Fungus gnat prevention

[Boed styles420]

Hello I recently noticed these little black flys flying around my plants that look like fruit flys I now know they are fungus gnats I read the main cause of fungus gnats is over watering and a wet medium, my medium is coco I thort you wer ment to water every day if not multiple times a day with coco and high frequency fertigation and what not so how do I get rid of the gnats if my medium it constantly wet and prevent them from coming back once I finally get rid of them, I went and aquired a yellow sticky trap and 200ml bottle of hydrogen peroxide but not shure how much to mix with water or if I need to ph the water im mixing it with I have read this will kill the lave as this is what I'm worried most about they feed on the small hairs on your roots and stunt growth I think it was and umong other things not good wer the actual flying gnats I'm hoping the yellow traps will do the trick any help would be much appreciated thank you.

 

[Silverfox125]

I always have the yellow trap in my veg tent. I usually only have them when plants are young and I keep them wet.

I think @Pennywise does some coco and may have some good thoughts

 

[Pennywise]

Peroxide run through the coco will kill a lot of them. I use yellow sticky traps as well.

 

[Boed styles420]

Peroxide run through the coco will kill a lot of them. I use yellow sticky traps as well.

Hey thanks I mixed a 200ml bottle with 1litre of distilled water after letting my medium dry out, it dident really make enough 900ml to mix with 3litres would have been perfect i had to ration 1200ml out over my 3 plants most probably grab some more tomorrow and see how I go thanks again!!!

 

[Nunyabiz]

Your best bet is get some Gnatrol which is just good quality BTI and add that to the water everyday for about 3 weeks and take several yellow sticky cards fold them into little tents and place on top of your pot.
In 3 weeks they should be gone then add the Gnatrol to your water about once a week as maintenance.

 

[One Of These Days]

I put dawn dish soap in one of those tea light candle tins and stick it in the corner. Along with sticky traps, i use the long ones you pull out and hang but same thing. Also but not limited to smashing swating shooing and cussing

 

[One Of These Days]

Ill have to try that gnatrol if things flare up.

 

[SmokingWings]

Then there is Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which is an organic solution to the problem. Not sure how it will work in coco but it is often recommended for soil growing.

Hello I recently noticed these little black flys flying around my plants that look like fruit flys I now know they are fungus gnats I read the main cause of fungus gnats is over watering and a wet medium, my medium is coco I thort you wer ment to water every day if not multiple times a day with coco and high frequency fertigation...

There is a difference between frequent watering and over watering. I had an interesting conversation with a guy working at grow store about his growing in coco and then his problem with gnats.

He said he was over watering. He stopped the problem by reducing the amount of water at each watering and letting the coco dry out. He eliminated the wet center of the pot, letting it dry to the point where it was barely damp but not dry enough to cause his plants to wilt. His gnat problem is gone.

The second time I had gnats I did the same sort of thing, allowing my soil to dry out to the point where the plants were just starting to show wilting and then only giving enough water to make the wilt go away. It did mean watering more often. Within several weeks the gnat problem was gone. Any soil mix I have in buckets will get an additional dose in a week or so.

Relying on the yellow sticky cards did not work. If the wet soil is not taken care of then the gnats can reproduce faster than their random trapping in that glue. I use the cards to tell me if the gnats are back. They were. I noticed several new gnats on the card so I replaced it. Again, a couple new gnats so I treated all the soil with Bt. Went from 7 gnats a week to just two per week. Going to give another dose of Bt and keep watching the card.

 

[Silverfox125]

That’s kind of how I am. I always have them for first few weeks then once they are bigger and I get into my normal watering habits they go away because the soil is to dry for them.

 

[Nunyabiz]

I've had fungus gnats boil out of soil that was in a bag under the house for a year without a drop of water touching it.

