Gnat problem, perlite top dressing
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
Baking soil kills off everything in the soil. Including the good things!
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
The fastest, most effective form of BT application/concentration, period.
Renfro
Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing that product with us all. It's the first I have heard of it. My buddy was just about to break down and get a pail of gnatrol for like 400 bucks. This Micro-Lift BMC will be a much more cost effective option indeed.
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
The most effective thing for gnat control in hydro you can get too!
I think I remember using like 8 drops in a 50 gallon res. Hydroton Ebb runs. Excellent for Rockwool flood tables too. Just be sure that once you mix it in the res. The next day at a flood cycle, pour some over the top of the media to get all media surface's covered...
Kushash
Well-Known Member
Hi Blue back!
Do you have the traps hanging high near the light?
I'm curious as fungus gnats are usually caught on the traps near the soil.
How long do you leave them before replacing them?
Yours strips look like mine do these days.
How often do you replace yours?
Hi Dr. Who!
I battled gnats a dozen different ways in the past to keep them under control.
Lately I have almost no problems and there are two things I'm doing differently.
I change the sticky traps every 3 weeks and I keep them on the inside edge of the pot where I feel the fishing is best.
The second change is that I started adding fresh EWC at about the same time and feel that has played a roll I just can't find much info to read on why the EWC possibly played a roll.
I asked a grower about the EWC and was told these play a roll Chitin, beneficial nematodes, and protozoa. Still searching for material to read.
I cut strips and line the inside of the pots changing them every 15 days, have added fresh EWC and haven't had a problem in months.
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
Too much work for me!
EWC can contain the BT and spread it into your soils......The little worm buddies only need to consume something with it in/on it..
Unless you have a rather severe case of gnats. They are basically a nuisance, more then damaging a plant. The younger the plant the more potential for real harm too.
I haven't had gnat's in years. They used to get into my EWC from my worm bins. Then I began putting BT containing things into the worm bins for them to eat.
No more gnats ever since.... Not even around the worm bins.
Nice catch on the EWC - Now you know why...
Peace on
Kushash
Well-Known Member
That is interesting.
I have fruit flies in my worm bin and occasionally they get into my grow and always die off with no problems other than being a nuisance.
I keep my worm bin in my garage and fungus gnats surely could set up shop but I have no fungus gnat problem in my bin only fruit flies.
I'm getting the fruit flies under control using DE and getting a handle on the moisture level.
It's a worm factory 360 like @Richard Drysift has.
Could not having gnats in my worm bin be a clue. I might have something beneficial in my bin IDK. I have added my used and amended soils as a top dressing to control fruit flies and maybe I added some bennies that I am not aware of.
Blue back
Well-Known Member
They are up near the lights in my veg room and in down by the soil in the bud room. There hasn't been any new knats on them for months. I've never replaced them
Serverchris
Well-Known Member
Yep use BMC every other water and lay sticky traps over the top of the coco, cover as much of the coco as you can. Add some nematodes as well and they will be gone in no time. Also a fan blowing directly over the soil will help as well.
for the ts if you have small garden this works better than any method out there
cheap yellow school folders paste tangle foot on both sides and cover the entire containers. This will knock the population back waaaay back. You think you have a few because you only saw 1 or 2 but there are hundreds. Then remove each time you water. Your water should be distilled and in a bucket with 1 or 2 mosquito dunks floating in it. This is the water I would use. Mix water with 1 ounce of botanigard. The gnats will be gone completely in weeks. But get the botanigard Incase you have ra too dunks will not harm them and the traps will only catch flyers.
If large
Met 52 liquid, botanigard, foliar pack. Sticky traps by lights
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Greybush7387
Well-Known Member
My bti isnt working in coco its a different bottle could it be bad
hybridway2
Amare Shill
Ive been starting to finally practice your methods. Thank you!
Ive been adding EWC & saw these spider looking things. At first worried until someone told me they are common in EWC & are beneficial, eating gnats all day.
Recently put outdoor garden mesh & rocks to weigh it down over the tops. Its keeping them out as well as allowing the roots to grow upward, filli under the mesh. Which first had me worried that to much drying organic material/roots would be accessible to them somehow but nope.
Armyofsprout
Well-Known Member
Use mosquito bits and make a tea. It works.
Greybush7387
Well-Known Member
Still got gnats new microbe lift ive used 2 small bottles shit dont work. I need gnat gnix but growstones outta buisness would pumice work its volcanic not recycled glass anyone know, rice hull and bmc aint working at all and diatimatiou earth made my bud so harsh its ridiulous fml.
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
Switch to a sterile coco grow and only grow using synthetic chelated nutrients. I quit using soil and switched to the following setup with 8oz/plant results.
#5 Plastic Pots
Mother Earth Plain 100% Coco (NEVER USE PERLITE IN COCO OR YOU'RE STUPID)
Advanced Nutrients "connoisseur" A + B base nutrients
UC Roots @ 1ml/gal of water in my reservoirs and nutrient solutions. (Basically bleach water, keeps out nasty stuff and keeps everything clean)
Don't grow in organics if you want to avoid bugs.
Gnat Traps are not going to ever solve a bug problem EVER. If they did then we'd have big fly traps hanging all over like oversized american flags, they help but they don't solve the problem. The only thing gnat traps do is let you know how bad your infestation is.
#5 Plastic Pots
Mother Earth Plain 100% Coco (NEVER USE PERLITE IN COCO OR YOU'RE STUPID)
Advanced Nutrients "connoisseur" A + B base nutrients
UC Roots @ 1ml/gal of water in my reservoirs and nutrient solutions. (Basically bleach water, keeps out nasty stuff and keeps everything clean)
Don't grow in organics if you want to avoid bugs.
Gnat Traps are not going to ever solve a bug problem EVER. If they did then we'd have big fly traps hanging all over like oversized american flags, they help but they don't solve the problem. The only thing gnat traps do is let you know how bad your infestation is.
Tangerine_
Well-Known Member
Gnatrol and some SLF-100.
Remember, regardless of grow methods, its always best to have a dedicated IPM program.
Remember, regardless of grow methods, its always best to have a dedicated IPM program.
This didn't work. Waste of money. Met was a big mess too.
The sticky traps over each and every pot was carrying the load. After sticky traps could no longer be cost efficient stayed with met and botaniguard and dunks they where back in full force. Gnats was slightly controlled ra stuck around. I have tried imid one tester. Almost killed the tester but nothing even lands on the plant.