This is my first time growing and im in the 6th week of flower and I have a gnat problem. What causes them? How do I get rid of them? Do they cause harm? How do I prevent them? Thanks for any and all help, and by the way my strands of plants are Georgia Diamond, Cough, and an Afgan.
im need some help from some veteran growers
- Thread starter justin89
- Start date
Billy Piper
Active Member
Hiya.
Nothing causes them they are larvae that live in composting soil eventually crawling out flying off and laying 300 more eggs in the top of your soil.
I have had them on and off for 3 grows.
The only ways i have found to control the problem are a product like Gnat-off, Sand...an inch on top of the soil and sit the pot in a bed of it to secure the bottom
(make sure you use sand intended for kids or fish tanks).
For the adult Gnats use yellow card covered in vaseline and sugary water/drinks to murder the bastards!
Good luck.
Nothing causes them they are larvae that live in composting soil eventually crawling out flying off and laying 300 more eggs in the top of your soil.
I have had them on and off for 3 grows.
The only ways i have found to control the problem are a product like Gnat-off, Sand...an inch on top of the soil and sit the pot in a bed of it to secure the bottom
(make sure you use sand intended for kids or fish tanks).
For the adult Gnats use yellow card covered in vaseline and sugary water/drinks to murder the bastards!
Good luck.
Billy Piper
Active Member
The larvae that it lays eats your roots eventually killing your plant so i would consider them very harmful.
At the very least there destroying the root system.
At the very least there destroying the root system.
TwooDeff425
Well-Known Member
Go to Home Depot.....spend 7.99$ on a bag of stuff called Diatomaceous Earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
It spears the exoskeleton of the adults and kills the eggs......either add 1 tablespoon/gal of h20 or sprinkle thin layer on top of soil......after 2 weeks, you won't have gnats.....
Hope that helps and fixes your problem.......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
It spears the exoskeleton of the adults and kills the eggs......either add 1 tablespoon/gal of h20 or sprinkle thin layer on top of soil......after 2 weeks, you won't have gnats.....
Hope that helps and fixes your problem.......
bamfrivet
Well-Known Member
no need to be rude about it. he might be very strapped for cash or just doesn't know about diatomaceous earth. Give the guy a break, we are all on here looking for help and to show off what we have done.
Muffy
Active Member
Maybe you wouldn't think it was rude if you could still read it.
that is not completely true, i have done complete grows with them present, and got excellent harvests
the degree that they get out of hand seems to vary a bit, but they do eat roots, so they're not good
they annoyed me enough to see how to get rid of them properly
and that was soil pasteurization, bake soil at 180 degrees for an hour or so, no more gnats
beneficial bacteria can survive these conditions, most insects can not
a widely used practice in commercial greenhouses, but sadly does not help OP in current situation
dajosh42069
Well-Known Member
I had the same problem once, went out of town and asked someone to water for me, and they forgot. Soil went unwatered for 7 days, and they all died of dehydration. Watered her again and she perked right back up in a day or so. No more gnats. I dunno how well that works overall, or if it's ever worked for anyone else....but...worked for me.