Fruit Fly's

hi ive recently noticed ive got these fruit flys in my garden and although they dont seem to be harming the plants anyone know of a product or solution to this with as little harm to the plants? Plzkiss-ass

If they are gnats, try an inch of decorative sand for potted plants on top of the soil. It prevents them from laying eggs, and within a week or two cleared them up for me. I was looking into much more expensive ways of dealing with this, and many people here suggested the sand, I'm glad they did!

take a read at this link dude! https://www.rollitup.org/bugs/350568-fungus-gnats-am-i-fucked.html
Should help you out.

I just wanted to add, that an inch of sand is unnecessary, and that it will create drainage problems. Maybe it was the sand I used(playbox sand.lol), but when I tried to water my plants, the water would sit on top of the sand, and wouldn't drain into the soil. So, I scooped out what I could, which still left about 1/8" of sand, and that worked great for the gnats. I still had some drainage problems, though. I had to water all my plants lightly, then go back to each one and stir around the top layer of soil, then water again, in order to not leave a bunch of dry spots. It was worth the hassle though, because the gnats were gone in less than two weeks. Then I got rid of the MG soil, switched to FF OF, and haven't had a problem, ever since.

Sm90 or dawn dish soap really help smother eggs when you water just a few drops per gallon .... ShopVac helps to kill adults also the sticky yellow fly traps paper work well

jawbrodt said:

I just wanted to add, that an inch of sand is unnecessary, and that it will create drainage problems. Maybe it was the sand I used(playbox sand.lol), but when I tried to water my plants, the water would sit on top of the sand, and wouldn't drain into the soil. So, I scooped out what I could, which still left about 1/8" of sand, and that worked great for the gnats. I still had some drainage problems, though. I had to water all my plants lightly, then go back to each one and stir around the top layer of soil, then water again, in order to not leave a bunch of dry spots. It was worth the hassle though, because the gnats were gone in less than two weeks. Then I got rid of the MG soil, switched to FF OF, and haven't had a problem, ever since.

Click to expand...

Sharp river sand is the only kind of sand that can be for horticulture not beach sand

I would also agree with JAWBRODT

usually Sand on the top works to a certain extent but can cause issues with watering and drainage. Also in order to be effective you also have to cover the bottom drainage holes in your pots as these flies can still get in there.

I personally use an insecticide with an active ingredient spinosad. This works on a very wide range of pests and is always handy to have in the cupboard.


I mix 1-2 teaspoons in a 500ml spray bottle and spray the soil or medium with the spray and also coat my plants in the spray if they are NOT in flower.

Have attached a pic of what i use for you.

J

sappytreetree said:

Sharp river sand is the only kind of sand that can be for horticulture not beach sand

Click to expand...

That makes sense. I'm guessing that it's a coarser sand? That stuff I used was super fine, but it was mid-winter, and all I could get my hands on. At any rate, an inch is still a bit excessive. As long as the soil is covered, that will work fine. The more that is added, the more you'll have to 'till' your soil, and also,...makes flushing thoroughly, near impossible. I used a long probe, poked a shitload of holes into the soil, before i flushed. It worked great, but was definitely time consuming.

I also agree with jondamon, that you'll need to cover the drainage holes, or you'll have larvae in the bottom of your rootmass. Pesticides are a good idea too, just don't use neem oil, because I think the gnats thrive off the stuff, like they're getting a hand-fed buffet.LOL

Any of you guy's used Gnat Off?

greenjambo said:

Any of you guy's used Gnat Off?

Click to expand...

Yes i have used this

It is directed to use at something like 1ml per litre of water.

Its pretty good stuff but only really works on Gnats. Which is why i choose spinosad.

When i used Gnatoff a friend gave me some to try after he infected me with some of his clones. It done the job after 2 applications.

It uses something called bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis.

Which causes the larvae to stop feeding.

Like i mentioned its pretty good at doing it, but why not go for something that does alot more like the spinosad in my post.
This controls Fungus gnats thrips aphids caterpillars fire ants loads and loads of others too including leafminers.

You can use it as a spray or as a soil drench.


J

would using a cloth or something similar to cover the drainage holes work?

^That's a pretty good idea, actually. Even better, if you spray the cloth with Gnat Off, or some other pesticide.