean going fish, etc. I think its because ocean forest doesnt steam sterilize the soil. The little gnats survive and prosper thats for sure. Guess its a good sign its organic? lol. On a note, the adult gnats dont eat at all, its the larvae that do all the munching. Guess alot of them could do root damage. Ive heard use mulch, sand, gravel, etc to stop them breeding on the surface.
Sounds like you had root aphids in addition to fungus gnats. Fungus gnats don't do that much damage that quickly, but root aphids do. One stage of root aphids look just like fungus gnats.
Check this thread:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=159960
Sunbeam,
Sorry to hear about your pest issues.
Man....I HATE fungus gnats...They are pests that never seems to leave even after the gnatrol, mosquito disks, etc. But at least we don't have mites! YUCK!
SS
Sorry to hear about your pest issues.
Man....I HATE fungus gnats...They are pests that never seems to leave even after the gnatrol, mosquito disks, etc. But at least we don't have mites! YUCK!
SS
so what brands steam sterilize their soil. at this point I dont give a fuck about organic microorganisms. they do me no good if My plants battling pests. i have BMO for some serious beneficial organisms later on. for those who arent familiar with blue mountain organics. search e-bay for the fertilizer. Its the most amazing priced/recipe. straight up killer shit. mycorizial fungi, live bacteria( you cannot seal the cap all the way to the bacteria can survive) black strap molasses which ahs like 15 nutrients including iron magnersium ect. coral calcium, endo and ecto bacteria and you get a whole pint for like $15. its a home brewed bottle from a small company, cheap labeling with text only. i have jsut about every botanicare product you can obtain and this shit blows anything I have ever used out of the water.
johnnybhang
Active member
Interesting read on the root aphids retro. I will have to look into it further. Both time with ffof ive noticed unusual dead patches too early in flower to be normal. And was pretty sure it wasnt a nutrient deficiency or fungus. Good heads up on the root aphids.
Kush Farmer
Member
I'll have to agree with Retro. There is no way gnats alone caused that severe of a problem. I would suggest not using FFOF anymore. Pro Mix makes an excellent product. Bleach the room and anything that touches the room. Use a spray of Bacillus and pyrethrin (mix according to directions) on your empty room. I would recommend replacing any pots or buckets you reuse. Remember that gnats feed on dead organic matter so, CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN! That and they may be dormant in other rooms. If there is any unseen organic material in your home the females can lay their eggs in you will continue to have issues. You may need to treat your whole home with the pyrethrin (both are safe for humans and pets) Once you get the room clean and sprayed down you should be able to start a new run.
any one know a bradn rthat steam sterilizes their soil? im not concerned about microogranisms at this point, since it dose my plants no good if their battling pests like there. I have BMO for later on for live micros. heres what In blue mountain organics which you can get off e-bay. Best fertilizer I have ever used and I have botanicares ENTIRE nutrient and additive line up
Artesian Spring Water, Worm Castings, Mycorrhizal Fungi, Coral Calcium, Unsulphured (Blackstrap) Molasses, Endo and Ecto Bacteria, and Humic Acid derived from Oak Leaf & Peat Compost.
(black strap molasis has these nutrients in it)
manganese
copper
iron
calcium
potassium
magnesium
sorry for the double post. ddint think my other post made it on here.
Artesian Spring Water, Worm Castings, Mycorrhizal Fungi, Coral Calcium, Unsulphured (Blackstrap) Molasses, Endo and Ecto Bacteria, and Humic Acid derived from Oak Leaf & Peat Compost.
(black strap molasis has these nutrients in it)
manganese
copper
iron
calcium
potassium
magnesium
sorry for the double post. ddint think my other post made it on here.
Kush Farmer
Member
Pro Mix , IMO, is the best. They offer multiple products that don't have all the add ins that FFOF has. As well as a sterile soil that has beneficial bacteria added. I use the Pro Mix BX for my moms and in the rare times i run soil in my flower room I use the Pro Mix HP (better drainage). I have never had a single gnat, fungus, or mold in these products.
