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Where do fungus gnats come from??

Roguejim said:
Well then, I guess "Happy Frog Potting Soil" , which I am using, is unhealthy, and devoid of predators that eat fungus gnat larva, by your criteria. 
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If you you have a 30$ goldfish in a bag and put it in a microwave, then you arent going to have a 30$ fish anymore are you?
 
 
Fox farm is good stuff, and so is Sunshine mix, Edna's, and even Kellog. BUT...
Do you know what that bag of soil has been through before you got it? Was it on a truck in a blizzard? Did it sit on a lot in the sun for a year?
 
Your arguement is that expencive soil is imune to disease, heat, cold? If so you are mistaken my friend.
 
 
I'm not nocking your fancy pants soil, all I'm saying is that it may need an inoculation of benificial preditorial insects and or microbes. So take a chill pill and sprinkle some local dirt on to your happy frog dirt. :beer:
 
Proud Marine Dad said:
Just the reason why I built a great soil for the first time this season. I will never buy bagged soil again. ;)
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Did you build your own soil for your seedlings, when they are indoors?  Care to share the recipe?
 
Roguejim said:
Did you build your own soil for your seedlings, when they are indoors?  Care to share the recipe?
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The seedlings are in a mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 perlite. I gave them a little alfalfa meal and that's it. The final pots I will mix this week or weekend and then the mix will sit for at least 30 days for the nutrients to cycle before planting. That mix has compost, worm castings, red lava rock, kelp meal, Espoma tomato tone, alfalfa meal, neem cake, Gaia green glacial rock dust, and crab meal.
 
Cayennemist said:
I'm not nocking your fancy pants soil, all I'm saying is that it may need an inoculation of benificial preditorial insects and or microbes. So take a chill pill and sprinkle some local dirt on to your happy frog dirt. :beer:
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And then there is the rest of us who aren't ready to introduce beneficial preditorial insects into our houses and grow rooms. Those of us understand that fungus gnats can come with the territory. Keep several gallons of water that you use to water the plants on hand with a 1/4 of a mosquito dunk in each gallon. Also keep several fly traps up. You'll notice a few fungus gnats from time to time, but they won't survive long or procreate.
 
Jeff H said:
 
And then there is the rest of us who aren't ready to introduce beneficial preditorial insects into our houses and grow rooms. Those of us understand that fungus gnats can come with the territory. Keep several gallons of water that you use to water the plants on hand with a 1/4 of a mosquito dunk in each gallon. Also keep several fly traps up. You'll notice a few fungus gnats from time to time, but they won't survive long or procreate.
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Chances are half of them are living in your pellow ;)
Im not talking lady bugs, spiders, and mantis there smart guy. More like nematodes, mites, and bacteria.
 
If you think killing off your soil is the answer then that shows what you know about soil...
 
 
Rather than being an inert material, soil houses a dynamic living ecosystem.  The 1-5% of organic matter found in soils includes 0.2% of living organisms.  Although most soil organisms are invisible to the naked eye, they help gardeners in multiple ways.  One major benefit to gardeners is their ability to help improve soil tilth.  Soil tilth is the suitability of a soil to support plant growth, especially as it relates to ease of tillage, fitness for a seedbed, impedance to seedling emergence and root penetration.  Soil organisms also play a central role in making nutrients available to plants.  The community of soil organisms is varied, versatile, and adaptable to changing conditions and food supplies.
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Alright I have been gone too long. Time to get the seasonal organic battle rolling again.
 
Read this and then tell me you want to flood your soil with "dunks." Here is a PDF that you can download
 
 
 
If people realized what hapens to soil in nature they would never buy synthetic fertalizer again, they can make soil for free or dirt cheap.
 
Cayennemist said:
 
Chances are half of them are living in your pellow ;)
Im not talking lady bugs, spiders, and mantis there smart guy. More like nematodes, mites, and bacteria.
 
If you think killing off your soil is the answer then that shows what you know about soil...
 
 
Alright I have been gone too long. Time to get the seasonal organic battle rolling again.
 
Read this and then tell me you want to flood your soil with "dunks." Here is a PDF that you can download
 
 
 
If people realized what hapens to soil in nature they would never buy synthetic fertalizer again, they can make soil for free or dirt cheap.
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Tone it down a bit there buddy. You want to educate not drive away potential organic converts. ;)
 
Cayennemist said:
:high:  done... Maybe I got a little excited.
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Can you expound a bit on this partial quote below, i.e., names/products...?
 
"...an inoculation of benificial preditorial insects and or microbes..."
 
Cayennemist: I'm in total agreement with you on the healthy food web in the soil out in the garden. I have a pretty good start on some "no till" beds in my glog and I have no reason to think that they won't produce outstanding plants, but we are going to have to disagree about the indoor growing. If someone is using bagged soil, there isn't really anything they can to to treat the fungus gnats except chemicals. If that kills off some microbes in hte tiny 3.5" pot, I can live with that. Small price to pay for the fungus gnat larva not eating the roots.
 
Once they go outside, that is a different story. I don't anticipate needing any chemical fertilizers this year, and I hope no pesticides either.
 
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