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Post by Lone Alaskan Gypsy on Jan 31, 2016 18:43:56 GMT -9
So, I made the newbie mistake about two years ago of purchasing Miracle Grow organic soil. Ya- no one ever do that. That stuff hatched a million gnats out of it and they're STILL infesting my grow pots and my houseplants. I've tried everything. Yellow gnat-attract stickie papers. Letting my soil dry out completely. And vinegar in a jar with plastic wrap on top with tiny holes poked into it (the gnats go into the holes, attracted by the vinegar, and then get stuck and die). I catch hundreds of them, and just when I think I've gotten every last one and quit trying to catch them- they show up again (usually when I start a new grow). What am I doing wrong? And is there anything I can do to 100% get rid of these little bastards?
I know that it's recommended you cook your soil in the oven to get rid of a gnat problem, but I don't want to kill of the healthy micro-organisms in the soil at the same time. Are there any other options?
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Post by wolf on Jan 31, 2016 20:03:13 GMT -9
I know that it's recommended you cook your soil in the oven to get rid of a gnat problem, but I don't want to kill of the healthy micro-organisms in the soil at the same time. Are there any other options? You have a few options, just difficult because of where you live  1.. Lady bugs. Pretty sure amazon wouldnt send them to AK however. :/ 2.. Praying mantis. Not sure how youd get thses.. 3.. Fungus gnats #1 predator, hyposis miles mites. Can be purchased at most grow stores and from amazon i believe. 4.. Homemade peppery concoctions (dont think this helped me) ..4.5.. Garlic. Alone or with the pepper. 5.. A mix of hydrogen peroxide/water. (the exact dilution escapes thy mind right now, but google has the answer  6.. You 'could' cook the dirt, and replace the good bacteria fairly easily with a few teas. Compost and or manure teas. |
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Post by skunkybudz4me on Jan 31, 2016 20:10:14 GMT -9
Hydrogen peroxide, water AND soap, you need the soap for sticking agent  There's some other stuff called Neim Oil, it has 50/50 results from my experince. #6. from Wolf's list can save you from the high cost of buying new dirt. If you use good quality compost, it tends to be a 2/1 dirt/compost mix. |
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Post by Lone Alaskan Gypsy on Jan 31, 2016 20:56:24 GMT -9
Thank you SO much for the tips guys! I will definitely look into all of those. I love the natural idea of using one of their predator bugs.
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Post by AKNorthernlights on Feb 3, 2016 20:51:40 GMT -9
Great tips guys,I have lost seedling to those little pricks (be warned they kill germinated seeds)my grow room is plastered with those sticky cards for the first couple weeks one on each side of the pot.
They thrive in standing water as well as hydro reservoirs so watch for the larva in your pot run off drip tray.
As an organic grower I try to tolerate a small amount of insects who knows they could be a natural part of your indoor ecosystem and stimulate root growth or something weird like that, but I make war on them to keep their numbers check for sure. |
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batshit
Toker
Heavy Lidded
Posts: 12 
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Post by batshit on Feb 20, 2016 22:29:03 GMT -9
I have a few different things I like to rely on depending on the style of growing.
I primarily grow in coco.
I have amended my soil/coco with both crab and neem meal.
I will also bubble neem meal for 24-48 hours and use as a drench.
I'm a proponent of using neem/karanga as a soil drench and get the properties systemically.
I am a user of Caps Bennies, or rather OG Biowar products. I use all three regularly. That will keep your populations close to zero and do amazing things for your plant.
I use diotomacious earth. I have a little puffer that I can use, or I've been experimenting with adding a little DE to a spray bottle and getting all the surfaces that way.
Essential Oils are very effective against garden pests too.
Mosquito Dunks are basically a bacteria approach to pest control. You can grind one up and broadcast, or keep a dunk in the water you will be using and try the systemic approach.
And lastly there are products like Capt Jack's Deadbug. Natural enough and effective.
They will always find a way to repopulate. Once I see some flying around its back to the drawing board.
These suggestions are useful for a variety of garden pests.
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Post by AKNorthernlights on Mar 1, 2016 22:59:15 GMT -9
I thought I would try ladybugs and see if they would eat the gnat larva , I got them on ebay and they arrived today all very lively, so I unleashed a Hell of lady bugs in the grow room not the whole 1500 just like 100 to see if they would eat them.
Sadly it looks like they are not eating them on this first day I found some dead lady bugs and I will be dammed if the gnat larva weren't eating the lady bug carcasses ! 
Soooooo looks like I will be vacuuming them out in a few days ,and back to the sticky cards. 
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Post by AKNorthernlights on Mar 8, 2016 21:52:19 GMT -9
I should update that this experiment was a bad idea. Picture lady bugs being sucked through the cooling fans on my LED lights , not cool. lol
Although I did seam to notice a decrease in the gnat population after a couple days most of the lady bugs are missing as well . |
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Post by skunkybudz4me on Mar 9, 2016 14:23:47 GMT -9
Dude......you got terminator nats!!!
Them lady nugs might have needed an adjustment period after being mailed to a diffrent environment, but thats here nor there if them ladys are being mulched by your cooling fans. Heck, you would figure if the lady bugs can get sucked through the fan, then why not the nats???
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Post by AKNorthernlights on Mar 23, 2016 23:07:52 GMT -9
I am sure the gnats do to some extent, they probably survive the trip through, if not there will be more to take its place for sure.
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