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Fungus gnats or WINGED ROOT APHIDS???

Dubya

Member
Just wanted to confirm this is actually what I have. Pretty sure though. Roots are all fucked up. Phantom deficiencies, aren't drinking very much.
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I have some plants in straight coco, and others in coco/perlite. Reading through the thread, it seems acephate doesn't react well with perlite?

I just got the orthone in the mail today, but didn't order riptide. Is there an alternative I could use?

Thinking of using the orthone with riptide (or an alternative) for the straight coco plants, and then maybe Bayer Complete on the ones that have a mix. From here on out I plan to use straight coco so everything can be treated with the orthone mix. Hoping to just cut back on the numbers for now till I'm in straight coco, and then aim for total extermination.
 

xxxstr8edgexxx

Active member
Veteran
When I used the orthene in soil it killed 1/3 of my plants. The remaing plants suffered. I guessed that it was the alkaline components of my soil mix and rock wool starter cubes that reacted and basically gave them nitrogen burn. When reading through the mass it says that when exposed to alkaline substances it off gasses nitrogen. My plants looked really burned so that was the theory I came up with as to why eclipse was fine but I was not.
 

Dubya

Member
Thanks yeah I read through some more of the thread. I think the ones in straight coco will be good. The ones in perlite I'll drench with something else to help get them through harvest. Theres some that I started off in coco/perlite mix and then transplanted into straight coco, not sure which though. So I think I'll do a low dose to start with and see how it goes. Thanks for all the help.

Any other suggestions from yourself or anyone else I'm all ears.
 

catbuds

Member
I've never had the problem, but always appreciate a heads up. I use non- ultra joy for nearly everything plant related. I really need my glasses changed (ha! Being 60 does that)! But if I see ANY insect, I spray the plant down, getting undersides as well as top side, the stem, & I pay close attention to nodes & joints where bugs can hide. After doing the plant its self, I 'run through' the soil/potting medium. If insects are back, I then go to neem oil, but by keeping my plants 'bathed' I only see bugs on plants brought in from other sources. While working in florists/grnhses, we had to quarantine EVERYTHING. Plants often were shipped in infested, mealy bugs, aphids, thrips, leaf hoppers, anything & everything. After over 40 yrs in the biz, I've found prevention to be the key. I hate chemicals. I almost always find organic, natural, or home remedies to cure plant health problems. After ridding your plants of these obnoxious little munchers, treat with peroxide. 3% peroxide at 1 part peroxide to 4 parts water. Make oxygen available to damaged roots & really helps speed recovery. That's for soil or soiless mediums such as peat/spaghnum. Has anybody had experience using neem oil against these pests?
- if anyone's interested, I make a rather nasty nicotine insecticide. Pack a jar with tobacco & cover to top with 90% isopropal (sp) alcohol let steep for at least 24 hrs. I prefere many months, but sometimes you're in a hurry. Then I do my joy soapy water spray, 32 oz spray bottle & add a tablespoon or two of the nicotine to it, shake it up & go. Haven't found any bug that survives that mix.
 

xxxstr8edgexxx

Active member
Veteran
Calm down buddy those aren't aphids.
Just wanted to confirm this is actually what I have. Pretty sure though. Roots are all fucked up. Phantom deficiencies, aren't drinking very much.
Calm down buddy those aren't aphids. View Image

View Image

View Image

I have some plants in straight coco, and others in coco/perlite. Reading through the thread, it seems acephate doesn't react well with perlite?

I just got the orthone in the mail today, but didn't order riptide. Is there an alternative I could use?

Thinking of using the orthone with riptide (or an alternative) for the straight coco plants, and then maybe Bayer Complete on the ones that have a mix. From here on out I plan to use straight coco so everything can be treated with the orthone mix. Hoping to just cut back on the numbers for now till I'm in straight coco, and then aim for total extermination.
 

Dubya

Member
So I did the potato test. These guys were on them.

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So these are definitely not aphids?

Didn't see anything else on the potatoes. Does that mean I can safely rule out aphids as a possibility?
 

