Freeloading Gnats Got to Go!

J

jwiz

Active Member
I've heard having sand on top of your soil is bad because it prevents some oxygen from reaching to roots. Do you think taking a shop vac and getting all the loose soil off the top first, watering the plant and letting it dry for an hour or so, and then top it off with some fresh, dry and sterilized soil would work?
 
IslandGreenGuy

IslandGreenGuy

Well-Known Member
There is a product called "go knats" which is made especially for killing off fugus knats. Google it. Also, what they are eating isn't anything but the name implies, Fungus. A fungus that grows ontop and under the soil, a fungus you can not see. But the knats can.
Also, they don't do any damage to the roots of your plants (dispite what even I used to think), so don't feel like you have to get rid of them.
If noting more they help your plants because the fungus they eat is taking some of the much needed oxigen, Mosture and nutrients out of your soil. I have since given up on trying to win the battle with the knats. I'ts a huge headache and not even worth it.
 
IslandGreenGuy

IslandGreenGuy

Well-Known Member
jwiz said:
I've heard having sand on top of your soil is bad because it prevents some oxygen from reaching to roots. Do you think taking a shop vac and getting all the loose soil off the top first, watering the plant and letting it dry for an hour or so, and then top it off with some fresh, dry and sterilized soil would work?
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Been there. It helps a good deal actually. Make sure the plants are at least a foot tall though, Ive sucked up some fan leaves and knocked over a few small ones. I won't get rid of them though. they will go in and out of the bottom of your Pots aswell.
 
gotot

gotot

Well-Known Member
they fuckin showed up like the plague... no bugs dare entered my house until the plants came
 
rexx8

rexx8

Well-Known Member
gotot said:
looks good + rep
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I just use 1/4 teaspoon of Neem Oil to a medium size Windex bottle of water and shake it good, spray the top layer of the soil and make sure to wet it really good. Don't reuse whats left in the bottle when you're done. Make more in 7 days and repeat along with the sticky traps and regular waterings you'll be fine. Don't overwater either that's where bugs start they love moist soil to breed in. BTW if im trying to get bugs out of my soil don't think i want put more in especially ones i can't see :o
 
D

DaGambler

Well-Known Member
i used the hell out of some Neem Oil and the Fruit Tree Spray that has Neem + Pyrethrums and such... all to no avail.

i remember reading a pest control faq specifically about fungus gnats that said if you want to do away with them once and for all you have to do a Malathion soil drench.

so today i went to Home Depot and got out the big guns. 8-10 dollars buys enough 50/50 malathion to make about 30-40 gallons of solution.

These Bastards WILL Die !!! This War WILL Be Won !!! No Retreat, No Surrender !!!
 
superhighme

superhighme

Well-Known Member
DaGambler said:
i used the hell out of some Neem Oil and the Fruit Tree Spray that has Neem + Pyrethrums and such... all to no avail.
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yeah. i tried neem oil for an outdoor i had during the summer and i dont really think it helped that much. I didn't have a lot of pest problems, but i did have these weird white bugs that seemed to like the plant.

I think Ill just line my grow room with a giant fly strip. wonder if they sell double sided tape in sheets...lol.
 
D

DaGambler

Well-Known Member
one gent said he uses double sided carpet tape... putting a bit around each plant 'trunk' (and maybe hanging over the pot a bit as well) seems like that might work better than the 5 fly stips and the 4 sticky traps that certainly didn't reduce the number to zero in my clone room. i'm considering this... but first i will try to KILL every muther futhering one of the lil bastards with Malathion. hopefully i don't kill my ladies in the process.
 
superhighme

superhighme

Well-Known Member
DaGambler said:
one gent said he uses double sided carpet tape... putting a bit around each plant 'trunk' (and maybe hanging over the pot a bit as well) seems like that might work better than the 5 fly stips and the 4 sticky traps that certainly didn't reduce the number to zero in my clone room. i'm considering this... but first i will try to KILL every muther futhering one of the lil bastards with Malathion. hopefully i don't kill my ladies in the process.
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hmmm interesting. yea. my first grow i didnt have a gnat problem. not sure why that grow i didnt. every grow since then i have. I used fly strips but you get pack of like 5 strips. I need like 8 packs. I mean i dont think have like 100's of them, but theres enough in my grow room to piss me off. lol. well... 1 is enough to piss me off.:fire:
 
rexx8

rexx8

Well-Known Member
superhighme said:
hmmm interesting. yea. my first grow i didnt have a gnat problem. not sure why that grow i didnt. every grow since then i have. I used fly strips but you get pack of like 5 strips. I need like 8 packs. I mean i dont think have like 100's of them, but theres enough in my grow room to piss me off. lol. well... 1 is enough to piss me off.:fire:
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i have only the 1 indoor plant
sucks for you neem oil gets rid of them for me in like 1 day like i posted b4 on here
:wall::wall::wall::wall::wall:
 
IslandGreenGuy

IslandGreenGuy

Well-Known Member
They are almost impossible to get rid of. I had them at my old house so when we decided to move, I harvested up the crops and threw away all the old soil, Nursery pots, ect. I started over at the new place with different dirt different pots, A cleaner enviroment and so on.
At first it had seemed like I had gotten rid of the problem, slowly I started to see one or two flying around again.
And I knew "The was had begun again"
All I brought with me from the other place was, Nutes, lights, meters and maybe a few shovels and trimmers. I can't figure out where they came in on. Unless the dirt we are buying is containing larvea.

So, thats when I went on a journey to the nearest grow shop (about 100 miles away) and they suggested "Go-Gnats" It works wonders. I took two applications and they were gone. They have been gone for almost year now. Give it a try.
 
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