Roots Organic Soil (Free Gnat Larva Included!!)

[kingofqueen]

I have sprayed with neem and pemethrin got sticky traps everywhere . I have less now but they are still around . I did notice by accident they are attracted to white vinegar , was using some to ph down and I could,nt keep them out of the stuff ,got a pan of it in my room now ,I hate the smell but if they like it fine they land in it and die .

 

[Defcon9]

not sure if this helps or not, but you can try Botaniguard 22wp. I'm not sure if gnats are consided soft bodied when they are larva. I used this for root aphids and it worked great. not 100% organic though due to the way the suspend the bacteria. 2 tbs per gallon (4L) of water water every other day for 6 waterings. It's freakin expensive though.

Good luck

 

[Spanishfly]

the middle of the pile was at a temp of 140 this morning, when i broke it up the bugs were loving it. so far it looks like this method is a wash.

Gardeners have been sterilising soil for centuries now. Course it works.

The warmth in the centre of your ´pile´ - whatever that is - is NOT enough to sterilise.

You need an OVEN - as has been stated!!!

 

[cpc]

ive used black gold for years i dont know about you, but it has never given me a soil problem

its good soil, it was stored outside for a good period of time, so it got some gnats. now ive switched to roots because it lets me cut a nutrient from my program, because its coco based.

 

[GrowfaceKillah]

This makes less oxygen for roots.

-1in. of sand worked well for me. To combat root oxygen drill more drainage holes or even better, add a fish tank air block underneath your soil in the bottom of your bucket. This will provide A TON of oxygen your soil plants aren't used to receiving. This appears to be a piece of information not many soil growers know but if added to their setup can produce healthier and thicker roots. I've only seen a couple posts online mentioning such practice but I've personally done it with good results.
-Also! use a bowl of red wine, set it out near your plants (anywhere)... gnats or fruit flies dive straight to death. Adding a drop of Dawn dish soap (and only a drop) adds a film to the wine and your average house fly will get stuck and not be able to fly (soapy wings)
-If you grow in soil water the plant from the bottom to promote root stretching.
-Fertilize very slowly from the top so she'll stretch taproots for nutes.

 

[GrowfaceKillah]

I have sprayed with neem and pemethrin got sticky traps everywhere . I have less now but they are still around . I did notice by accident they are attracted to white vinegar , was using some to ph down and I could,nt keep them out of the stuff ,got a pan of it in my room now ,I hate the smell but if they like it fine they land in it and die .

Try red wine man, it works a ton better and doesn't smell. I bought a huge bottle of cheap crappy Merlot for $5.99....
Just set a bowl of it near your plants and within a couple days you'll see death accumulation floating in wine. Puts a smile on yer face.

 

[303]

Try red wine man, it works a ton better and doesn't smell. I bought a huge bottle of cheap crappy Merlot for $5.99....
Just set a bowl of it near your plants and within a couple days you'll see death accumulation floating in wine. Puts a smile on yer face.

Hmmm.. Skeptical on that idea..

 

[Matt Rize]

Hmmm.. Skeptical on that idea..

I think it could work, I use apple cider vinegar the same way. Adult gnats have nothing else to feed on for indoor gardens and are starved for a drink.

 

[oldschooltofu]

i have had these buggers, been using roots organic (green bag)
i have been using DE, sand, sticky traps, bti, and gognats. they have eaten my roots, lowered my yield by 50-80%

i also switched to coco mixed with perlite, wormcastings, bat guano. i have noticed a decrease in the last few weeks. but i just bought a new bag of roots organic and it was stored outside. thinking of not using it now that i hear about others having problems. i dont want these fkers back they destroyed my harvest for 4-5 months. its also very difficult to clone when you have fungus gnats, as they attack the roots are they are trying to grow.

i am going to be pissed at my local grow shop if they knew they were selling bug infested soil. and its a Aqua serene store (Roots organic sibling company)

 

[VICTORYGARDENSHYDRO]

monterey's insecticide with spinosad.https://www.bwgs.com/details.aspx?sku=MGI700&AC=1

 

[SupaM]

303,
I have used an organically certified product from Safer called Caterpillar Killer for a while with great success.
It is safe to use on all 'fruits and flowers'. I have not had need for any other pest control other than the yellow trap indicators for, well, indication...lol. It's at least worth a 'Google' search to read for yourself. Hope this helps.
ATB,
Supa

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but LadyBugs will take care of your issue. I use neem once a week up to the first week of bloom then open a container of 1500 ladybugs. If you think that s too many for your room, you can dump some out and leave the rest in your refrigerator for them to hibernate. Ladybugs will eat larvae and eggs and feast on the adult pests, not allowing them to lay more eggs. Check out your local nursery, they are usually pretty cheap, like $10.

