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Mill's 2011

Fungus Gnats: I think I got em where I want em. :hell:

Someone on this forum tipped me off, and I did a lot of research on state ag websites, etc.

Try using "mosquito dunks" which have an active organic ingredient called BTi. (stands for Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Israelensis). Can be found in hardware store and some plant oriented stores. Make sure you see BTi on the label, not just BT.

Some of the dunks you have to chop up. I found one that is water soluable time release pellet pouch. Either way, immerse in a bucket of water, let it sit 24 hours or more. I think some folks leave a dunk in their watering can.

Drench the potted soil with the TBi water. If you gotta a lot of fnking gnats, you'll see their little tiny white squirming baby larvae in the run-off water. They love the stuff! They eat it and die!

Repeat once a week for three weeks. You will see immediate improvement from the very first drench, but needs a repeat. I thought I had them all the first time, waited ten days, and they started coming back. It doesn't kill the adult flyers, just the larvae.

For the flyers, place yellow sticky straps around your pots here and there placing horizontal. It won't get all of them, but it provides a platform for their brothers to see. The traps also help monitor the level of infestation.
 
Got some skeeter dunks last night and will be drenching the soil tonight. Also have the yellow sticky traps that you pull out of a cylinder and catch probably 50-75 a day. I also pulled some seedlings cause they just weren't growing and noticed that the damn larvae ate all their roots. Lets see how this works...
 
Man, that is dirty pool if they're getting to your seedlings. I've treated my peppers, but have held off on my onion starts, but now I see the adults burrowing in there, so they'll get a BTi bath tomorrow.

I hope your treatment puts a world 'o hurt on the little bastids. I'm not sure how long to let them soak in the BTi juice, but look closely for the larvae you'll know you're getting to them.

I tried the sticky cylinder things, and caught a bunch, but the sticky tape was really hard to work with, since designed to go vertical. I finally bit the bullet and got the yellow traps easy to move and lay horizontal. The gnats are poor flyers and lazy, will land on horizontal to rest.

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here is a months worth of gnats KIA positioned near my seedling trays. These traps won't wipe them out, but do let you know when to bring out the BTi weaponry.
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Not yet Patrick. I think with the fungus gnats, if any new roots shot out of it then they were immediately consumed. Hopefully it will once I get rid of the problem. We shall see.
 
Wow it's been a while. Still had issues, new plants would not grow cause the gnats were getting all their new roots, same for the overwintereds. Had to start another groups of seeds late last month and they are all doing well.

Tobasco

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Jalapenos

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Some new starts

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C. Rhomboideum

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Ignore the cukes, more starts

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Even more

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The bed, 11 peppers, peas, lettuce, cilantro, parsley and strawberries

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Tree hab new growth

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My little bonsai that I'm working on.

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Thats all for now.
 
That Rhomb looks really amazing Noah!
Second round looks like it is doin great!
Sorry to hear about the gnat problem!
I love seeing the new growth on the overwintered tree hab!

Great work man! :beer:

Kevin
 
Thanks Kevin, almost every branch on that tree hab has at least 3 new growth spots on it. I cannot wait to see this thing go crazy this year.
 
oh man i just dig that bonchi stuff
you should put a pretty little round
rock in the middle of those roots
the little succulent would go good next to the mini tree pepper too
looks like an agave very groovy

is the tree hab next to the parsley celery type stuff?
 
Wow it's been a while. Still had issues, new plants would not grow cause the gnats were getting all their new roots, same for the overwintereds.

Howdy im a newb grower but i read that if you use a 4/1 water/hydrogen peroxide 3% solution and then water good with that solution it will kill the larve on contact that are feeding on yer roots after my gnat issue i noticed edge leaf curl and slow growth i researched and found that is a sign of them larve eating the roots so i waited till they were very dry as the info stated the top 1-2 inches are where they hang out and if you let it get very dry they will go dormant till it gets moist again. so then i flushed the cups with the H2O2 solution from the top and after a week i have noticed the leaf curl had haulted and new growth is coming in now with no new gnats emerging. I'm sure you prolly allrady new this anyway good luck on yer season.
 
I should have taken a photo of my sticky traps, there was no yellow left, just coated with gnats. I will have to pick up some mosquito dunks, the larvae must have been the cause of my choco fatalii having no roots and being half an inch tall after 4 months. Think I would have restarted that plant but I never remembered to do so.
 
Lookin good. Do you have gnat problems every year? I'm battling them this year also. They got a bunch of my seedlings by eating the taproot even before they emerged.
 
nice plants you have there millworkman.!!! the tree hab looks ginormous. giant! did you leave that pepper plant out in the winter or you just replanted it there!
 
Hey Mill,
Looking good man. Sorry to hear about the fungus gnats. Had the same problem two years ago and there was hundreds on those yellow sticky traps too. I put hortoculture sand on the top of the dirt and it seemed to help alot. Like the bonzai too. What type of plant did you use for it?
 
I believe it is a yellow 7 pod/pot but not completely sure. It could be a Brain Strain, Yellow Scorp Cardi, Scorpion Moruga or Yellow 7. Only time will tell.
 
You should have at least told me you where working on something.. That one is looking so good already. Will be a nice Bonchi I'm sure :)
Good work!
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