What's new
  • Please note members who been with us for more than 10 years have been upgraded to "Veteran" status and will receive exclusive benefits. If you wish to find out more about this or support IcMag and get same benefits, check this thread here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

Fungus gnats or WINGED ROOT APHIDS???

FoCo(No.Co)

Barned
Veteran
if you aren't afraid of real poison and don't need it in bloom atm, merit is the way to go imho. imidiclaprod is the active ingredient in that one, and yes it is systemic. if you don't want to buy a whole bottle you can pm me for a store in the bay area that will break you off just a little bit for the right price.

How long does the imid stay in the plant?
 

ItsGrowTime

gets some
Veteran
gnatrol isn't for aphids. it's for gnats. it's specific strain of Bt.
you're just spinning your wheels trying to use it on root aphids.

Your statement conflicts with bergerbuddy's earlier in this thread. I hate when that happens. FWIW, my hydro shop guy pointed me toward a BT solution (not Gnatrol...can't look now since lights are out...will update if I remember) for my aphid issue. Is Gnatrol (BTI) no good for aphids but other BT organisms can be used for aphids or are all BT variants useless against aphids? We need to hash this out more.

A big bottle of Bayer Fruit and Vegetable pesticide solution containing .25% Imid cost me $14 at Home Depot. Pretty cheap.

ETA: No, neither bug will bite humans.
 

humble1

crazaer at overgrow 2.0
ICMag Donor
Veteran
BTi is specifically for the order diptera: flies and such.
this does not include any of the superfamily Aphidoidea that encompasses both regular aphids and phylloxera (root aphids).
As far as I know there is no BT variant effective for aphids.
 
Using Gnatrol had NO effect on my root aphid problem, at least using the max recommended dosing didn't kill them.... The reading I did on gnatrol backs up what Humble1 is saying, it is a very specific bacteria which is why it is safe for us to use.

I will say that the Zero Tolerance treatment killed the bugs, but as a root drench it also killed my plants. As I stated earlier, I tried it as a foliar (like it is designed) but it didn't work so I emailed the company who makes it. They instructed me to use 1/2 reccomended dose as a root drench and my plants died.

I will be trying Azatrol next time I get these things (and I think I have spotted some of these since the weather warmed up) as a root drench and may try imidiclaprod if Azatrol isn't effective.
 

humble1

crazaer at overgrow 2.0
ICMag Donor
Veteran
ZT is BS and Ed should be ashamed of his own product.
smells nice. kills plants. fuck that noise.
you'll have better luck w/ pyrethrins IMO
 
Yeah I agree.... I was desperate last year as they were literally all over the place! I just hope someone else doesn't make the same mistake.
 
does nicotine based products work?? i wanna try an organic method to kill these fockerton's. i am so annnnoyed, now that i know what to look for, there must be 1000s of them per 4 inch pot. i was wondering why these vigorous pepper plants i have just won;t grow any further. now i know why, their roots are being raped & pillaged from behind.
 

humble1

crazaer at overgrow 2.0
ICMag Donor
Veteran
nicotine based products will work, but they leave a nasty residue.
also, was the tobacco used in these products organic?
if not, the product itself is not organic.
i hate the overuse of that term.
regardless of what you decide to use, wear gloves!
 

ItsGrowTime

gets some
Veteran
I guess Ill shelve the BT solution I got (Safer Caterpillar Killer, contains BT kurstaki). It kinda gunked up my roots a bit too, which I don't like but plants don't seem to mind. Hopefully the IMID will do the trick and Ill keep researching this issue to see what else is effective. I hope we can keep this thread going (sticky?) since this critter is known in the grape world as "The Destroyer". Nothing to mess around with...

eta: Acetamiprid is also indicated as effective against phylloxera. Trying to source a commercial product but trade name is "Assail". Here's an interesting chart on pesticide effectiveness against certain bugs.
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeipm/Pesticide.htm
 
Last edited:

FoCo(No.Co)

Barned
Veteran
eta: Acetamiprid is also indicated as effective against phylloxera. Trying to source a commercial product but trade name is "Assail". Here's an interesting chart on pesticide effectiveness against certain bugs.
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeipm/Pesticide.htm

That looks like a great resource.

