Gnat Sack .. an idea in the works.

drsaltzman

drsaltzman

Well-Known Member
DoubleAtotheRON said:
We're still testing microns ... we feel we need to find that sweet spot for salt feeders, as we think it will build up over time, but we're still testing it. Well water feeders are another thing to consider. Hard water may clog things up. But!, the good news is that it's reusable, washable, so there's that.
Click to expand...
The size is key.
There will definitely be clogging, not just from salts but from soil particles.
But if you can brew beer in a bag you can definitely do this.
A good 10 gal brew bag runs about $25.
Don’t go cheap. People will buy quality.
Cheapos will try and use pantyhose.
 
DoubleAtotheRON

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
drsaltzman said:
The size is key.
There will definitely be clogging, not just from salts but from soil particles.
But if you can brew beer in a bag you can definitely do this.
A good 10 gal brew bag runs about $25.
Don’t go cheap. People will buy quality.
Cheapos will try and use pantyhose.
Click to expand...
Soil particles from the drain?
 
lusidghost

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
drsaltzman said:
The size is key.
There will definitely be clogging, not just from salts but from soil particles.
But if you can brew beer in a bag you can definitely do this.
A good 10 gal brew bag runs about $25.
Don’t go cheap. People will buy quality.
Cheapos will try and use pantyhose.
Click to expand...
Hmm. My mothers are bonsais in 4" rockwool cubes. I might be a cheapo and stick them in panty hose. I tried to use similar sized nursery bags once, but they were too thick to seal off or water through even if I could. The bag would fill up when the rockwool was fully saturated, which was kind of cool. Then they got thrips so I scratched the idea.
 
FirstCavApache64

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
Sounds like a really good idea. It's one of the only recurring problems I face that I just can't seem to eliminate. Gnatrol works to keep it from being a real issue but they can just be annoying. Keep us updated.
 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
DoubleAtotheRON said:
Hey guys... I have an idea that Im working with a manufacturer on, that would accommodate 3,5,7, and 10 gallon pots. It's basically a formed netting that you put your pot into. It has a cinch drawstring that is at the plant stalk. You can adjust the drawstring as the stalk gets bigger, and also put a yellow sticky near the drawstring (comes in the kit) to capture adult Fungus Gnats that would try to enter even the tiniest hole. This would protect your drain holes (where they like to feed and lay eggs) and also the surface. You'd be able to feed through the netting as well. No need to ever remove it during the grow cycle. You can also feed in MicrobeLift to kill out the larvae through the netting.Should I continue with the manufacturer for this? You guys think the demand would be great enough to continue this endeavor?... What would be a good selling price for something like this? It will be washable, and reusable.
Click to expand...
I've already got a gnad sack. But I'm interested in the washing.
 
LeastExpectedGrower

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
If it has a 'quick cinch' that you could open up for watering and tighten back down when done, then the worries about salts or the mesh being too fine isn't a problem up top, it's just a matter of what happens on the 'drain' side of things when it comes to salt build-up, particulate and whatever you'd need for water to drain properly.
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
I used old bed sheets over my sips. The sheet had to lay right on the dirt to be effective. So pots need to be over filled or mounded. Any little gap and they just multiply.
 
H

Hash Hound

Well-Known Member
I like the net sac idea. I've been thinking of something similar. I'm considering turning an old grow bag or paint strain bag uspide down using it the same way over the top of the pot. A paint bag with a small hole in the middle and put over the pot may accomplish the same thing you are looking for.

I've used a product in the past called Growstone Gnat Block which as far as I know isn't made any more. Supposedly they don't like to crawl over the rough texture. I'd use about an inch on top. It did a decent job of keeping the gnats in check . It was reusable, but I lost a bit after each use.

Since I can't find it anymore I decided to salvage what I had left and put it into sacs I made from 5g paint strainers. I think they were 200 microns but can't be sure. They worked pretty good except one grow I had such a bad infestation they were even crawling inside the sacs! They could have got inside through the seems where I closed up the bags with a stapler. Or small ones made it through the holes.
That seemed to have been an isolated incident and I've been using them for almost 2 years with good results.

gnat bloc sacs.JPG

Another thing I'm experimenting with is a product called Pittmoss (recycled news paper and cardboard). Using it as a mulch seems to be working as good as the Gnat Block so I made sacs filled with the Pittmoss and am trying it out on one of my current plants for easy reuse and easy to lift up to top dress. So far so good.

Good luck with your project.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top