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Fungus Gnat ??
- Thread starter SRBII
- Start date
Yea, you just ID-ed the little bastid. Cinnamon might help a little. At this stage, I don't think a few gnats will be much of a problem. Get the plants outdoors from time to time, they are poor flyers and don't fare well outdoors unless they are really established in your soil. (They can burrow in and larvae can eat some roots!)
It also helps to bottom water and keep the top of the soil dry--even crusty dry. Hard to do with little baby seedlings.
For now, go with the yellow sticky trap strips laid flat across your containers. Available most hardware stores. They will catch several and give you an idea of the level of problem. Try that before more extreme measures---BTi mosquito dunk solution. Since spring and outdoors is so near, I'd only do that if you have a big problem and plan to continue container growing.
It also helps to bottom water and keep the top of the soil dry--even crusty dry. Hard to do with little baby seedlings.
For now, go with the yellow sticky trap strips laid flat across your containers. Available most hardware stores. They will catch several and give you an idea of the level of problem. Try that before more extreme measures---BTi mosquito dunk solution. Since spring and outdoors is so near, I'd only do that if you have a big problem and plan to continue container growing.
Thanks, yea they will be goin out soon i do bottom water and i waited till the tops were perty crusty i will get them sticky traps tommorrow and pray for the warm weather to get here in iowa 38 for tommorrow night low.
Cheers
"battling" them all winter, they are more a nuisance than anything for me, they buzz in my face. I've used the sticky traps and that has helped, same with the bottom watering, but it is a bit of a pain for me to bottom water my 1 gallon pots, I will try a wormwood tea, I read it can be used as an Insecticide, not sure it works on gnats, but might give it a try, I have a wormwood plant in a 1 gallon pot about a foot tall.
+1
I get the little buggers too when I'm starting indoors and they always disappear on their own when I plant out.
You could also try leaving a few cups of plain old water sitting close to your plants.... crazy little suicidal things like to fly straight into the water and drown!
It doesn't get them all but it helps. (and is a VERY el cheapo solution!
)
My books too!
I think it was Hollyberry Lady who taught me that one when I first started out.... and when I swore I was never gonna use chemicals!
I dunno, the little buggers never seem to cause any *noticeable* damage to my plants so I've stuck with it. As long as it keeps at least some of them out of my hair and their numbers down, I'm happy enough!
They really can be a nuisance, but they really cross the line when the little f***ers try getting in my beer. When they successfully land in there, that's when I really get furious. I rarely pour a glass of beer anymore without making sure I have a paper towel on hand to wrap over the brim of the glass immediately after... I've seen the little SOBs flying around my beer within a minute or less or popping the cap and pouring. They seem to have a hell of a good sense of smell (then again, craft beers tend to have far more aroma than mass produced crap anyway, which ironically they don't seem to give a damn about... at least they have good taste in beer...).
This winter I've been sort of lucky, because I've only been overwintering 5 plants and each one is in my room, which is shut all the time. I think I finally figured out a good watering schedule for this winter too, which seemed to have helped, because there weren't a whole lot of fungus gnats in my room either. But man... a couple years ago, those things were a nightmare. You could see their larva’s tiny, slimy slug-like trails in the soil of my catnip plant, and the adults were always resting on its leaves--and I swear the bastards were eating the leaves, because I would always find little tiny holes in them. Who knows how much damage their larva were doing to the roots.
What I've found to work the best is watch your watering. The catnip was being somewhat overwatered, and the gnats just seemed to be a side-effect of that. Remove their food source and their way of reproducing (fungus) and they will die in mass while at the same time being unable to have little baby gnats.
Oh, and when you think they're gone... don't feel too good. All it takes is a couple of them to reproduce more. Go a little less cautious on the watering because you think you're safe, and you might end up with just another infestation in no time.
If the sticky traps or the water trick doesnt work, the mosquito dunks DO. I did a combination of sticky traps and the dunks, and ALL of the gnats went bye-bye on me.
I'm the GNATINATOR!!!
I'm the GNATINATOR!!!
There's always a shotgun...
Sweet! I'm so gonna try that next season!
And I'm guessing too that it would probably help keep 'em stuck in the water and increase the chance of drownage!
The thing I love about the growing forums is that you just keep learning and learning and learning.....
Works good for bees and wasps too. Once the soap gets on them they're screwed! ...I know...I know, bees are good... blah blah blah...but not when a sting lands you in the ER.
I've always been able to keep the gnats in check with cinnamon. Sprinkle a little on the soil and a little on the surface of whatever your pots are sitting on because they like to hang out in the drain holes too.
Ya, everything else was a waste of time with the last infestation i had, i must have tried everything including most of the advice here. The only thing that worked permanently was Mosquito Dunks for the larva, and some cheap fly paper to mop up the adults. Within two to three weeks they will be gone. Be sure to water your plants with mosquito dunk water at least a few times during those few weeks. Don't worry if some grains get in the dirt, it won't harm anything.
Planting them outside gets rid of the problem too, but otherwise don't underestimate the little buggers, they are the cockroaches of the gnat world and can be persistent in homes and greenhouses.
I agree, they have a super sense of smell. I would bring a fresh cup of dirt in the room and within seconds they were flying around me.
Link to mosquito dunks: http://www.lowes.com/pd_92460-1643-MODU1_0_?&productId=3047384
I also read a tip about putting potato chunks nearby, the gnats will lay their eggs on the potato, then you just huck the potato outside, or in the compost or wherever, cuts down on the reproduction.
Yea it does. The conconction is instant. I onced used plain old Dawn with the lemon scent and had like 10 of em in the dam cup before I could sit it down next to the plant. It was almost like it sucked em in there. Of course by then the problem was near out of controll anyway so movement of the cup through all those gnats probably did suck em in. lol Had to change the solution within 24 hours due to how fas my little saucers filled up. The more surface area the better, so even the lid off a grocery butter bowl will get you results.
One thing to avoid this issue altogether is to sterilize your soil before you use it. The stuff you get from walmart is practically guaranteed to have these things in it.