Kush Farmer
Member
Why would you want all this shit in a soil? wouldn't you rather have more control of what your plants get? And try putting a fresh clone in FFOF and see how fast it burns the shit out of it.
treat your plants with
http://www.amazon.com/Spinosad-Garden-Insect-Spray-Monterey/dp/B002BP12LI
i had thrips last round. and this stuff killed them in a day. its suppose todo the same for fungas gnats i belive. correct me if im wrong ppl! but im pretty sure ..
good luck
http://www.amazon.com/Spinosad-Garden-Insect-Spray-Monterey/dp/B002BP12LI
i had thrips last round. and this stuff killed them in a day. its suppose todo the same for fungas gnats i belive. correct me if im wrong ppl! but im pretty sure ..
good luck
johnnybhang
Active member
Upon further research it seems that alot of folks are having the gnat/aphid problem with ffof. We should all send ffof email giving them a heads up, maybe its something they can correct in their process. No more ffof for me.
Thanks for the root aphid link, I'm going to do some reading.
I've been using FF Happy Frog. The first run... no problems. The second I started seeing some gnats and not thinking it was a big deal, I just got some of those yellow sticky cardboard things to trap them. Seemed to get it under control. This last round, even more of them and some of the symptoms in the root aphid thread. Im using yellow stickies and light misting of the soil with alcohol which kills them immediately, but only on the surface. But, at least they're not mites.
Next round I'm going with a different soil just to see the difference.
I've been using FF Happy Frog. The first run... no problems. The second I started seeing some gnats and not thinking it was a big deal, I just got some of those yellow sticky cardboard things to trap them. Seemed to get it under control. This last round, even more of them and some of the symptoms in the root aphid thread. Im using yellow stickies and light misting of the soil with alcohol which kills them immediately, but only on the surface. But, at least they're not mites.
Next round I'm going with a different soil just to see the difference.
Kush Farmer
Member
Trust me in the fact that Fox Farms knows they have issues. I have dealt with many growers that have had issues with FFOF and other FF soil products. Most if not all have contacted FF to inform and\or complain. FF pretty much has the standardized response that "FFOF contains organic and living material if not handled properly it can have adverse effects on the property. At FF we ensure that every batch of soil is tested and disease and pest free." Yada, yada, yada.... Essentially they put the blame squarely on retailers and growers. If I hadn't seen many, many problems with the product I would be inclined to agree. In that instance then wouldn't the thousands of cubic feet of Pro Mix I have bought from the same retailers have the same issues? I am nowhere a pro gardener, but have grown in several climates in a multitude of setups and (knock on wood) have had a fraction of problems that FF users run into. I know I'll probably get an ass load of people swearing up and down about how good FF is. I will agree that when used properly and not tainted it can be good, but why go through the hassle when you can make better for far cheaper yourself. I know SubCool has a gnarly recipe for a heavy fertilized organic soil out there on multiple forums.
hi guys if you have a prob with fungus gnats , then try a nemitode drench , they eat all the eggs and in my experience totally gets rid of the gnats . so easy to use . you can pick them up on the preditor bug sites , last for at least a few weeks till you have to use it up ,
i used to use gnat off , but its expensive and just keeps um back . and stinks . the nemitodes do the trick for sure . hope this helps some one .
over the years i have seen many different soils contain gnats , canna seem to have um to , not sure if they started life pre sale or after i started using the soil . but seems quite common . they mess with the root system
i used to use gnat off , but its expensive and just keeps um back . and stinks . the nemitodes do the trick for sure . hope this helps some one .
over the years i have seen many different soils contain gnats , canna seem to have um to , not sure if they started life pre sale or after i started using the soil . but seems quite common . they mess with the root system
i find i get fungus knats if i fail to clean my room properly inbetween grows. the soil i got this time is absolutly full of them it was a cheap brand from my local supermarket so its to be expected. i hammer mine with plain old bug spray then mist everywhere with plain water. my plants never seem to mind
T
Tr33
This newest batch of Fox Farms is infected BAD!!! We bought some Fox Farms Marine and in 2 weeks my wife's Croton House Plant is f*cked. We have those root aphids now. Never had a gnat or RA ever in 25+ yrs of growing indoors.
Sucks big time because we had to throw that nice plant outside.
At least my grow is on another place.
Sucks big time because we had to throw that nice plant outside.
At least my grow is on another place.
