soil pots have gnats any tips??

I had the same little bugs in my soil only in 1 pot. I tossed the top 3 inches of soil with the bugs and replaced it with new soil. I have not seen any bugs since. Over watering is the main cause of bugs.

intenseneal said:

I had the same little bugs in my soil only in 1 pot. I tossed the top 3 inches of soil with the bugs and replaced it with new soil. I have not seen any bugs since. Over watering is the main cause of bugs.

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the main cause of bugs is getting 1 pregnant fucking bug in your grow room whether you water a lot or not the soil is there as a breeding ground.
i hate bastards that say, stop over watering it protects you against bugs...... and how the fuck do you work that out?
there are methods to use against bugs, some environments need protection against them and some do not.
you can use ladybirds to kill spider mites and thrips.
you can use perlite to kill gnats.
you can use sticky traps.
you can use air sprays that are harmless to plants.
but for fuck sake dont say " watering your plants too much causes bugs)
we have heard it all before.
soil is a breeding ground. and that is it in a nutshell.

stephaniesloan said:

they munch on the little hairs on your roots, destroying the roots.

they do not eat the root itself.

your plant will look droopy as if you have overwatered, and will then get very sickly.
it will not die but it will definitely look ill.

reminds me of that joke :

peter asked his mate joe "what is the best cure for getting rid of itchy pubic lice".
joe replied " rub sugar on them".
to which peter asked "will that kill them".
joe replied " hell no, but it will rot their fucking teeth"

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root hairs are part of the root, in fact they're only part that actually takes up water/nutrients. the portion of the root ahead of the hairs is undergoing cellular division and growth and the portion between the hairs and the surface is just where the hairs used to be and have fallen off/died. If roots didn't have root hairs they wouldn't be able to do all of what roots do. semantics, i know.

anyway, i suppose 'munching on the root' is a better way to describe what they're actually doing. i was kinda high when i wrote that earlier. and i'm also high now so i find that joke hilarious. +rep to you lol

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05584.html just to add a little extra info.

@stephanie sloan I do not come on here to argue over petty things such as fungus gnats the knowledge I have is from expieriance and in my expierience I have found that fungus gnats thrive in wet soil and are oten times attracted by root rot caused by overwatering but if you let your plant properly dry out they will not make it their home and you will not have the problem. Your method is effective also it solves the problem of the fungus gnat and my method is effective too by not creating an environment wherethey thrive. if you don't agree thats fine but there is no need to get your ass out and wag it in my face. if you don't want to believe that letting the soil dry between waterings will not only eliminate problems with gnats but make a healthier root system for your plant then go right ahead but you don't need to be a bitch about it and dissmiss everyone who does not agree with you or provides alternative methods. I hope you have a great day and learn to be a better person because you have proven yourself to be pretty damn ignorant here. I am the bastard for sure, good day

spell "experience".

ignorance is on the informant that has bad information.
some people will have a cure for a problem, underwatering your plants causes undue stress, why do that when you can place a few pennies worth of perlite on the top of the soil, or use any other method that other members in this forum have been most generous to provide.
i water my plants every second day and i do not have gnats.
my soil had gnats in the 50L bags before i used the soil, it is a very rich soil and attracts these gnats as there is a lot of rotting plant matter in the soil as well as other rotting nasty stuff that our type of plants love to feed on.

I tried sand on the top of the soil and the gnats went into the drain holes on the bottom. I got rid of the gnats by putting 1/4 of a mosquito dunk in a gallon of water. Let it set a day and then watered with it.

Saved the piece of dunk and continued watering with it in the water which sat for several days in between. A week and they were gone. I bottom water now which also helps.

right now with the perlite i have not seen these little flying fucks on top yet, i hit the side of the cntainer or water i bet they will come out the side bottom holes still, i will know in 2 days but so far the top is looking good

I love you...

stephaniesloan said:

spell "experience".

ignorance is on the informant that has bad information.
some people will have a cure for a problem, underwatering your plants causes undue stress, why do that when you can place a few pennies worth of perlite on the top of the soil, or use any other method that other members in this forum have been most generous to provide.
i water my plants every second day and i do not have gnats.
my soil had gnats in the 50L bags before i used the soil, it is a very rich soil and attracts these gnats as there is a lot of rotting plant matter in the soil as well as other rotting nasty stuff that our type of plants love to feed on.

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