Fungus Gnats

hey all,
just realised the soil i am useing, Miracle Grow Organic mix, is known for having fungus gnats, well I have some pots I that I planted i'd say 3 weeks ago, and other pots that i planted 5 days ago, from the same bag of soil.

I have not noticed any bugs flying around or anything? am I okay? i still think i wanna put some pesticide, any recomendations, things that wont stress the plants?


i just threw the rest of this soil i had away, screw that shit, but before i did i did sift threw it, and i couldnt see anything that looked like eggs or larva, i did see very very very tiny specs of somthing shiny, i do have very good eyes, but im talkin like the size of a single thc crystal, and i seen those numerously while sifting threw the dirt. im wonder if thats just a mineral or what.

i know nothing of these bugs, i been just quickly researching, and i read that there life cycle is about 4 weeks, i'd imageine this meens by 4 weeks there an adult. so they move pretty quickly, i surely would of seen somthin by now right?

anyone know anything bout these things?

if there are no sign of any gnats then it looks like you do not have a problem.

however, if you start seeing gnats then act quickly and dose with gnat off, only use at double the recommended strength - ie 2ml /l and they will be gone in a week.

be very weary. I used miracle grow organic mix and had so many fungus gnats. I will never again use there soil. Its ridiculous how many i had. I would maybe spray some shit early.

I got fungus gnats and I use MG Organic Growers Choice. I just hung up a flystrip and it took care of them. It has probably 100 of the little fags on it.

thanks for the reply all, I did some searious stoned reading last night, and i think im pretty much a Fungus Gnat expert now, i think im in the clear also, but I guess they can still pop up within 140 days of you getting the soil. i now know adsactly what the larva looks like and i deffintly havent seen any. still going to keep my pots dry, cause they say keeping ur dirt dry alone will take out a infestation, along with the Fly strip to catch the adults.

also, for any future researchers of this issue, I read putting a layer of sand on top of your soil will keep them from produceing, since they like growing in the top 2 inches of your pots, and the sand keeps the adults from emergeing above soil. dunno if this can be done with pot plants, but i imageine it cant do any harm. might want to ask someone more knowledgable then I though. and also like i said, keeping your soil dry, and not over watering will help prevent and get rid of also.

all in all, dont by the miracle grow shit, i wish i woulda just took the 30 minute drive to the hydro store to get some fox farm oceanic soil. but i was lazy, at wal mart, and seen this Miracle Organic shit, and it had a NEW! tag on it, i thought it was gonna be just as good. oh well.

im still thinkin of just tossin my plants, I HATE little bugs like that, especially fuckin fruit fly's. nothin makes me more pissed then fruit fly's in my crib. it really makes me go pyscho. im a bit of a neat freak.

but that's not the only reason, i just came into some better seeds yesterday also and was pondering tossing and just starting over. it'd only set me back a couple of days, compared to if this miracle grow shit sets me back a month from now. guess we'll see.

IM deffinately having the same problem as we speak about that fucking soil, i have so many fungus knats that ants are now attracted to my closet, ive been spraying them with some tomato insect spry and it doesnt harm my plants and directly kills the fuckers but more arise to piss me off. thanx for the fly strip idea...plus keeping my soil dry has only had a little effect.

Mosquito dunks (yes, for Fungus Gnats).

Most garden centers/hydroshops will carry them. Cheap...only a few bucks for a pack of 6. They'll last forever.

Soak dunk in water over night and drench soil with dunk water. That will kill larvae. Get sticky traps for the adults. That should end the life cycle.

Its not the ones flying around that are the problem...but the 100's more larvae waiting to grow and emerge from your soil.

MG soil gets a shot in the oven @ 180f for about 30-45 mins before use. That kills them before you get started.

Learned that lesson a while ago.

dude i love this site yesterday i was thinking of throwing the shit on a screen and letting that sit above a fire until it started smoking atleast but that sounds so much better!

and for every adult gnat there are a possible 200 eggs in the soil.

I had them nearly eat my plants, I transplanted them and as advise added charcoal and rocks to the soil mix.

never again will I go completely organic,

been fighting this for a year,

when you find Afids, you will cry!
you think gnats are destructive!

