Pests

I realized after I potted the seeds that there are tiny little light brown bugs roaming around however after i watered i can't see them any more. Does any know if the bugs are threats? Should I call her quits bake the soil and regerminate more seeds? Any info on the little browns would be nice im using Pro Mix with 15 percent worm castings.

Are they on top of the soil or are they on the leaves? If on the leaves, are then on the top side of the leaves or on the undersides?

Vi

They are just on top of the soil, I planted them from seeds today and didnt realize the bugs were on top it seems like there is less after I watered but I think theyll probably come back I dont know. They could be harmless to I dont know

If they fly, they are probably fungus gnats. They WILL harm the plant as they lay eggs in the soil. The eggs turn into larvae and feed off of algae and the roots. You might reconsider where you buy your soil mix. Sometimes, if the store doesn't have good turnover, the soil mixes they offer can become infested.

Vi

ViRedd said:

If they fly, they are probably fungus gnats. They WILL harm the plant as they lay eggs in the soil. The eggs turn into larvae and feed off of algae and the roots. You might reconsider where you buy your soil mix. Sometimes, if the store doesn't have good turnover, the soil mixes they offer can become infested.

Vi

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I think I have fungus gnats also. When I check on my plants I notice a few flying around that I kill with my hands. But then when I stir up some moist soil near the plants I can see tons of them crawling around because they aren't big enough to fly yet.

So the question is: How the hell do you get rid of them???

There are prepared insecticides available almost everywhere. Try Home Depot or your local nursery. The bottles will tell you what they kill. Just go easy with it.

Vi

Could someone please be more specific about getting rid of fungus gnats? I don't have any experience with insecticides or anything like that. Which ones are good for gnats? How do you use it?

Go to Home Depot or Lowes, go to the garden section, look for a shelf labled "Insectisides" from there you will have to look at the front label, there is generally a list that tells you what it kills, on the back there are instructions, follow those. No more pests.

Get a sticky fly trap in there and it will help some. I use Hi-yeild Malathion but the bottle does not say anything about fungus nats but it kills spider mites like you would not believe. This shit stinks really bad and I never spray it on my plants after they start budding cause it gives em a funny taste when you do. But I would recomend this shit .

Here is what the label says it kills Aphids, Spider Mites, Flies, Mealybugs, Scale, Mothes, Japanese Beetle, Terrapin, and Catapillars.

This shit cost around 3.50 a bottle and makes 48 gallons. Most hardware stores carry it. I have never had a problem with fungus nats and suspect that this shit kills em too, even though it's not listed on the bottle.

Found out yesterday at indoor gardening center i have fungus gnats (what i had deemed fruit flies). I got some yellow sticky paper they said should help me out - but didnt mention anything about the larvae eating the roots. Any reccomendations for brand name pesticides? The plants are about 3 weeks old, is that an okay age for pesticides?

The worst thing is i had been ultra careful about soil, ph of the soil, etc. Had to move to a larger pot unexpectedly (roots started coming out of the drain holes) adn was forced to purchase walmart soil which i am sure is the source of these pests!

If you don't want to use pesticides try this:

• STEP 1: Put 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar, fruit juice or wine in a small bowl of water near infested plants to trap and drown adult gnats.
• STEP 2: Tempt adults to lay eggs away from plants by putting sprouting wheat grains in a container next to the plants. Bury or burn egg-laden sprouts after a few days and repeat until laying cycle is broken (8-20 days).
• STEP 3: Remove 1/4 inch of topsoil and replace with diatomaceous earth (the skeletal remains of marine algae) to kill the soft-bodied larvae.
• STEP 4: Use yellow sticky traps to lure and capture the gnats.

you hydro shop should have a spray for mites and gnats that is safe to use on fruits & veg you dont want to smoke heavy chemz

Gnatrol or mosquito dunks. Gnatrol is the only thing i've had any luck with. 8 teaspoons in a gallon, 3 consecutive waterings. and then weekly. also pyrethium sprayed on the soil and all around, or bombs, but they're expensive ($20) i used a concentrate and mixed it. i've been fighting these horrid little monsters for over 5 months! this seems to be working the best by far. and i plan to break the dunks apart, (which are donut shaped pellets), and leave on the top of the soil for on going protection. also it's recommended to use 1 inch of porous sand on top of the soil so they can't lay eggs in the soil. what doesn't work; malathion, fish emulsion /linseed oil mix insecticide, also friendly bugs they would have cost far more to get enough. the bugs are drawn to rotting material and it seems most potting soil has some in it. making it more porous with sand and vermeculite is suppose to help. and keeping debris out of the area like dead leaves on top of the dirt and floor and standing water. www.garden web had good info about these pests. also the life cycle and how to treat the problem. they reproduce speed of light. each one lays 300 eggs every 2-3 days depending on the temperature, so don't delay in your efforts. the gnatrol is expensive, but does work, and i got mine at a hydroponic store. it's also online. they leave a sticky mildew on the plants' leaves that they suck the juice from turning them yellow and dry,this is what ends up killing them in the end, not so much the root infestation. that's just where they reproduce. they key is to kill the lavae so they don't multiply. the bugs themselves die in 4 weeks. good luck, you'll need it!

I say mates, you can use lady buds also... they are bug eatin savages, go outside and find a shitload of lady bugs and put em on ur plant they will NATURALY kill bugs


You can buy Preing mantis... THey eat every pest and you can buy em off the net... Buy a couple of them and you'll never have pests and you'll have some helpful friends in your garden good luck mates

I will try the whole natural thing with the lady bugs and Mantises when I'm not growing in my spare bedroom. Until then I have been trying Bug Stop from spectracide. I bought it in a gallon premixed bottle with a shitty little spray head. I was totally infested with them (only around the plants). I had a layer of dead Gnats under my heat lamp. I did one application and I saw a major reduction in the number of gnats. I just applied the 2nd application today after seeing a slight increase in gnats after 2 weeks. My plants are only 3 inches right now so I will not be spraying them near the start of flowering. Hoping for the best but with the results so far it has worked great.