 

[cr8grow]

Ive been Using Mosquito Bits that I use in the bird bath during summer to kill mosquito larvae. Its supposedly safe for birds and mammals, etc, I read in a thread somewhere it also works on fungus gnats and is a safe organic preventative. The product label also lists fungus gnats but they suggest spreading a layer on the top soil then water through each time. Seems like overkill so I add 1 tsp of MBits to each gallon of water. This is my first grow, so dont know what a fungus gnat infestation looks like but saw some and started MBits about week 4. I see the occasional dead one on the floor but none flying at this point. I also read if you add a layer of sand to the top of your medium it will eliminate fungus gnats. Welcome feedback...lots to learn.

 

[HugePeckerhead]

Bti and yellow sticky traps for the win

 

[SmokingWings]

Ive been Using Mosquito Bits that I use in the bird bath during summer to kill mosquito larvae. Its supposedly safe for birds and mammals, etc, I read in a thread somewhere it also works on fungus gnats and is a safe organic preventative. The product label also lists fungus gnats but they suggest spreading a layer on the top soil then water through each time. Seems like overkill so I add 1 tsp of MBits to each gallon of water. This is my first grow, so dont know what a fungus gnat infestation looks like but saw some and started MBits about week 4. I see the occasional dead one on the floor but none flying at this point. I also read if you add a layer of sand to the top of your medium it will eliminate fungus gnats. Welcome feedback...lots to learn.

Mosquito Bits are made using the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that I mentioned. If you are interested you will find other products that contain Bt that cost less and do the same thing. I bought the Bt this past summer not because of gnats but to get rid of some pest caterpillars that showed up in my vegetable gardens. They were the larval stage for Cabbage Moths so I had no problem getting rid of them. I just paid attention to where I applied it to avoid getting it on any Monarch Butterfly larva that were in the area.

 

[SmokingWings]

I've had fungus gnats boil out of soil that was in a bag under the house for a year without a drop of water touching it.

One of my previous gnat problems came from a bag of seed planting soil I had. The stuff was more than 50% peat moss. My thoughts are that some of the gnat eggs last a long time in dry soils. Then when the soils get wet the eggs finish developing and hatch. Let the soil dry out again and the larva die. Do it over and over and eventually there will not be any or enough eggs left in the dry soil for a reproducing population.

 

[cr8grow]

Mosquito Bits are made using the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that I mentioned. If you are interested you will find other products that contain Bt that cost less and do the same thing. I bought the Bt this past summer not because of gnats but to get rid of some pest caterpillars that showed up in my vegetable gardens. They were the larval stage for Cabbage Moths so I had no problem getting rid of them. I just paid attention to where I applied it to avoid getting it on any Monarch Butterfly larva that were in the area.

Thanks...I will look for the generic Bt next grow...great suggestion and confirmation what Im using now contains Bt.

 

[SmokingWings]

Thanks...I will look for the generic Bt next grow...great suggestion and confirmation what Im using now contains Bt.

If you want to go that route you do not even have to go to a hydroponic or grow shop. I have seen the Bt products in the garden section of small neighborhood hardware stores and small gardening and houseplant shops. But grow shops will have the biggest selection of dry and liquid products.

 

[Nunyabiz]

One of my previous gnat problems came from a bag of seed planting soil I had. The stuff was more than 50% peat moss. My thoughts are that some of the gnat eggs last a long time in dry soils. Then when the soils get wet the eggs finish developing and hatch. Let the soil dry out again and the larva die. Do it over and over and eventually there will not be any or enough eggs left in the dry soil for a reproducing population.

You would think a whole year dry as bone would be enough.
I dont think its possible to get soil dry enough to not breed fungus gnats and still be able to grow cannabis in that soil.
Especially Living Organic Soil which needs to stay moist.

 

[Nunyabiz]

Thanks...I will look for the generic Bt next grow...great suggestion and confirmation what Im using now contains Bt.

It needs to be BTI not just BT.
BT is for caterpillars, BTI is for skeeters and fungus gnats.

 

[DeeCee112]

I noticed a few minute bugs buzzing around my plants too. @InTheShed recommended setting up a fan at the pot surface height. I levelled a 12" bad boy on oscillate on them and havnt seen one since. Bonus points from extra air circulation under the canopy.

 

[Silverfox125]

Here’s a link that has helped me in the past.

Fungus Gnats & Cannabis - How to Identify & Get Rid of It Quickly!