The ever dreaded fungus gnat
luv2gro
18 years ago
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CrazyDaisy_68
18 years agoluv2gro
18 years agoRelated Discussions
fungus gnats
Comments (19)Weeding a garden is time consuming, and you can choose not to do it, but there are limitations that come along with not making the effort to pull the weeds ..... training your dog, bringing your kids up right, maintaining your house in good repair - all time consuming with tangible rewards we weigh against the effort we need to expend to make things happen I think there is little question that you can make your own soils for a fraction of the cost of commercially prepared media, or that maintaining your plants in a state of vitality considerably better than beginning gardeners are able to achieve when using soils that are excessively water retentive is a considerable plus. To my way of thinking, withholding the suggestion that making your own soil can not only save money, it can also save you from frustration, enhance your proficiency, and increase the return in terms of satisfaction one is able to extract from the growing experience, isn't in the best interest of anyone other than those tired of hearing the message. The downside is obvious and self evident - you need to make an effort to find ingredients, drag them home, and do what's required to turn them into a quality medium. Knowledge primes the pump for anyone here to learn, and people need information to make informed decisions. Personally, I could care less what one person chooses to grow in, but I do care that person has what he/she needs in the way of reliable information to help them make a decision re whether or not making their own soil meshes with how much time/energy is available to devote to growing plants. If a person has the time to do research on GW, there is probably enough time to chase after the idea that better soils make growing a LOT easier, and can significantly reduce the number of frustrations that require regular remedial action - to wit, fungus gnats. I remember my failures as a beginning container gardener - painfully. While studying in an effort to put the failures behind me, I discovered that my soil choices had more impact on my growing experience than anything else I was doing. My connections to the gardening community have always supported that the most improvement one can expect from any single revelation occurs when a grower gains an understanding of how water behaves in soils, and how water retention impacts the growing experience. It's REMEMBERING what it's like to be a beginner that prompts most of us to offer insight into how to improve one's growing lot by improving the lot of the root systems of the grower's plants. In the end, it's difficult to disagree with the thought that it's better to understand the upside potential of soils that allow you to water correctly with impunity than to remain uninformed, no matter how convenient a bagged soil might be. Also, discussions with growers who clearly aren't going down the make your own soil path often lead to discussions about how to deal with the excess water retention we'd all be better for avoiding. Al This post was edited by tapla on Tue, Oct 28, 14 at 21:23...See MoreFungus Gnats are driving me nuts !!!!
Comments (50)This situation requires a 3 part approach: you need to kill the larvae in the soil, the adult gnats (who promptly lay more eggs to become larvae) and remove or correct the conditions that results in the gnat infestation in the first place. 1) Larvae control. Hydrogen peroxide is an effective control. Use 3% hp at 1 part hp to 4 parts water. Wait until the soil dries a bit then water thoroughly with this solution. 2) Adult control. Adults have a very short lifespan - only 7-10 days - but during this period, females are constantly laying eggs. Covering the soil surface with a layer of coarse sand will discourage females from laying eggs on the container soil. No eggs = no larvae = no adults. 3) Finally, you need to adjust watering practices. Fungus gnats are attracted to consistently damp soils. Generally, populations will be most heavy if the plants are being watered too frequently and the soil not allowed to dry out between waterings. At least the top two inches should dry thoroughly between waterings. The females won't lay eggs on dry soils (what the sand fools them into thinking) and the shallow larvae will not survive in dry conditions. Your houseplants will probably thank you for it as well - more issues arise with overwatering houseplants than allowing them to become too dry. Cinnamon can help as well. Dusting the top of the container uniformly with ground cinnamon will destroy the fungal organisms the larvae feed on, killing them as well. Also useful for damping off problems. But you must address all three parts of the problem to have successful control....See Morefungus gnats
Comments (3)Yes, we were actually talking about fungus gnats not too long ago. I have posted a link to the thread below... good info in there. I had a really bad problem with them over the winter and watering with cooled peppermint tea (in combination with sticky strips) really kept them to a minimum. I am finding I need to water with the tea about once a week to keep them down. Here is a link that might be useful: The Ever Dreaded Fungus Gnat...See MoreFungus Gnat & Nematode
Comments (4)Good grief. Has your husband doing internet research without being armed with a bit of information about nematodes? Wikapedia, right? ;-) Anyhow, nematodes are a TYPE of roundworm (consider this a generic term). There are jillions of types of animals that can be rightfully called nematodes. Each species has a different 'job' or role on this planet and they don't swap. Hopefully, your purchased something that is supposed to be used to control fungus gnats. I assure you that there are no dachsund-parasitizing nematodes found for sale in any garden supply center. You can buy nematode products that contain several different species, each with a specific pest target. Sort of a nematode soup. Others are sold just control fleas or grubs, etc. Thus, it is very important that you purchase the type of nematodes that are parasitic (or predaceous) on your specific pests. Otherwise, you will be wasting your money and time. The nematodes described above are ALL considered highly BENEFICIAL in that they aid in the control of pests. They do NOT parasitize other species. They absolutely WILL not and cannot cause problems for you, your children, or your pets. Period. Have I explained this well enough for you, or do you need further information. Beneficial nematodes have been on the market for many years, so you can find all kinds of on-line publications touting their usefulness....See Moreramazz
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