SecondAttempt

Active member
- if anyone's interested, I make a rather nasty nicotine insecticide. Pack a jar with tobacco & cover to top with 90% isopropal (sp) alcohol let steep for at least 24 hrs. I prefere many months, but sometimes you're in a hurry. Then I do my joy soapy water spray, 32 oz spray bottle & add a tablespoon or two of the nicotine to it, shake it up & go. Haven't found any bug that survives that mix.


So I've read about this before.... Do you just use bagged tobacco like people use to roll their own cigarettes? Can't you transmit TMV doing this? Does the alcohol kill TMV? Or is TMV a myth in the cannabis world, I've read conflicting opinions on this.

Sorry to feed this off topic discussion but as you can see from above posts/pics everyone with pests finds their way in here and if this nicotine trick kills everything but RA it is still very valuable information.
 

Sarcclash

Member
Has anybody had experience using neem oil against these pests?
Sprayed Neem oil had no noticeable effect on FG when I tried it.
As a root soak it made my plants hang limp and they stopped growing.
I had to do an emergency flush to save them as I recall.
That strong, nutty odor it has is disagreeable, IMO.

I have been growing nicotiana rustica the last few years(I get volunteers every year)
but never made bug spray with them.
As an ex cigarette smoker, I don't want nicotine in my body and spraying it on my consumable plants is out of the question.
I first grew tobacco as a novelty but now I see I can make a spray for hornets, spiders and ants.

Thanks for your recipe.
 

medicalmj

Active member
Veteran
Has anybody had experience using neem oil against these pests?
Sprayed Neem oil had no noticeable effect on FG when I tried it.
As a root soak it made my plants hang limp and they stopped growing.
I had to do an emergency flush to save them as I recall.
That strong, nutty odor it has is disagreeable, IMO.

I have been growing nicotiana rustica the last few years(I get volunteers every year)
but never made bug spray with them.
As an ex cigarette smoker, I don't want nicotine in my body and spraying it on my consumable plants is out of the question.
I first grew tobacco as a novelty but now I see I can make a spray for hornets, spiders and ants.

Thanks for your recipe.

Foliar application won't do anything to kill FGs plus the fliers aren't the issue, its the larvae eating your roots and spreading disease.

For drenches use a rosemary base product designed for soil drench. Or if you want to use nicotine why not just use imidicroprid? It's a neonicitinoid and despite it being a systemic is proven to be "safe" when used correctly. That is, don't use in flower, or at least 4-6 weeks.

Note: Some may dispute the claim of "safe", which is why it's in "" and is relative. Compared to the environment for which we live and cannot avoid, it's safe. Perhaps in some pristine locale, in a another universe, one could argue that even the smallest trace amounts of this chemical is harmful, but that place doesn't exist for us, unfortunately.
 

GF-Z

Active member
steps to completely eliminate aphids of all types at 99% rate (1% depends on your lazyness in generous)

1) Order yellow sticky traps/mosquito dunks. Buy not 3 not 4. BUY BULK, CUZ THEY R CHEAPO! Put them near every house plant. Grow room window. Around grow tent. In TOP/BOTTOM of your pot.
p.s. some of that bastards are smart, they dont sit on top of soil. I found some fa***t layin' eggz in bottom, because its good wet and cold spot. Perfect for them.

2) Ok. Now you put sticky traps. BRAVO! Aduld elimination begun. Next 2-4days show how much badass aphids/gnats you have. ( If you notice thrips, buy blue traps..)
If after 4days you see only few gnats inside tent and none in grow room ROOM (malfunction ftw) its not big problem. Stress OFF!
Just keep plants dry. Spray them with ph'ed water (best to add foliar nutrients). KEEP IT DRY! Plants will survive (of course keep it real, you dont want to overdry them) Eggz and larvae will die instantly because of dehydration.
2)(A)BUT, if you see them traped everywhere in house. Mate you have a big problem. Probably your every plant existing in house is TMV (mosaic virus) infected and there's no hope just to finish quick and close factory until full sterilization and new pack of seeds... Go investigate possibillity of hemp streak/tmv and do that you need to. CLEAN/BURN/RE-GROW.