But whats up with this? It says that pyrethrins/Pyreth-It are not effective on phylloxera?!

EDIT: FUCK! It says that azadirachtin doesnt work either?? I have now purchased three organic products(Spinosad, pyrethrins, azadirachtin/neem) based on recomendations made by IC members and Ohio State says none of them are going to work!

I think we are going to be forced to use real, inorganic poisons to solve our aphid problems.......

SECOND EDIT: I FINALLY GOT WISE ABOUT THIS TIME, HARMFUL CHEMICAL PESTICIDES ARE THE ONLY ANSWER, IMO.
 

MynameStitch

Dr. Doolittle
Mentor
Veteran
Foco, send a pm to one of the mods to ask this to be a sticky; 10K is not around much so you would have better luck getting another mod to help you out.


Great work on the thread by the way, this is why I love the community, because we all help out one another, in some form or another!
 

FoCo(No.Co)

Barned
Veteran
Can someone please drop some more info on how to SAFELY use Imidacloprid?

I am about to go buy a bottle of Monterey Imidacloprid from Home Depot($13)... but the label says that you only have to use this once a year?? If I use it during veg will it most certainly be out of my plants system by harvest?

THANK YOUs!
 

ItsGrowTime

gets some
Veteran
Can someone please drop some more info on how to SAFELY use Imidacloprid?

I am about to go buy a bottle of Monterey Imidacloprid from Home Depot($13)... but the label says that you only have to use this once a year?? If I use it during veg will it most certainly be out of my plants system by harvest?

THANK YOUs!

(disclaimer: Im still working on this too so Im no expert obviously, just my thoughts here)

It's a safe systemic product, no special handling required according to my label. Just follow the directions. I got the Bayer Fruit and Veggie version (.235% imid) since they're about the same as cannabis plants. I added around a half oz to a 25gal res (around 1-2ml/gal) and it's been running through my system on small clones for a week now without issue. The label says to only apply once, but that's for full grown plants so Ill probably run a second small application around day 20 of flower when the aphid damage usually starts to show.

I found a commercial product with acetamiprid at Home Depot/Lowe's. It's Ortho Fruit and Veggie spray. There's also a Rose version but both have .006% acetamiprid so I didn't see the difference (other than price). They were the ONLY products that contained this pesticide! I think Ill apply the spray around the base of the plants every two weeks or so (says 4 applications max) and with my setup it'll run right down onto the roots. That should kill the bugs on contact and the roots will take some of it up systemically for further protection.
 

humble1

crazaer at overgrow 2.0
ICMag Donor
Veteran
If I use it during veg will it most certainly be out of my plants system by harvest?
wikipedia says yes. or, rather, probably yes:
"The chemical breaks down to inorganic molecules by both photolysis and microbial action, in the air and with a half-life of 30 days in water and 27 days in soil anaerobically. Although it is not "persistent" in the technical sense since it does degrade, it can have a half-life in soil under aerobic conditions of as long as 997 days, which is the cause of the concern over possible water contamination as it gradually leaches out of a hypothetical soil reservoir."
Obviously conditions will vary, but IMO for the majority of smaller containerized indoor growers it won't be an issue. That's why I use merit!
But whats up with this? It says that pyrethrins/Pyreth-It are not effective on phylloxera?!
It says that azadirachtin doesnt work either?? I have now purchased three organic products(Spinosad, pyrethrins, azadirachtin/neem) based on recomendations made by IC members and Ohio State says none of them are going to work!
Ohio state is commenting on grape growing IPM. grapes are grown in soil outside, not indoors in smaller containers. pyrethrins are effective @ killing root aphids only if applied in the correct way, as i outlined earlier. simple drenching is not adequate because the aphids can and will move.
please note: if wikipedia is correct, and the half life is only ~30 days, do not apply these products within 30 days of harvest! I only apply merit periodically in veg and once at the flip to flower. Good luck to all in the land of REAL poison....
 