BSIv2.0 said:

MG soil gets a shot in the oven @ 180f for about 30-45 mins before use. That kills them before you get started.

Learned that lesson a while ago.

Click to expand...

I am curious if colder temperatures would do the same thing. Maybe if you set it in your garage for a few days if you live in colder areas. Im sure it would work.

just an update guys, i still have had no sign, last night i put a peice of raw potato in one of the pots, i guess you let it sit for awhile and the larva will attract to it if its there, well i let it sit over night, just checked it couldnt see shit. about to go buy a magnify glass so i dont miss nothin. oh yeah, and some plant safe pesticide. i dont want bugs in my shit, as u can tell.

I didn't have gnats until I tried MG Organic Blood Meal. I'll never use any MG ever again besides their Perlite and I think its like Garden Safe bug spray or something, that shit doesn't kill anything.

i went apeshit with my spray the other day...used so much that i got light headed and had to leave the room...i havent seen any life in the closet since and i moved my plants outside to debug thier chambers. imost likely will be starting my indo gro over with some new sproutlings of urkle and leave the plants i was trying to grow for mother nature to nurture. the strains i was trying to grow before semed to grow tall and lanky after awhile and did not like my lights nearly as much as the sun. one plant i placed outside two days ago has doubled in size now about a foot and a half tall.

i always cook soil 1st ,,, put it into a large steel or iron pot & put it over charcoal & let it cook for about 2 -3 hours ,, taking the temp regularly & stiring it up every 20 mins or so ,, i advise ( do not do this indoors ) OMFG , yukka ,,, liek i said i did it out doors over some charcoal ,, & my coat still REEKS like the nastiest shyt u ever smelt ,3 days later ..... and now that u have nice sterilized soil u can start from scratch ,, , as for the future pest problems ,, ,,i make a potent mix & works better than anything i have ever tried ,,, mince up 2 nice cloves of garlic , , white onion chopped up ,, 4 time more onion than the garlic u have ,,, tablspn of viniger.. 1/2 teaspoon bleech ,, 1/4 teaspoon antibacterial dish soap.. & last but not least , about a shot glass full of cyanne pepper powder .... put all this stuff into a 2liter or milk jug ,, w/e u have ... pour in 2 cups of boiling water shake it & let set for 2 days (lid on tight ) it will stink,,,, after 2 days pour in more boiling water to fill ur jug about 3/4 full & let it sit ,, shake it up every so often ,, & when u need it in the future for aphids or w/e ,-- u will have a high quality ,potent mix .... make sure u spray off the leaves with plain water to ensure they dont burn ,, wipe dry with Q-tips or cotton balls ,, also take aluminum foil about 4inches by 4inches ( depending on ur main stem size) wrap the foil around a pencil or ink pen & pull it off ,,, squish the foil tube Flat & wrap that around ur main stalk about 1.2 inch above the soil ,,, that stops certain critters from feelin up ya girl

I have started using organic miracle grow for my resent harvest. i too got these fungus knats from the soil. Glad to finally know the MG soil was the problem. I also took the top soil off my plants and then replaced the top soil with an inch of sand. Sand will not hurt your plants at all. if it does anything it helps with drainage and keeps these flying knat fuckers from breeding. I wouldn't throw your plants away though. it takes a lot for them to affect your garden. if you are taking the right percautions and trying to keep their population down then the garden should be okay. only throw them out if they are infested to no return. i also use "Don't Bug Me". its an organic spray that will not hurt your green. just use it after watering only. you can get it at a hydro store for about $15. another tip is to put a little dish soap in your water. it will not affect the ph and won't hurt your roots. dish doap can be used for drainage too.good luck to all.

good posts blaze1up and spreadhead. the only thing im not sure about blaze is the bleach ingredient in ur spray, but i guess u wouldnt lie.

i actually just bought some stuff called Safer 3 in 1 garden spray. protects against, fungus's, insects and mites, and molds. the shit smells awful, supose to be all organic. i sprayed it on my dirt just as a prevenative, no sign of damage at all. hydro store guy said you can spray it on the walls, floor, directly on the plant, says it'll kill bugs quickly, but wont hurt the plant. says he loves the stuff. here's a link.

Amazon.com: Safer: 3 - in - 1 Garden Spray 24 oz RTU: Kitchen & Dining