3) NEEM OIL FOLIAR. COLD PRESSED WORKS ONLY. DONT MIX IT WITH HOT WATER AS IT DESTROY ACTIVE INGREDIENT... azachardin or something like this.

recipe is: 1l sprayer + 2-5ml neem oil + table spoon of organic castile soap/insecticidial soap. (dont use fairy/dishwasher or other shet... not good for your health)

Spray everything in grow room, underleafs etc. Just to keep it as much stinky and yukky for nasty gipsys aka gnats.


4) NEEM OIL. DUMPING INTO SOFT HOT WATER.
make a relaxing bath for your plants and hell for pests.
Temperature should be slightly hot for yourself to keep hands inside water for more than 3-5seconds. DONT USE BOILING WATER TO MIX. BUT WATER SHOULD HAVE MORE THAN 60 *celcius to have burning effect, but not boilling...
Dump everything for 1-2minutes max.
Put out and leave for 1 day.(dont touch single leaf, nor open doors of grow room). It should show some stress (Fe deff. looking). Repeat it after week if succesful.

5) Buy some vaporisers (not for smoking, but for vaporising essential oils) like air wick and etc....
THis time i dont have facts to write, but can assure a lot of essential oils (rosemary/tea tree/lavender/mint/eucalyptus/cinnamon/cardemon) is hell for pests. Tea tree+rosemary+eucalyptus+cinnamon is killing machine to prevent pests. They just dont like that smell and poisonous effect on pests. (beneficial effect on humans)
p.s. I use them as they have muscle/joint/sleep inducing effects.

6) Sit and relax. You've did everything possible in organic and harmless way to plant/human.
Still and inspect your plants. After second dumping in neem look what happening on sticky traps. If adulds stopped sticking to traps, it means they are defeated and only thing is to keep all inline/outline trapped from adult to getting inside through ventilation.


So, in few words. Its like war. You put traps(mines) around your land, spray them with neem (shooting), then dump into neem hot bath (chemical gun). And put essential oil vaporiser ON! (nuclear weapon)(max heating is preffered). Then trap inline/outline ducting (with women socks) its like creating wall/board form other country :) to prevent incoming terrorists...
Happy days.
I used this method and it worked 99%. 1% because stupid house mate bought infected plants dont even imagining what is fungus gnats and what they do to our precious sacramental acient sacred plant.:tiphat::laughing::tiphat:

p.s. this method is for soil only. Soiless mediums should be treated with extreme caution as it can ruin all your drip pipes, hydro setups and plant roots overall.
 

Corpsey

pollen dabber
ICMag Donor
Veteran
i have been seeing some winged guys in my room that have longer wings then fungus gnats, and today i saw some little aphid guys walking on top of my soil.

im just not sure if they are hurting anything, or if they are some type of beneficial. they are only on the canna mulch that i put down on my soil, and my plants are still healthy, and the last male i pulled this week the roots look fine.

here is one of the little buggers i found on my soil...
 

xxxstr8edgexxx

Active member
Veteran
dude kill kill kill kill kill seriously. those fuckers are not just in one plant and the nymphs are waaaay harder to see treat every rootball you own yesterday. open another window and order the appropriate crutches. those things will make your life hell. dont play around with half measures full bore.
 

xxxstr8edgexxx

Active member
Veteran
btw fungus gnats and winged flyer root aphids are not the same thing. fungus gnats should be contrrolled and could possibly lead to problems. root aphids also fly around i your garden and look like fungus gnats but are adult forms of mature reproductive root aphids. spraying your plant ill do absolutely zero about the problem. your rootball is where the treatment must happen. if you can eliminate root aphids your fungus gnats will likely perish. fungus gnats are a fucking picnic. dont let yourself get confused. search this thread. afdvanced search users eclipse420 and granger read those two. those are the two methods worth reading. if those two meathods dont appeal to you kill your entire garden and start over from scratch after sterilizing everything and trashing every rootball you own no cuttings no nothing house plants included. organically that is your only working option. trust me everything else will cost you more over time than loosing one round to shutting down. the organic meathods in this thread are a waste of time.
 

Corpsey

pollen dabber
ICMag Donor
Veteran
damn, so i have them huh. would be quite the kick in the balls to start over, hopefully it doesn't come to that. im going to order nematodes tomorrow and start reading more on this thread today.
 

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