Symphilids - Using Mosq. Dunks - Ph DOWN?

[KMK0420]

I've heard the mosquito dunks raise the pH uncontrollably...

would it be wise to pH down the water that has the dunks broken up in it before i water the plants, or would using pH down affect the efficiency of the dunks?

 

[KMK0420]

oh well for that question.


another one..

the damage already done to the plant...will the damage cease and new leaves form, or do the ones already damaged eventually die off and thats that?

 

[dr-dank]

The dunks did not affect my ph.

 

[ooya]

The dunks didn't effect my ph at all either and I'm in coco.

 

[KMK0420]

Good to know.

Already treated the plants, and per what everyone says these bastards should be dead in a week. At that time i'll dose again to kill any left over larvae.

Question...the lower leaves on the plants are yellowing, falling off, etc. At an alarming rate... being that i treated yesterday, will the damage cease soon, and will the plant recover from the damage already done?

 

[dr-dank]

damaged leaves will not recover.

I thought that Baer tree and shrub was the deal for root aphids. Dunks are for gnats. I keep some moskito bits in a nylon sack at all times in my res.

 

[KMK0420]

i have these:

adults come to the top of the soil and crawl/jump around...

apparently the larvae bury themselves in the roots and eat away at them, the mosquito dunks have that certain bacteria that when fed, the larvae feed off of which in turn kills them off, then being there isn't another generation coming about the adults die off in ~7 days (per what the articles say)

but i plan on re-feeding again in about another 7-10 days, to ensure all larvae were killed off...i have gnatrol coming this week also so i wont have to use dunks anymore

i plan on (future grows) watering with it once in veg, then right as i start flowering as thats when i first saw these assholes is a week or two after i started flowering

 

[KMK0420]

update:

mosquito dunks DID NOT WORK.

i crumbled them up in water, let them soak for 24 hours, then drenched the soil with it.

it seems like more came!

Got Gnatrol in the mail. Put in 3/4s tsp's in with my FN Bloom, and drenched all 4 of my girls. Bottle says for severe infections, do it 3 times a week. I plan on drenching these assholes every other day with it (so the girls get a little extra water for a week) - and see if that works.

Anyone with exp....the little white fuckers that crawl and jump around on the soil...those ARE fungus gnats / symphilids correct?

 

[otherwhitemeat]

Not sure about symphilids...fungus gnats are different though. Does the bottle list BTI as a treatment for symphilids?

I use dunks to control fungus gnats in my grow. They don't kill the adults, but the bacteria attack certain lifestages. So, i's not an immediate result, but a more gradual effect.

I break up the dunks into pea sized pieces/dust and sprinkle on the soil, than topdress with a bit of dirt and then I water. I add the dunks when I repot or transplant, after about 30 days the bacteria die and need to be reapplied.

Having the bacteria present in the soil stops the gnats making larvae and after about a month or treatment you can just add a few pieces of the dunks to your soil for control. My FFOF soil seems to come with a ready supply of gnat larvae with every bag. If I don't use dunks, a week later it's gnats everywhere. I use sticky traps (NOT Hot Shot) combined with the dunks and some cedar granules. On the average week, my traps catch about 10 gnats...but there's never an outbreak.

Again, not sure of symphilids control with Thurgiensis, but I've had pretty good luck keeping the gnats under control. Gnatrol and dunks are the same but in different forms.

Where'd you get the symphilids anyway? Outdoor soil? Unprotected sex?

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

you sure they are not just spring tails?


when you water both symphilids and spring tails float... spring tails will like "spring around" real quick like they jumping.... symphilids should not....

i thought i had symphilids for over a year tried everything they were spring tails.... symphilids die with dunks springtails do not...

springtails are suppose to be harmless... i did not like to have them... good luck

 

[KnuckleHedd]

Dunks work well for me. I was spending a lot on Nematodes, but didn't have faith in the dunks as I'd used Gnatrol with limited success. the gnatrol appearred to contain N-P-K as the plants would green up and grow immediately after an application. during flowering that sucked. so I used the Nematodes for several years. Last winter the Fungas Gnats appeared again and I tried the
dunks. I used them every week until June and didn't see another Gnat. I grew indoors for 20 years without ever having Fungas Gnats. Then a buddy brought some infested cuttings over and I've been fighting them off and on ever since. I shut everything down for a clean up and used a Raid fogger a month ago. I'm about to plant some seeds and hope I don't see them again. My buddy has had them for 5 years straight. He didn't take them seriously..."they're harmless..just a nuisance....they don't eat the leaves". Right....we don't call him Mr Brown Thumbs for nothing.

 

[KMK0420]

well, let me put it to you this way...

the Tek that explains how to control pests show that they are long bodied white bugs that come to the top of the soil when you water. exactly what they do.

also, higher up fan leaves are showing severe signs of nutrient deficiency, which i have NOT had at all my entire grow as i feed regularly, lightly, keeping a constant flow of nutes.

second, leaves are just dying. daily. every night i come home there are dead leaves on the top soil...which i guess COULD be normal if light penetration wasnt getting to the under leaves, but for the top leaves to show deficiencies like that so early in flowering...and not a N def. either!

lastly, i figured i'd use it either way as i hear they attack the roots directly. i figure if i water WITH the gnatrol, in case they ARE fungus gnats that are attacking the roots then yeah gnatrol should help...

i am also using FFOF. better to be safe than sorry. and the gnatrol does have the BTI obviously in it, so worse comes to worse if they are harmless springtails then i suck at keeping my plants healthy in flowering.

i'll keep dosing them for the next 2 weeks/waterings and if the adults die off, then i know thats what they were i guess...

