Pest problem

Thehalobluntm

Well-Known Member
Can anyone tell me what these are I found them In my watering tray
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Look like fungus gnat larva to me.

There are some bugs that show up like that that don't really seem to hurt anything but any bug is suspect and better not to have in an indoor grow.

If they are showing up in the runoff water then they are pretty well established through the root zone. Slow growth, water starvation and nute problems usually show up as they devour the fine root hairs and the plant has trouble absorbing anything. They do feed on all sorts of organic matter and prefer that to roots but eventually get around to those.

Not as bad as mites but still a PITA.

L8r
 
yeah that was the first pic I posted and he said nope.


That said he also said they weren't that big and the larvae are not very big to begin with....

but the jumping around business make me not think larvae.
 
I dnt have a really have a camera I want to say they are smpyiods but they dnt come out of soil when watering just a couple of them on watering tray the plant is doing well tho just switched to flowering and 2 weeks already
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new growth is okay but I can see on the far right fan leaf and the ones in the background some issues. When you get Fungus Gnats they ruin the roots and that can make just about any deficiency appear. Basically it is about what is in there in excess and what is not at that point.


If you are in soil or soilless you should put about 1 inch of vermiculite on the surface and the gnats will go away. What happens is the land on the soil looking for a place to lay eggs and burro down to lay them. When they land on vermiculite (which is not soil) the fly away looking for a place to lay eggs. So after one generation they are gone.

That can't hurt and is cheap and may just fix your problem.
 
Springtails is my guess. Fungus gnat larvae don't jump around.
 
Fungus gnats live 1.5 weeks.

Vermiculite is cheap...not as cheap as a potato slice but I never tried that...I have used vermiculite and that works. It does not hurt to just do it. Until you give us something better to go on I say throw on some vermiculite.
 
I've never heard of vermiculite being used but have used diatomaceous earth a few times and it works great. I bought a 30 lb bag at the local feed store about 14 years ago and still have a few pounds left. A half inch of that on top will get rid of them. Kills all sorts of creepy crawlers and is good to add to the soil as a source of silica, calcium and a bunch of other minerals.

Don't use the DE that's made for water filters. the processing used on it makes it useless to kill bugs. Food grade DE is healthy for us too or our pets. Don't breath it tho and it's very dusty and fine. Sucks the oils out of your skin so gloves are recommended tho it won't really hurt anything if it's an occasional exposure.

The surface of the soil should be smoothed then covered up to a half inch deep taking care to completely cover it all and a bit of a pile around the stem helps to seal the top. Water your plant(s) from the bottom so as not to disturb the surface and keep the DE dry. Once plants are harvested mix in the DE from the tops to the next batch of soil for a dose of silica.

Feed stores sell large bags for a lot less money than the link I put up there. I got my 30lb bag for $30 and I doubt it's gone up in price much in the ensuing years. The bag is the size of a bale of ProMix and is very light in comparison.

I taped paper towel over the four drain holes in my pots while they were dry so the larva couldn't escape or the adults lay eggs thru them. The water soaks in fine thru it when it's watered.

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Get all bags of soil out of your grow area too. Not in the next room but far removed. That's where most of the little buggers come from. The bags may have been sterilized at the factory but they sit outside at the stores and the gnats lay eggs in the little air holes and you take them home.

Wiki Link

:peace:
 
vermiculite is sold anywhere you buy potting soil or perlite. It is right next to the perlite. it is used in many cases for the exact same reason as perlite

Just like Perlite it is extremely light so 30 lbs would be as big as a car. LOL

20 bucks for a life long 2cu ft bag at home depot.

Vigoro 2 cu. ft. Vermiculite Soil Amendment-100521092 - The Home Depot

Old Med is correct but I just find vermiculite to be cheaper and works the same and does not interfere with the feeding. It has no nutrient impact so you can stay on your schedule.
 
Lots of very good advice here! One more: add hydrogen peroxide to your irrigation water. There are several threads mentioning it's use here on the 420mag, and lots on Google.
 
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