fungas Gnats in my soil, looking for cheap control methods

Cover with a inch or 2 of sand

that would in a way make sense too...

heres a good thing on them and why overwatering is so important to control

anzohaze said:

Cover with a inch or 2 of sand

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have you ever had any issues with placing the sand on top and it keeping the base soil too wet? the sand thing makes sense the top two inches is where they reside... but it seems like it would keep your base media too moist ...

phil k said:

obviously you've never used diatomaceous earth properly..... that or you don't know what your talking about...its not going to clog your soil.. where do you even get that? what are you doing dumping 20lbs of d-earth into a 5 gallon? in two cubic feet of soil you maybe put 3 cups ... and why would you use mosquito bits.. ... its a chemical insect toxin....read the labels and its not only chemical its also a "time release" type so its going to leak into your soil for at least a whole month maybe two depending on how long it actually lasts.. bad advice is the worst advice.

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I've used it a few times and that's what has happened. I covered just the tops and run water over it after a few days.

phil k said:

have you ever had any issues with placing the sand on top and it keeping the base soil too wet? the sand thing makes sense the top two inches is where they reside... but it seems like it would keep your base media too moist ...

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Water less or don't water as often. . It works great. It's super cheap a 50lb bag of sand is 4 dollars or spend 20 dollar a bag or go nat bullshit at a hydro store and Have To Buy A Few bags

phil k said:

use the yellow stick cards and diatomaceous earth.. i am telling you it happens here al the time in michigan i always help people with the issue .. just take like 2 tablespoons dump it into the grow container... lightly massage it into the top inch or so and push it up to the side. ... just make sure its mixed in well to the top inch .. it will look like you sprinkled baby powder on it.. it will be enough alone with the stick cards to start controlling it.. another way is going to be chemical.. the yellow sticky cards and d-earth will work i promise. its not going to eradicate them overnight but in a week or so most will be killed.. but if its for sure soil gnats make sure you are not keeping your soil moist.. thats how they re-breed is moist soil that never dries properly

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thank you for the suggestions. i've tried DE before but did not stick with it; i should probably add some to the top soil when my other stuff comes in after i use it and let them all dry out after a good watering and add the DE on top too. the air-pots require frequent watering and didn't hold the sand well (tried it) and the holes allowed for the DE to fall out and the gnats to find other access points for larva.

anzohaze said:

Water less or don't water as often. . It works great. It's super cheap a 50lb bag of sand is 4 dollars or spend 20 dollar a bag or go nat bullshit at a hydro store and Have To Buy A Few bags

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yeah i can see that

undercovergrow said:

thank you for the suggestions. i've tried DE before but did not stick with it; i should probably add some to the top soil when my other stuff comes in after i use it and let them all dry out after a good watering and add the DE on top too. the air-pots require frequent watering and didn't hold the sand well (tried it) and the holes allowed for the DE to fall out and the gnats to find other access points for larva.

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yea i mean its not even really keeping up with it.. soil gnats aren't going to dig 8" down to lay eggs and find moist soil... so its all about watering properly that needs to be kept up .. i mean i amend D-earth into all my potting mix portions just as a preventer. its cheap and simple to do.. what i actually do is i take and empty 2 cubic feet into a rubbermaid.. dump 2-3 cups d-earth in... put the lid on and shake the shit out of it..then open it up sand fill your grow container.. all it is is the really finely ground fossilized remains.. so its not in anyway harming your grow...

your soil should be going good and dry like almost bone dry in 2 days with no water.. if your soil is taking 5-6 days to dry out your either watering too much and the root system hasn't develoed enough yet... gotta remember even one plant being overwatered will bring them.. if one plant looks like its soil is still moist don't water it just because your watering.. leave it and let it dry.. its really important to do that with any soil..promix type grows.

Finger lower holes and top of soil if it's damp don't water.