ItsGrowTime

gets some
Veteran
wikipedia says yes. or, rather, probably yes:
"The chemical breaks down to inorganic molecules by both photolysis and microbial action, in the air and with a half-life of 30 days in water and 27 days in soil anaerobically. Although it is not "persistent" in the technical sense since it does degrade, it can have a half-life in soil under aerobic conditions of as long as 997 days, which is the cause of the concern over possible water contamination as it gradually leaches out of a hypothetical soil reservoir."
Obviously conditions will vary, but IMO for the majority of smaller containerized indoor growers it won't be an issue. That's why I use merit!

Ohio state is commenting on grape growing IPM. grapes are grown in soil outside, not indoors in smaller containers. pyrethrins are effective @ killing root aphids only if applied in the correct way, as i outlined earlier. simple drenching is not adequate because the aphids can and will move.
please note: if wikipedia is correct, and the half life is only ~30 days, do not apply these products within 30 days of harvest! I only apply merit periodically in veg and once at the flip to flower. Good luck to all in the land of REAL poison....

There was one particular Bayer product at Home Depot that had the Merit logo on it. I think it was the Tree and Shrub version at 1.17% imid. Probably a good choice too.

The label on my Bayer imid product warns not to harvest for at least 21 days after application for most plants, so 21-30 days is probably a good guideline. Only exception listed is leafy veggies like celery and swiss chard say at least 45 days.
 

FoCo(No.Co)

Barned
Veteran
I found a commercial product with acetamiprid at Home Depot/Lowe's. It's Ortho Fruit and Veggie spray. There's also a Rose version but both have .006% acetamiprid so I didn't see the difference (other than price).

Yea I have decided that the grow shop is useless for finding products to solve our little problem. I just took a trip to Home Depot intending to buy an Imid product, didnt have enough cash on me to buy it, but I found a cheaper product that contains GAMMA-Cyhalothrin!

So it is final, I am going to use this stuff($9/Quart)-
c53b737a942fc389cc7c7643feb49bf8_309043.jpg


EDIT: THIS STUFF IS A GOOD TEMPORARY STOP WHEN YOU CANNOT APPLY IMID. MUST BE REAPPLIED.


Ohio state is commenting on grape growing IPM. grapes are grown in soil outside, not indoors in smaller containers. pyrethrins are effective @ killing root aphids only if applied in the correct way, as i outlined earlier.

I'm so happy to have someone around to comment on practicing this stuff in the real world. Respect, man.

:thank you:EVERYONE!
 

CovertCrops

Member
Ive got the Bayer Tree and shrub with the Merit logo on it, 1.47% Imid

It calls for 1 teaspoon per gallon of container. That seems like a lot when the fruit and veggie version is only 0.235% Imid being applied at 1-2ml per gal (thanks IGT)

Humble1 - how strong is the merit that you apply? I think I could just dilute it down but I have never messed with this stuff before, just wondering what you do.
 

ItsGrowTime

gets some
Veteran
Ive got the Bayer Tree and shrub with the Merit logo on it, 1.47% Imid

It calls for 1 teaspoon per gallon of container. That seems like a lot when the fruit and veggie version is only 0.235% Imid being applied at 1-2ml per gal (thanks IGT)

Humble1 - how strong is the merit that you apply? I think I could just dilute it down but I have never messed with this stuff before, just wondering what you do.

The fruit/veggie calls for .5oz per 10square feet of plant space. In a hydro setup it's pretty hard to nail down a sqft figure so I kinda winged it and started out light for clones. Based on root space figures in my garden (5'x5" fence posts, 6 of them), I can probably go higher than 2ml/gal but my clones just flipped to 12/12 and are only a 4-5 inches tall so I didnt want to overdo it. Will apply a little more later into flower.
 
Top