 

[KMK0420]

you sure they are not just spring tails?


when you water both symphilids and spring tails float... spring tails will like "spring around" real quick like they jumping.... symphilids should not....

i thought i had symphilids for over a year tried everything they were spring tails.... symphilids die with dunks springtails do not...

springtails are suppose to be harmless... i did not like to have them... good luck

i hope so...because again plant is showing signs of def even though i'm feeding almost every watering (lightly)

 

[otherwhitemeat]

also, higher up fan leaves are showing severe signs of nutrient deficiency, which i have NOT had at all my entire grow as i feed regularly, lightly, keeping a constant flow of nutes.

second, leaves are just dying. daily. every night i come home there are dead leaves on the top soil...which i guess COULD be normal if light penetration wasnt getting to the under leaves, but for the top leaves to show deficiencies like that so early in flowering...and not a N def. either!

lastly, i figured i'd use it either way as i hear they attack the roots directly. i figure if i water WITH the gnatrol, in case they ARE fungus gnats that are attacking the roots then yeah gnatrol should help...

i am also using FFOF. better to be safe than sorry. and the gnatrol does have the BTI obviously in it, so worse comes to worse if they are harmless springtails then i suck at keeping my plants healthy in flowering.

i'll keep dosing them for the next 2 weeks/waterings and if the adults die off, then i know thats what they were i guess...

You'd have to have a pretty major infestation for them to affect yields. They do eat root hairs, but to find a few flying around flying around at any given time is not a big deal. Like I said, if you are using FFOF---you might as well start getting the gnats comfortable; they'll be there for a while.

They shouldn't be affecting your plants' leaf drop, that is most likley caused by something out of whack with your feeding---typically overferting. I just had this issue a few weeks ago and for me it was a combination of factors: too much trimming, too long in veg, rootbound, and overferting/overwatering to compensate.

The gnats are likley not causing this unless you literally see dozens/hundreds of them.

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

well, let me put it to you this way...

the Tek that explains how to control pests show that they are long bodied white bugs that come to the top of the soil when you water. exactly what they do.

also, higher up fan leaves are showing severe signs of nutrient deficiency, which i have NOT had at all my entire grow as i feed regularly, lightly, keeping a constant flow of nutes.

second, leaves are just dying. daily. every night i come home there are dead leaves on the top soil...which i guess COULD be normal if light penetration wasnt getting to the under leaves, but for the top leaves to show deficiencies like that so early in flowering...and not a N def. either!

lastly, i figured i'd use it either way as i hear they attack the roots directly. i figure if i water WITH the gnatrol, in case they ARE fungus gnats that are attacking the roots then yeah gnatrol should help...

i am also using FFOF. better to be safe than sorry. and the gnatrol does have the BTI obviously in it, so worse comes to worse if they are harmless springtails then i suck at keeping my plants healthy in flowering.

i'll keep dosing them for the next 2 weeks/waterings and if the adults die off, then i know thats what they were i guess...

when i had springtails/symphilids in hydro they would create a mucus in the water... i was using ebb and flo buckets at the time... it was nasty.... used gnatrol to get rid of them nothing worked... but they used to always spring around the water... Talked to the man around here "stitch" and he told me if they were symphilids then dunks would kill them....

He told me one application and you would see dead ones coming out the bottom.... i told him he was wrong... then a couple thread on springtails came around and i started to read them telling them that they had symphilids... THey leaughed at me and said no i have springtails....

i read the thread and the more i read the more i was like you know what i have spring tails too.. No wonder why trying to kill symphilids didnt work...
there not symphilids....

my suggestion to you is to search for spring tails and read the threads to make a better judgement for yourself... lik ei said for 2 years i had springtails i swore they were symphilids.... they werent...

i got rid of them by changing systems and houses... but they came out of no where when i had high humidity that along with a constant source of water they are hard to get rid of..

People say they are beneficial or harmless... i had more problems with them then i do without them... good luck... Have you tried neem oil? maybe be enough to coat them and sufficate them... that or some hot pepper wax bullshit...

 

[KMK0420]

i have no idea what they are..

i have ~30 days left in flowering, and they are in 5 gal's...

i was maybe considering bumping them up to 7 gals or something, just to give them the final boost but i dont know if its a good idea to be transplanting for the 4th or 5th time in the middle of flowering.

on 2 plants i'm showing cal def., i'm picking up some cal/mag to resolve that.

but, i feed LIGHLY. like literally people have said you need to feed a lot more...i'll feed 1/4th the recommended dose, and only every other watering or every 2 waterings.

i fed them good this time around, the top leaves are perfect on most of the plants (aside from the cal def on the one) but the underside leaves are yellowing, drooping and dying off

i'll treat with gnatrol all this week and if they stick around...gotta be springtails i guess..