I had a ton of fungus gnats on my peppers that I wintered indoors. I did 2 things and it drastically reduced (but not eliminated) the problem. I sprinkled cinnamon on the top of the soil and I began watering with a weak chamomile tea. Both are natural anti-fungals. Now I water all my seedlings with a weak chamomile tea. You can search on this topic, or google it and read about the benefits of watering with chamomile tea. Also, if you want to get a more focused search scroll to the bottom of the forum you are on, just below the last post on the page, and use that search function. Make sure you click on search this forum rather than entire site. When I first started using this site, I used the search function on the top and found it impossible to weed through all the topics the search brought up. Good luck!

That's what the link on the word "here" is above, a search for "fungus gnats" in this forum. The one I suggested was recent, and had advice from you, Rhizo, near the top. Another vote for getting rid of peat, had no idea what Vigoro was. Since I've gotten rid of peat, even before catching on to the 'more chunky soil' thing, so many fewer plants have died, and now it's extremely rare at all with the chunky soil. Stocking back up over the past few years on so many that I'd killed before and finally they look great although I still can't stop adding more water to plants that don't really need it yet, at least while they're outside for summer and it's so easy and fun to do. Fungus gnats are extremely unlikely to find this type of soil a suitable environment for breeding. Not had issues with those since changing either.

Hans and I have differing opinions when it comes to soils and watering technique... and that's fine... what works for Hans doesn't work for me. We live and garden in different environments, halfway around the globe from one another. In any growing situation, if we want optimal results, we must ask ourselves why we use the materials and methods we use, and we must understand how they work. It helps immensely if we know what the functions of soil are, how water moves through soil, and what actually happens under the surface of soil in a containerized environment, with respect to the roots of a plant. Aeration and drainage are the most important considerations in a container planting... the soil is the foundation. Past experience and learning have shown me that quite a bit of the more commonly accepted and circulated information about growing plants is riddled with fallacy, misinformation and half truths. The medium I use is a larger particulate that holds its structure and aeration very well, is sharp draining, mostly inorganic in nature, and provides the roots of my plants with the environment they need to be healthy... with a little help from a good watering and nutrition regimen. Bottom watering wouldn't work very well in my situation because of the medium I use, and because I want to flush the medium of gases created at the root zone and allow for fresh, and needed, oxygen to enter the soil. The action of thorough watering from the top does this quite well. It also helps flush out any accumulated salts. That's not to say that Hans is wrong... for his situation, his methods give him the results he feels happy with. But most of us aren't consummate growers with quite so much experience, or the exact same environmental variables in place. I'm a huge believer in going with what basic science and physics tell me, and when I add the science and physical aspects that I've learned about soils and water movement to the other pieces of my own growing puzzle, it calls for a more open soil watered from the top, thoroughly, when necessary. The roots of my plants colonize the entire pot... not just the sides or bottom, or close to the surface. It is my belief that successful bottom watering comes with a few caveats... one must have the proper knowledge of how and why such methods work, and have the right materials and other factors in place. I've tried the peat and cocopeat based soils, and I've used bottom watering in the past. Such methods weren't workable for my growing situation, so I abandoned the finer soils prone to compaction and holding perched water, and opted for a more fast draining medium that allows the roots the proper exchange of oxygen and gases, good root function, metabolism and growth. I would pose the question to Hans... have you ever read the article I frequently link? And if so, what is your opinion of the ideas contained therein?

I "believe" I've had success with a two part attack. I heat my plant water to 50C, and make a mixture that is one part hydrogen peroxide and 3 parts water. For really large pots, I would place the pot in a large enough bowl/saucer to hold water, and add water to the bottom to come up 2 inches, then water from the top with more of the 50C hydrogen peroxide water. Supposedly the bubble action of the peroxide is enough to kill off the larvae near the surface, and the heat of the water does too. I would always find dead whitish larvae on the outside of the bottom of the larger pots from the bottom watering. This has to be done continually, with all plants, over a period of a time. My numbers began to decrease, then all disappeared. Now I see a few back again, but I've been making nursery purchases, and keeping in the house because it is too cool to keep outside (coleus, potato vine, begonias etc). I just keep up with warmer water (now at body temp, and a smaller percentage of hydro peroxide, about 1 part to 4). Apparently, herbs and plants that have scented leaves to not appreciate this treatement, but I have not had one houseplant or outside garden plant die from it. I purchase the 3% mix from the local big box store, cheapest I can find if 1 litre/$2. Nearby reputable nursery purchases the 30% stuff (which would apparently eat the skin of your hand in seconds if applied! Yikes!) and apply a week solution to their plants for part of their bug control method. It bubbles as it sinks through the planting medium, and fluffs it up, sometimes too much, so the soil it puffed up like a muffin or cupcake would when done baking in the oven. So once I feel I've got the #'s of gnats under control, I weaken the mixture (1 to 4 or 5 water), then it doesn't foam up so much. I am now addicted to watering this way, especially the succulents in winter, gives them a drink but doesn't leave them wet for long, soil dries out faster. Summer they all get straight water. I also operate some indoor worm bins, and one know that one for certain is a breeding ground for those pests, so I keep it wrapped in a bedsheet that I change with each feeding. I freeze the sheet with the flies trapped in it to kill them, then shake 'em out on the deck or in the tub (winter) and rinse them away and start over. But in the general area of the house, except for the odd couple I've noticed in the past 3 weeks (due to not being able to say no to taking home bedding plants because it's too cold for them to live long in the Canadian Tire greenhouse here!) I think I've got a good handle on them. ~kioni~