Fungus Gnats

[FourTwoZero420]

If i place sand over the top of my soil to keep fungus gnats away will this be okay or can I not put sand with the soil? Also would it harm my plant at all by misting a soap and water mix over the top of soil to kill any larva?

 

[Carcass]

Sand is a pain in the a$$,in my opinion-there's better ways to get rid of the little buggers.

First,let the soil dry out ,then Mix 1 part Hydrogen peroxide with 3 parts water,and water your plant with the solution as you would normally water it-it'll fizz a bit,that's normal.The H202 will break down into oxygen and water (after it kills the gnat larvae) and may actually benefit the plant from the added oxygen to the roots.

Don't worry too much about the gnats while you're letting it dry out,they can't do too much damage in the 3 or 4 days that may take.
While you're waiting,you can get a few "sticky traps" to catch the adults (they love those yellow traps)

 

[Carcass]

BTW,that's 3% peroxide,the drugstore or grocery store stuff.

 

[FourTwoZero420]

BTW,that's 3% peroxide,the drugstore or grocery store stuff.

Do i still ph to 6.5

 

[Carcass]

@FourTwoZero420 -I have steered you wrong with my advice-I reread some of your earlier posts,and see you're using living soil
And the peroxide will kill the "critters" in the living soil.
SO,forget what I told you about peroxide !
Try this instead-fill a small jar about halfway with apple cider vinegar-punch some holes in the lid so the gnats can get in there,and sit it next to the plant-they love the stuff,but won't be able to find thier way out of the jar once they go in (and they will go in)
Empty the jar every few days,and repeat the process-pretty soon the adult gnats will all be dead,so no more larvae.
Once again,sorry for the bad info.

 

[HugePeckerhead]

Sand is a pain in the a$$,in my opinion-there's better ways to get rid of the little buggers.

First,let the soil dry out ,then Mix 1 part Hydrogen peroxide with 3 parts water,and water your plant with the solution as you would normally water it-it'll fizz a bit,that's normal.The H202 will break down into oxygen and water (after it kills the gnat larvae) and may actually benefit the plant from the added oxygen to the roots.

Don't worry too much about the gnats while you're letting it dry out,they can't do too much damage in the 3 or 4 days that may take.
While you're waiting,you can get a few "sticky traps" to catch the adults (they love those yellow traps)

Will this do any harm to the plant whatsoever? And does strain play a role?

 

[Nunyabiz]

Only thing that takes out fungus gnats is Gnatrol which is just a good quality BTI and back that up with Rove Beetles.
All totally organic

 

[Carcass]

Will this do any harm to the plant whatsoever? And does strain play a role?

I have since found a better way to get rid of the gnats-as @Nunyabiz said-BTI is the way to go
Gnatrol,Mosquito Dunks,And Mosquito Bits all contain BTI,
I use the Dunks in my plant water,and haven't had any gnats for my last two grows.
It's also harmless to your plants and non toxic to anything except mosquito and gnat larvae.
Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis-BTI, is the full name of the active ingredient in all 3 products.

 

[HugePeckerhead]

@carcass @Nunyabiz so my friend has a plant he takes outside then brings back in for night. I told him this can be an easy way to get pests. I told him about the mosquito dunks. He went out and bought them but won't use until later tonight early tomorrow. I've told him about this forum but he wants to remain anonymous. Anyways.....do you just drop the dunk in your feeding water and water normally?

 

[Carcass]

Yes, but you should have a 5 gallon bucket or something similar to drop a dunk in,because they need to sit in the water for 24 hours while they populate it with the beneficial bacteria-
I just use a couple of gallons at a time out of the bucket,then refill it with water so it can sit till the next watering...and throw a fresh half a dunk in every 30 days or so...
You can use half a dunk for every 5 gallons of water that you need to treat.
The dunks don't dissolve,they just break up into small particles-the particles won't hurt anything,but you can run the water through a coffee strainer to get rid of them,if they bother you...

 

[HugePeckerhead]

they also have a spray? I'm assuming it would be safe to spray on a non flowering plant?

 

[Nunyabiz]

I've never used dunks.
Used to use the Microbelift liquid BTI but that seemed hit and miss as far as activity.
The best I've found is the Gnatrol granules.
Just add that to your water with a teaspoon of Yucca as a wetting agent.

28 grams Gnatrol BTI - Organic concentrate will make up to 31.25 gallons | Organic BTI

Effectively controls fungus gnat larvae Easy to use Gnatrol is OMRI-listed for organic production Gnatrol Biological Larvicide. Fungus gnat larvae don’t stand a chance.Gnatrol is a highly selective, biological larvicide for use in greenhouses to control fungus gnat larvae. It may be used on a...

www.gnatrol.com

 

[Nunyabiz]

they also have a spray? I'm assuming it would be safe to spray on a non flowering plant?

Oh hell to the no, dont spray poison on your plants.

No need for fungus gnats.
Kill the adults with yellow sticky traps and the larvae with BTI and keep them under control with Rove Beetles.

 

[HugePeckerhead]

Oh hell to the no, dont spray poison on your plants.

No need for fungus gnats.
Kill the adults with yellow sticky traps and the larvae with BTI and keep them under control with Rove Beetles.

Thanks a million.