Gnat Infestation

[itchybromusic]

+1       the sharp sand will carve em up, the myco will starve em and the traps do what they do best   Heya itchy will building the bacteria in the medium with lacto or the like assist with keeping the gnats disinterested do you know? 

Faith

yes & no 

lacto are like the organisers , they get all the microlife pulling in the same direction then become food for that life , but the life needs to be there to begin with to keep bugs disinterested ,( plant health would be the best protection ) 

best microlife are the homemade castings or compost , made by you with microlife that live on your property & already speak each others language ,

IMO's = indigenous microorganism ,

 

checkout that Dan Kittredge vid , he pretty much sums it up , "a healthy plant does not have bug or pathogen probs"  & 

guess what , when the plants are really healthy , so are we ! 

 

Something to think about , What if these genetic markers they can find in looking at your DNA that suggest predisposition to whatever illness , what if those makers

are signs of lack of nutrition , your body is constantly renewing it's self , blood over a week , bones of several years , a large number of cells are renewed daily , so what would

happen if you weren't getting the required boron lets say & boron is the center of an enzyme that joins 2 links in the chain together that make your DNA , well that joining dose not happen 

& they stay separated , it's this separation that is seen as markers for a predisposition to something , if we fix the lack of boron does that chain now become linked & DNA markers disappear ? 

 

Sorry for going off topic Mr Jane

[Xanode]

What has always worked for me is adding a little biodegradable dish soap to every watering, not only does it kill/prevent gnats but is  also reduces the surface tension of water, allowing water to come in contact with more roots/medium, essentially making water "work better" if you would.

 

Also, to a spray bottle add a drop of dish soap in water and mist the top layer of your medium daily till gnats are no more.

 

my 2 cents

[Mr Jane]

Thanks again for the replies everyone, there's a lot of very useful and easy to follow advice in this thread.

 

I'm still waiting on the Trichoderma to turn up, untill then I'll just have to keep at it with the neem oil, dish soap and patatos.

 

Keep it real Stoners.

[Frank Reynolds]

Hey,

 

best bet for Gnats is to get your watering in check, letting the medium most importantly the top quarter before next watering is ideal and will ensure gnat larvae cant live. Unless you get this in check no matter what you will do they will always come back.

 

Trichoderma can be found naturally in most coco products. 

[wayno86]

I'm also suffering through a gnat problem at the moment..

After doing a bit of googling, I came across a thread suggesting steam.

 

https://www.420magazine.com/forums/problems-pests-and-disease-control/143915-fungus-gnat-larvae-killa-cant-believe-works.html

 

Boiling water will kill the larvae, and most likely roots as well.

Before I use the steam cleaner on my coco, is there any chance the steam could kill or damage the plants roots?

 

Tonight i cut up some potatoes and put them on top of the coco. Check on those tomorrow, hopefully that has helped.

Going to get the yellow sticky pads, and get a layer of sand in my pots tomorrow.

Edited January 31, 2016 by wayno86

[Naycha]

I'm also suffering through a gnat problem at the moment..

After doing a bit of googling, I came across a thread suggesting steam.

 

https://www.420magazine.com/forums/problems-pests-and-disease-control/143915-fungus-gnat-larvae-killa-cant-believe-works.html

 

Boiling water will kill the larvae, and most likely roots as well.

Before I use the steam cleaner on my coco, is there any chance the steam could kill or damage the plants roots?

 

Tonight i cut up some potatoes and put them on top of the coco. Check on those tomorrow, hopefully that has helped.

Going to get the yellow sticky pads, and get a layer of sand in my pots tomorrow.

 

I'd say 100% steam will damage the roots considering steam is over boiling point.

[itchybromusic]

also be concerned with chemicals perversely used in it , if that's how they work 

[Gumby1]

do not use boiling water on plants please.. hehe.

 

the dish soap in a spray bottle works wonders.

 

if that alone does not do it.. dish soap and a small tea spoon of vinigar an spray the leaves.. top side and under side..

 

but keep the plants out of heat and direct light... so best to do late afternoon or night if outside... or just at lights out..if in doors.

[_Puff_Tough_]

 

i should have been more clear

bunnings bricks or brunnings i think they are , are fine to use just a bit of work in cleaning up first , i think Lu has drop info on cleaning the bricks in the past

Tight Arse , i'm right there with ya brother 

do the numbers but maybe just adding Myco Apply Maxx to what you already have going http://mycorrhizae.com/mycoapply-products/liquid/mycoapply-soluble-maxx/

 

 

Most of the brunnings/bunnings coco bricks are useless imo. They do however sell a seedling raising coco brick that has a finer particulate size unlike the other coco bricks available at bunnings that have what looks like large chunky strands of coco fibre. if memory serves..... theyre only 15ltr bricks and are a lil more expensive than the other available bricks.

[_Puff_Tough_]

Sorry if its a little convoluted.... I have a tendency to over-complicate things .. Gnats could probably bother you for a few grows yet until you understand how to get a good solid grip on them. They can be annoying little fuckers.

 

 

Add diatomaceous earth to your medium before planting anything. few inches of perlite on top of the pots and pest strips around the base of the plants and near any light sources. After 3 weeks of having planted anything into the fresh medium check the first inch or so of the medium for any larvae, also check the pest strips for any adults. If necessary - Neem applied at double rate on every 6th day. Dry medium out every 9th day or 10th day or so, depending on heat for 2 days total..... watch for any major wilting during this process; this is the key to sufficiently drying out the medium. Afterwards give them 1.3x of your current nutrient solution application rate the feed after the drying of the medium as the plants metabolic rate will increase temporarily.The following feed you should apply some BT. Baccillus thuriengensis, larvae abruptly die afterwards and the population becomes extinct after a month of the steps detailed above. Never overwater!

 

Preventative of organic chilli/capsaicin spray on the top of the medium can deter the adults from laying eggs also. Scarid 10 can be sprayed onto the pots before you fill it with your grow medium. Neem has surfactant properties, a drop of dishwashing liquid doesnt hurt though.

 

If you follow what i have suggested to a tee you will NOT have gnat issues. Research the larval cycle of fungas gnats.

 

Oh, i have heard that mosquito dunks are also effective at eradicating the young feedlings.

Edited February 12, 2016 by _Puff_Tough_