I've been doing F&D hydro in lava rock and hydroten for more than twenty years and other than the ocasional spidermite problem...truly I've never had any of these other bugs. Like mentioned earlier, back in the day I wouldn't plant without heat treating the soil to kill all the bugs before the dirt went in the grow room. Soil can harbour many unpleasant surprises.

DE works well. You can toss a layer of sand on top of your dirt too. They won't make it through. Can also help keep your root zone insulated and moist.

bird mcbride said:

I've been doing F&D hydro in lava rock and hydroten for more than twenty years and other than the ocasional spidermite problem...truly I've never had any of these other bugs. Like mentioned earlier, back in the day I wouldn't plant without heat treating the soil to kill all the bugs before the dirt went in the grow room. Soil can harbour many unpleasant surprises.

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its just soil in general remember not only does most that shit sit outside in barns till its shipped.. but its all shit like pete moss.. humus all of which is natural lving things at one point where bugs would live and lay eggs... sometimes shit just gets in but.. amending the soil mix from now on with DE before you pot will stop all that......honestly id rather have soil mites instead of spider.. when spiders get out of control they will take out a crop or really stunt the growth.

Think you got more then enough info now!! i think u chose a good method, although sand is pretty cheap. Just do prevenitive from here on out. Good luck, hope yr girls improve soon =)

http://www.valent.com/professional/products/gnatrol/
Works hydro and soil.
If foaming is a problem in hydro just add a drop or two of neem oil to system.

Listen. I grow in coco and get larvae but use knat nix its recycled glass. And to kill the larvae I use ortho home defense it's a red jug and has a battery operated sprayer. After you water and all the larvae rise to the top just as the water goes down spray the top of your medium. Works 100%. Wait until the next day and see how many you see. It's amazing. I've had my meds tested for years without any pesticides. It's not something you have to repeat and does not affect the plant


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Get your hands on this & leave the sand on the beach. And kill any larvae with ortho home defense when you water. 100% sucess rate


Bawse!

phil k said:

that would in a way make sense too...

heres a good thing on them and why overwatering is so important to control

View attachment 3419096

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I just let my soil dry like you stated. Worked for me, but that yellow card trick looks like a simple way of keeping track.

undercovergrow said:

thank you for the suggestions. i've tried DE before but did not stick with it; i should probably add some to the top soil when my other stuff comes in after i use it and let them all dry out after a good watering and add the DE on top too. the air-pots require frequent watering and didn't hold the sand well (tried it) and the holes allowed for the DE to fall out and the gnats to find other access points for larva.

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I find a fan blowing specifically on the tops of the soil helps keep away almost all soil dwellers. You may want to add a layer of mulch or compost to keep the soil from dryin out too fast, but a couple recirculating fans specifically on the soil tops and under the canopy keep a LOT of different pests away, not to mention it helps mold issues, strengthens stems, provides co2, stimulates growth, dissipates heat, etc, etc.
Get two fans, I like the ozirra brezza ones, or a name similar to that.
cheap and they last a good amount of time.
two of those or more depending on the size of your grow. have them oscillate in opposite flows so the gnats never have a time to rest.
the cool thing about this method is it's spray-free, pesticide-free, and helps them too.
Only thing is it does take energy, but both are run at less than a amp if I recall correctly, so two together is like maybe 200 watts at the most, depending on the setting you use, but you don't want fast airflow, just consistent airflow.
---side note-- I friggin HATE airpots...
if you want to salvage using those, when you re-pot next time, add a layer of the coco "wool" the stuff they use to line planters with, it helps a TON and I saw a difference when I did that.
I got rid of my airpots verrrrrry soon after trying them...
sorry...

OGEvilgenius said:

DE works well. You can toss a layer of sand on top of your dirt too. They won't make it through. Can also help keep your root zone insulated and moist.

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DE combined with sticky yellow fly traps work very well.
DE works best if you can keep it mostly dry, but when combined with sticky fly strips, will solve your problem!
Good luck!