Gnats

The dunks work, and they work well I can attest to that, I bought a six pack of the dunks at HD or lowes or something and have used about 3/4 of one over the last year maybe, pretty cheap and worked very well. I use a 30 gal to dechlorinate water in and i just tossed a 1/4 of a chunk into that as needed, it eventually is clear that it needs a resupply of dunk, not as much floating in the water. Some will water into the soil but I didn't notice any issues with regards to taste in my bud or anything.

I think that next soil mix I may just toss a bit of ground up dunk in with it and see how that works if I have any issues with my new space. My only issue with the dunk in the res that I use is that sometimes little pieces get stuck in my nute jugs and block some of the holes on the pour spouts, which is of course better than smoking gnats.

Just got some azamax from the hydro store the guy there told me this stuff was the best and to use it right away. They also had the Gnatrol stuff but he said this is better. I'm going to use some then update shortly after.

Yodaweed said:

Just got some azamax from the hydro store the guy there told me this stuff was the best and to use it right away. They also had the Gnatrol stuff but he said this is better. I'm going to use some then update shortly after.

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Azamax is a great product, but you just wasted a lot of money if gnats are your only concern.

BTI dunks and sticky traps. Simple, cheap effective.

Yodaweed said:

Just got some azamax from the hydro store the guy there told me this stuff was the best and to use it right away. They also had the Gnatrol stuff but he said this is better. I'm going to use some then update shortly after.

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That is crazy. Listen to st0w. Dunks are the way to go. I hate salespeople at hydro stores for this exact reason. Take it back.

I can't really help you out since they're already planted, but I can give you a bit of advice to make sure this won't ever happen again with your next grows!

Look into Diatomaceous Earth, it's completely organic, it's cheap, and you really don't need a lot of it. I'm still not sure if I had gnats or aphids in my soil, but at this point it really doesn't matter because the DE took care of the problem easily. I just laid out my soil on some tarp and added some DE to the pile and mixed it all up and let it sit. Once all the eggs have hatched out, they'll die once they come into contact with the DE. Not only will this prevent your soil from getting too infected, but you can also use it when you transplant! I like to add some DE into every transplant, just to be safe. Roots Organic soil has been known to have gnats in it sometimes.. you just never know. Good luck!

Nice kratos thanks man, I might go get some these plants still need transplant soon and as for the azamax I'm going to keep it and use it for now.

Seems to be some conflicting information on the "safety" of Gnatrol... this product sheet by the manufacturer says: "Hazard to Humans and Domestic Animals, Caution".
http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/mnla/gnatrol.pdf

The data sheet that Snaps linked up earlier shows that it is completely non-toxic to humans. What gives?

Seems to be some conflicting information on the "safety" of Gnatrol... this product sheet by the manufacturer says: "Hazard to Humans and Domestic Animals, Caution".
http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/mnla/gnatrol.pdf

The data sheet that Snaps linked up earlier shows that it is completely non-toxic to humans. What gives?

rootchild said:

Seems to be some conflicting information on the "safety" of Gnatrol... this product sheet by the manufacturer says: "Hazard to Humans and Domestic Animals, Caution".
http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/mnla/gnatrol.pdf

The data sheet that Snaps linked up earlier shows that it is completely non-toxic to humans. What gives?

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Even pure water is a hazard to humans and domestic animals if consumed in excess. BTi is a harmless bacteria when applied to soil, but it does not belong in your lungs or digestive system.

I personally wouldn't recommend using that Azamax on your gnats. You just don't need such a strong pesticide for a little gnat problem.

Azamax is OMRI approved, but it's strong stuff and does not discriminate between the good/neutral (soil mites, beneficial insects, bacteria and fungi, nematodes, etc) and the bad (gnats).

IPM calls for starting with prevention, then moving on to mild organic remedies before bringing out the "big guns" if all else fails.

My choice for prevention is to incorporate neem seed meal and crab meal into my worm bins and soil mixes. On the rare occasion when I see some gnats buzzing around, one or two drenches with mosquito dunk water fixes me up without harming the beneficial life in my soil.

If the population spikes they'll destroy your roots and slow the growth or kill the plants altogether. I was wondering if covering the dirt with grow cloth making sure it was perfectly sealed would kill them off? as long as they can't get in the dirt or out it should work!
I don't have them but I have had to battle them in the past and that idea came to me (as Im sure others have had) to kill them without pesticide

CashCrops said:

If the population spikes they'll destroy your roots and slow the growth or kill the plants altogether. I was wondering if covering the dirt with grow cloth making sure it was perfectly sealed would kill them off? as long as they can't get in the dirt or out it should work!
I don't have them but I have had to battle them in the past and that idea came to me (as Im sure others have had) to kill them without pesticide

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Might work. But keep in mind that those little buggers love to crawl into the holes in the bottom of your pots, not just the top.

CashCrops said:

If the population spikes they'll destroy your roots and slow the growth or kill the plants altogether. I was wondering if covering the dirt with grow cloth making sure it was perfectly sealed would kill them off? as long as they can't get in the dirt or out it should work!
I don't have them but I have had to battle them in the past and that idea came to me (as Im sure others have had) to kill them without pesticide

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Yeah trapping them in their home sounds like a good control method. All that food and happy dark moist soil... Motel Styx they check in and never check out. Lol. I would expect them to enjoy that a bit much.

SnapsProvolone said:

Yeah trapping them in their home sounds like a good control method. All that food and happy dark moist soil... Motel Styx they check in and never check out. Lol. I would expect them to enjoy that a bit much.

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True, I hate these things but not as much as mites!

CashCrops said:

True, I hate these things but not as much as mites!

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Mites suck but nothing like aphids.

Aphids are like herpes, the gift that just keeps on giving.