How do I prevent fungus gnats ?

[little-soldier]

whats up people,
Got those little pricks in my soil and so sick of them Im just going to clone everything but I need to know how I can make sure not to get them anymore. It seems like I get them every grow. Even if I try my best not to let the soil wet too long, I still manage to get them. I dont want to use sticky pest strips because when they are old enough to fly it means there are still a couple in the soil already. So how do I go about preventing them in the first place.
I know of putting sand on top of my soil or leaving potato peals but I am sure some people have never ever had them and I would be thankfull to know how they do it.
thx

 

[skylined]

The problem might be you are not starting with sterile soil. Another source might be you are simply bringing them in from the outside. High levels of humidity also encourage the little bastards. If you are cloning, make sure you use STERILE soil / media to root in and completely sterile soil to grow in. I'd wipe your grow-rooms down with pure alcohol / rubbing alc or a bleach solution. IF you are coming in from the outside, take off your shoes and socks and change your clothes, especially if you are walking around in woodsy/dirty areas or an outdoor garden. Putting up sticky traps will help a little because every flyer it catches is not going to be one that lays eggs in your soil as well. Good luck with them.

Peace,
~Skylined

(also, larvae are usually only found in the top few inches of the soil...so let those dry out. I mean bone dry. Water your plants from the bottom for a little while and watch die of dehydration).

 

[Guest]

1. Get some pantyhose. I dont wear it anymore, so I have to borrow the womans.

2. Buy "mosquito dunks" - lowes, home depot, wally world.

3. Stick a mosquito dunk in the pantyhose, tie it closed - use a slip knot that you can untie easily later. See Nazi Youth manual,,, I mean Boy Scout manual.

4. Stick pantyhosed dunk in reservoir - tie to an airstone or something to keep it submerged.

5. Change dunk monthly.

I've had no gnats in well over a year using this method. Much cheaper than gnatrol and less chemicals than alternatives. Also - less need to worry about sterile medium as many organic growers want exactly the opposite. Mosquito dunks colonize bacillus thuringus which eats gnat larvae. So you might see a few adults for a while, but eventually they will burn up in your artificial sun while their babies get eaten from the inside out by Sigourney Weaver.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cured.

 

[Luther Budbank]

I haven't had any fungus gnats since I started adding a few drops of neem oil to every watering.

Good Luck

 

[Guest]

I haven't had any fungus gnats since I started adding a few drops of neem oil to every watering.

Good Luck

Brilliant idea. Neem cakes might work as well. Never tried myself.

 

[GDB]

I haven't had any fungus gnats since I started adding a few drops of neem oil to every watering.

Good Luck

Exactly, mild but continuous use of neem oil will prevent ALL sorts of bad things from getting a foothold. Try to get the pure cold pressed and stay away from the hydrolized formulas (they tend to burn up the plants).

 

[wildheart]

Hey Soldier,

In talking to Sparetime in Willits for many years they have convinced me that fungus gnats are generally not really a problem unless or until you do definitely have an infestation.

If you go into your grow, walk over to your plants and tap the stem of one of them a few times with your finger, just vibrate the plant a bit by tapping that stem, now watch - if a big cloud of gnats starts flying around, you may have an infestation that needs treatment... Nematodes can possibly help as well. If only a few fly out, then maybe you can keep them under control with the yellow and blue sticky traps.

Also, according to Sparetime, Einstein Oil, AKA 'The Brilliant Solution' is considered the finest and highest quality of the cold-pressed neem oils currently on the market. I've been using it for years now and it simply works beautifully for mites if you maintain your spray schedules... Also, the idea that you can eliminate the gnats/flies with a few drops of neem added to the rezzy continously is fabulous!

What amount of drops of neem would be reccomended for a 40 gal rezervoir?

Thanks,

wh

 

[EasyBakeIndica]

If you want to prevent them, then make sure you have a well-draining soil and that you are allowing it dry out fully before watering again. They thrive in a warm, moist environment with poor ventilation.

 

[asa42]

1st post of ?

1st post of ?

preventing them keeps the nasty cycle from starting... but is a hell of a task if ya dont know how they're gettin in. if they are making their way in w/you the clothes change is a good suggestion. maybe put up barriers to go thru too. if they are coming in the soil ya can sterilize it, but hear it is a stinky job, lingering for days. not tried that but have used the mosquito dunks w/success. they can be added to water then applied to the soil. may require multiple apps to effect the cycle. the sand is...

 

[asa42]

2nd

2nd

...one way to keep the buggers from laying eggs ontop of the soil. another option is a layer of perlite on top. perlite is lighter, if ya water by weight this can help. perlite also is airer, whereas sand can suffocate the roots. not used neem but as posts all ready hint at it gets good comments regularly. as for neematodes & other preditor bugs i dont think they'd be helpful for preventive measures... all though can be great for combating infestations. imo depriving plants water may cause more problems...

 

[asa42]

3rd

3rd

...including increased stress. plus if all the nutes are provided w/ waterings they may also suffer nute defs. personally when tried to prevent their continued cycle we used the dunks along w/perlite ontop the soil as well as over the drain holes. had sticky traps to montiter numbers & to detect locations. wish ya the best of luck!

asa

 

[Guest]

Did I mention the mosquito dunks?

Set it and forget it, once a month is all it takes. Doesn't matter the system your in, hydro, soil, biobuckets, stripclub, makes no difference. No need to put shit on top of your soil, no need to remember neem every rez change as the pantyhose just stay there, handlin business.

Of course you could try a million other options, but hey - it works for me!

 

[KissOfDeath]

Great Idea!

Great Idea!

1. Get some pantyhose. I dont wear it anymore, so I have to borrow the womans.

2. Buy "mosquito dunks" - lowes, home depot, wally world.

3. Stick a mosquito dunk in the pantyhose, tie it closed - use a slip knot that you can untie easily later. See Nazi Youth manual,,, I mean Boy Scout manual.

4. Stick pantyhosed dunk in reservoir - tie to an airstone or something to keep it submerged.

5. Change dunk monthly.

I've had no gnats in well over a year using this method. Much cheaper than gnatrol and less chemicals than alternatives. Also - less need to worry about sterile medium as many organic growers want exactly the opposite. Mosquito dunks colonize bacillus thuringus which eats gnat larvae. So you might see a few adults for a while, but eventually they will burn up in your artificial sun while their babies get eaten from the inside out by Sigourney Weaver.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cured.

Simple, cheap and effective. Tired of spending the $ for Gnatrol.

Thanks for the idea, Strain!

 

[Guest]

I'm here for you guys. This makes all the drama of life worthwhile!