Gnats on rockwool, etc.. What should I do?!

[Ender87i]

Im running a hydroponic ebb-and-flow 12-bucket system, filled with hydroton clay pebbles.
I originally cloned my plants in rockwool cubes, and then planted the rockwool cubes in the
buckets, underneath the clay pebbles (about an inch deep of pebbles covering the cube).

I began to notice dead gnats all over the floor, around my buckets, and around my fans.
I figured they werent a problem, because they were dead, and werent flying around..
But then my plants began having problems, and i decided to pull them and start over.

When i pulled the cubes out, i noticed they were covered in gnats and larvae and little bugs.
But its so weird because the rockwool cubes were covered by the hydroton! So wtf?

Anyway, when i start my new grow, i want to make sure this doesnt happen again.
My growroom temps are between 75-80 f, and humidity between 33-40 %.

So what can i do to prevent them, as well as get rid of them if they come back?
Is there a trick, like covering my top layer of hydroton with something?

Any suggestions, ideas, or tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[bongwaterbob]

gnats are a bitch I use fruit tree spray with spinosad. a couple sticky strips. Good luck

 

[Ender87i]

Can anybody else please offer some advice?

 

[HiUpThere]

Hydroton has huge spaces and won't stop gnats from getting to the roots or medium. it will actually trap plenty of moisture around the roots and rock wool making a nice humid environment for them to thrive. Using a root drench and spray is the best way to go as bongwaterbob suggested.

 

[Ender87i]

So what should i use?
Something that wont affect my system, or my plants negatively..

 

[bongwaterbob]

You might have root aphids? nematodes are the fastest way to rid both pests in hydro

 

[Ender87i]

I dont have root aphids! I have gnats!
I just pulled all of my plants, and found gnats (and larvae) on my rockwool cubes..
When i plant my new plants, i dont want them to return!

What can i do to make sure they dont return to my new plants?

 

[white sparxxx]

I would like to know this also. I just saw a couple gnats fly out after i moved my rockwool around on my flood table.

 

[209 Cali closet grower]

drying the posts out more will help with gnats.As you seen, they love wet pots.

I use soil though, and now wait till my pots are petty dry.Which have help really solve my gnate problem, and dawn soapy water help kill them on contact

Good luck with your hydro though.

 

[penguinking]

I was growing in hydroton in a drip feed setup and had the same problem to the tee. They are definitely a hassle to get rid of once theyre there. Thats for sure. What i did to kill em off was apply a foiar spray that consisted of neem oil (green light to be exact)along with some yucca extract as a surfacant, (i have heard of folks using a drop of dish soap per gallonof foliar spray as a surfacant too). I sprayed them VERY thouroughly, on both sides of the leaves and also drenched the top of the hydroton. I would then turn off the light, and leave a fan on them to dry. Once theyre fully dry i would turn the lights back on. Proper ventilation and lower humidity will make it a lot harder for them to survive as well.

I found that the problem persisted in the veg room much longer than the flower room. I think i read somewhere that they like longer light hours. I dunno maybe im making that part up... Anyway, hope this helps!

Pk fo sheez

 

[Hugo Phurst]

SM-90, Insect soap, Neem Oil.

I'm DWC, so I can't help with ebb&flow, I use more like 3in of hydroton.

 

[calicat]

Utilize goGnats on the periphery of your grow. It is a repellant and place some sticks fly paper in strategic areas of the perimeter the gnats will eventually migrate away from your grow medium and end up gettting caught in the paper.

 

[Ender87i]

Any suggestions on what else i can do?

So far i plan on putting up sticky paper, using rockwool covers,
and using fine perlite to cover the top layer of my rockwool and hydroton.

Other than that, what are good products for ROOT APHIDS?
Because now im thinking thats what i might have..

 

[lvtokerr]

Any suggestions on what else i can do?

So far i plan on putting up sticky paper, using rockwool covers,
and using fine perlite to cover the top layer of my rockwool and hydroton.

Other than that, what are good products for ROOT APHIDS?
Because now im thinking thats what i might have..

Did you hit em with neem? Neem is an organic pesticide. They even use neem as birth control in India.