Anyone have a sure fire proven way to rid my soil of these pests? I have read many different ways on the forums, but it seems like with every different method, someone disputes the fact that it actually works. I would like to hear from someone who has actually used any method that not only kills the gnats , but their larvae as well.
Fungus Gnats
- Thread starter bpboothb
- Start date
chuck estevez
Well-Known Member
333maxwell
Active Member
For years I have occasionally had to deal with them. Never lost a battle yet. Very easy actually.
And I am assuming you are soil or like medium.
Go get a sticky non toxic pest strip and hang it where the light hits it and the bugs think it looks oh so tasty.
Then next time you water, add less than a cup of H20 (2=3.2%) to a gallon of water.. and ya, it will foam.. it will also aerate your soil and it will dry out quicker that first time.
It will also provide o2 to the roots and wont cause any damage. BUT, most importantly, it will immediately and instantly kill EVERY larvae in the dirt.. every single one.. then it is up to you to make sue the adults are not happy enough to go at it again .. may take two applications over a week or so..
This is what I do and have every time. It is non toxic and h202 has been used by farmers for just about ever, it isn't foreigh to add it to water as it has shown to help nutrient uptake in some kinds of troubles soils.
Whatever that is worth.. works for me, everyone else's own mileage may vary.
And I am assuming you are soil or like medium.
Go get a sticky non toxic pest strip and hang it where the light hits it and the bugs think it looks oh so tasty.
Then next time you water, add less than a cup of H20 (2=3.2%) to a gallon of water.. and ya, it will foam.. it will also aerate your soil and it will dry out quicker that first time.
It will also provide o2 to the roots and wont cause any damage. BUT, most importantly, it will immediately and instantly kill EVERY larvae in the dirt.. every single one.. then it is up to you to make sue the adults are not happy enough to go at it again .. may take two applications over a week or so..
This is what I do and have every time. It is non toxic and h202 has been used by farmers for just about ever, it isn't foreigh to add it to water as it has shown to help nutrient uptake in some kinds of troubles soils.
Whatever that is worth.. works for me, everyone else's own mileage may vary.
I think thats what I had.I used diatamaceous earth and neem oil and havent seen any since.I am going to treat with neem again after 7 days for any eggs that may have made it. I used the diatamaceous earth on the soil and powdered the plant.I sprayed the neem right at lights out to prevent burning. i also let the soil get real dry.
joe macclennan
Well-Known Member
gnatrol works great in hydro. never tried it in dirt but it should do as good or better i would think.
stvitusdance
Well-Known Member
they are such a pain in the ass. i always seem to have them. this grow i used a bunch of sticky traps in my tent to get the adults and i bought some scanmask beneficial nematodes from planet natural. worked like a charm! i've seen maybe 10 flying gnats since i did that a few weeks ago. i'll do it next grow for sure.
http://www.planetnatural.com/product/beneficial-nematodes/
http://www.planetnatural.com/product/beneficial-nematodes/
Ok, so I think I am going to go with the H2O2 idea, but I have a few questions. Can you use regular 3% H2O2 or do you have to use food grade, I have heard both are ok, but that leaves the question, how much would I use in a gallon of water if I used 3%? Also, I am growing organically, which H2O2 will kill all beneficial bacteria/fungus, will a follow up dose of mycorrhiza replace these fungus/bacteria or will there be another supplement I need to add?
Nizza
Well-Known Member
i hear mosquito dunks work you can find em at places like benny's, lowes, home depot ect... but really gnats means you likely have root rot so best route is to let soil dry out and that way the plant can hopefully fix itself. I'd use h202 as a laast resort if washing off roots cause it will harm microbes (i think) and microbes are what will fix this root rot thing.
Ringsixty
Well-Known Member
I have tried the mosquito dunk, sand, etc. The thing I found that is most effective is breaking the little bastards life cycle.
The gnats live and breed just under the top of the whetted soil.
What I discovered that works for me. Is the fabric pots, Smart pot, Dirt pot etc.
Since, these type of pots dry out quicker it helps break their life cycle. Plus, the pots have other benefits to boot.
Your experiance may vary.
Good luck on controlling those bastards.
The gnats live and breed just under the top of the whetted soil.
What I discovered that works for me. Is the fabric pots, Smart pot, Dirt pot etc.
Since, these type of pots dry out quicker it helps break their life cycle. Plus, the pots have other benefits to boot.
Your experiance may vary.
Good luck on controlling those bastards.
I absolutely agree Nizza, however, I think I am at the last resort. I only have 3-4 weeks left max of flowering and I believe root rot may be an issue along with fungus gnats. That is why I have come to the conclusion that H2O2 maybe be my saving grace, not only will it kill the gnats, but should clean the roots along with getting oxygen back to them. Now the question is, once I hit them with H2O2, what is the method to replacing the beneficial microbes? Also, like before can I use regular 3% H2O2 and how much would I add to a gallon of water?
I have BT in concentrate, coincidentally I used it last night because I saw a moth flying around my plants, I know it doesn't kill the moth, but seeing the moth was enough to hit the plant with BT. Wonder if I can use the BT as a soil drench? We are speaking of the same BT right?
nuka95
Member
I also have an issue with gnats... I covered the top of the soil with playground sand but i know they are going to bust out of there one way or another, I am thinking of trying the h202 as well but I have like 10-12 earthworms in my pot so i dont really want anything that could kill them to they've been so helpful 
There has got to be something natural out there that just gets rid of the gnats
There has got to be something natural out there that just gets rid of the gnats
Jimdamick
Well-Known Member
H2o2 will also affect the existing microbes in you soil. I use Gnatrol, which adds beneficial microbes to your root area and destroys the eggs, which are the real problem. I use both Gnatrol and sticky traps for the flyers and have great success. Neem oil is useless. Peace
Ok, so gnatrol active ingredient is BT(baccilus thuringiensis), which is the same active ingredient in the Safer Caterpillar Killer concentrate I have, so I am assuming this will do the trick with a soil drench? That being said, if this indeed alleviates the gnat problem, I may still be dealing with a root rot issue, how would I proceed with dealing with the root rot?
Yes that is probably the same BT but there are different variations of the BT strain that will have a bit more success on some larva over others. It should work on fungus gnats as a soil drench. YOu need to apply it 3x approximately 5-7 days apart.