Late

 

[cerberus]

i have tried lady bugs many times on many different pests, they don't seem to do anything but leave dead lady bug bodies on the floor weeks later..

otoh: anyone notice a difference (not there) in the gnats when they solar bake their soil? such as subcools method

 

[GrowfaceKillah]

Hmmm.. Skeptical on that idea..

Skeptical because you haven't tried it. I've done it with excellent results. What could it hurt? - You buy a cheap ass bottle of wine; set a couple measuring cups out with wine in them and wait a few days. You'll see them start to accumulate. Why would I lie about something like that? Why would you be skeptical? You should be willing to try anything decently organic before you attempt any chemical spray of any kind, right? What's the harm in trying? Add a couple sticky strips around the room for good measure. You may not rid your grow room of the little dudes until you get new soil but you can keep them to small numbers with my suggestions. 1inch of sand on the top layer of your grow soil helps as well but they can still find their way in the drain holes. I've also heard of drowning them two days in a row by way of soil flush.

Take your plants OUTSIDE - soak your soil with water (and I mean soak it..) for a good 5 minutes until water is pouring out of the bottom; watch all the little flies come buzzin out to stay alive. The soil will be so wet the ones that can't fly out get stuck inside and drown. Larvae can stick around and hatch again but if you do this a couple times a week you can force them out. Leave the plant outside for about an hour after you flush a bunch out because then you don't give time for any mothers to come back. Obviously- make sure you cut back on your watering tremendously for that week because you've already soaked the roots by flush. -justmytwocents-

 

[Spanishfly]

Try red wine man, it works a ton better and doesn't smell. I bought a huge bottle of cheap crappy Merlot for $5.99....
Just set a bowl of it near your plants and within a couple days you'll see death accumulation floating in wine. Puts a smile on yer face.

You paid 5.99 a BOTTLE !!! To feed flies!!! Wow that sure is expensive. I can buy a litre carton for 40 cents.

 

[GrowfaceKillah]

You paid 5.99 a BOTTLE !!! To feed flies!!! Wow that sure is expensive. I can buy a litre carton for 40 cents.

It's not to feed the flies... rather kill them quickly. Plus, you live in Spain man... wine is readily available to you; your culture grows around it... much different from things here in the states where we buy damn near everything from other countries... unfortunately. We really have no culture left either... it's all a bunch of mixed culture from every other country. We don't really have that many old school architectural structures and things you guys have in Spain, France, Britain or Ireland. The U.S. Sucks for that stuff. It is however, really great for site seeing. We have a lot of beautiful country over here and some pretty decent medicine as well. Stay well Spanishfly-

 

[cerberus]

i used to drink 2 dollar wine in college, in the states. 2 buck chuck.

 

[green as grass]

Yeah so the guy at the local grow store asked me why I've been back and forth with chemicals to rid of gnats. Told him the soil I used, he said that he believes Fungus Gnat Larva was in the soil this summer. Does anyone use this soil and have gnats or have heard anything to this nature? I want to choke those mother fuckers, this is some nasty shit, he said they found worms in the soil too. I don't know why I diverted from Fox Farm just to save a couple bucks. Fuck my life.

I've gotten them too, what i would use is pyrethrium tr and then i have this stuff called gnatrol i add that every time i get soil, its a bad bacteria that the larvae eat and die.
i would do a bomb for ones flying around every 4 days as well as yellow sticky traps to monitor there reproduction. it knocked em out and they are gone till today which has been 3 months.soon as summer hit they were everywhere.
Also i have gotten thrips too. with TR bomb and spinosad to knock them out. it worked and now three months free of them. Now every clone i have gets dipped in azatrol and 4 days later floramite dip. I DO NOT WANT SPIDER MITES! i'm not afraid of much but i'am deathly afraid of these critters as they are like a plague and are teriblly hard to get rid of.

 

[green as grass]

i also tried the cider vinegear and no luck remember some shit works for others and some doesnt

 

[green as grass]

Go got some Mosquito Dunks, which is the Bti, sold at most home improvement stores. Crush up a dunk as best you can, put the powder in a gallon jug with some water, shake it up and let it sit for several hours or over night and then water all of your plants with it. Do this every other week, and within a couple weeks you should notice less of them.

It is good to do use the dunks along with sticky traps and a dusting of DE where ever you see the adult gnats like to congregate. They also find their way up drainage holes at the bottom of the pots and lay their eggs there also, so I work DE into the carpet around the pots. Those that land in it and are exposed to the DE will die eventually.

i heard those dunks work but, will the DE mess up plants if blown around on em like the tissue? i heard the stuff is lethal to em tho but man heard its bad to breathe in and stuff. jus curious.