Plant troubles need some pointers

[go4snypr]

Setup is Capn Style
Late veg
Master Kush
PH 5.6-6.1
600w MH
temps 65-72
General Hydro flora series
Adding Silica, calimagic and florablend
500 ppm
watering as needed (basically daily in the rock wool) with excess going to waste.
I do have what i believe to be fungus gnats, I only ever see 5 or 6 at a time though there is probably more.

 

[go4snypr]

i am seeing signs of nitrogen toxicity, so maybe I am over feeding. I cut the solution back today and will thin it out as I need to mix up more... any theories??

 

[Dan Ultra]

So this is what I have found so far...

First, make sure Fungus Gnats are what we are dealing with.

An effective means of detecting the presence of fungus gnat larvae is to insert 1/4 inch slices or wedges of potato into the growing medium. Larvae will migrate to the potato and start feeding within a few days. The potato slices should be turned over to look for larvae present on the underside

If it is...

The most important strategy to minimize fungus gnat problems associated with houseplants is to allow the growing medium to dry between watering, especially the top 1 to 2 inches. The dry-growing medium will decrease survival of any eggs laid and/or larvae that hatch from the eggs as well as reduce the attractiveness of the growing medium to egg-laying adult females. In addition, it is recommended to re-pot every so often, particularly when the growing medium has “broken down” and is retaining too much moisture. Furthermore, be sure to remove any containers with an abundance of decaying plant matter such as decayed bulbs and roots, which provide an excellent food source for fungus gnat larvae.

Unfortunately for you, you can't really let your type of medium completely dry out. So...

A biological control option for control of fungus gnat larvae is applications of certain insect parasitic (or entomopathogenic) nematodes as a drench to the growing medium. Insect parasitic nematodes are microscopic roundworms that enter fungus gnat larvae through natural openings such as the mouth, anus and breathing pores. The nematodes emit a bacterium that digests the internal contents of the larvae. Fungus gnat larvae die within three to four days. The nematode species Steinernema feltiae is particularly effective against fungus gnat larvae.

I Googled Steinernema feltiae and found them for sale on Amazon for $36 for 7 Million units. It might take a little more research to make sure that they are not harmful to your growing medium.

All I could find for now. Hope it helps a little bit.