How I Battled Fungus Gnats – AND WON!
How I Battled Fungus Gnats – AND WON!
In this episode, I talk about how I battled a fungus gnat infestation – and won! This is a breeding run for my cultivar Chill Out OG. Click that thumbs up button if you enjoyed this video 🙂
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have you tried lost plant theropy?
Love the videos, I thoroughly respect & appreciate your transparency & helpful insight that allows people to think on their own.
If I had problems with gnats in living soil, witch kind is mostly irrelevant.
I go with the natural enemy of the gnat larve in form of nemathods (very small worms).You can get them in a dry substrate and apply them with you normal pouring water. Very fast and precise methode, no harm or side effects to plant and soil seen yet because the worms die of after there job is done.
And for the Adult gnats I go with the sticky traps. 🙂
I also use Captain Jacks spray but I added a “No-Pest” closet hanger cartridge to the tent. It adds just enough deterrent smell to the tent to keep bugs out.
They seem to be cyclic. I think it’s relatable to their life cycle. When they’re all flying and laying eggs, spray. When they’re down in numbers treat the larvae. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t getting ready to pop. The egg to to pupa is about a month. So treating them before they fly is best. I could be wrong. Probably.
💚👍 I use all of them , work very well.
How long did it take to eradicate the gnats with DE? I am dealing with the same problem.
Luckily I’ve never had fungus gnats. I try to do a good bit of pest management before i need to. Peppermint oil spray is my best friend. I have neem oil spray and neem seeds. So I would be ready if I ever do get them.
Hey Chris, I use the bits but they are little rings or doughnuts pressed together. May not be common but they do float in reservoirs so I typically throw 1 in the tank (10 gallon) and let it ride out but they can deteriorate which won’t hurt anything but if you have irrigation pumps you may wanna make a container like a case for mouth pieces with holes punched all over so it can fall apart but not in the tank. I’ve been told there’s a benefit biologically leaving it in the tank but not sure how they may benefit but it is a bacteria focused on hatchlings. BTI is safe to humans so it’s part of my IPM. For what it matters I haven’t faught an infestation in probably 2 years and some of that is my practices on not bringing people around the grow also location of grow and the route getting in. Hey thank you for the discount codes you provide helping us out, saved me 20$ Sunday getting ready for season and a tone of items needed! Upgrading space now so need another tent. Thanks again….
Great video!! I just bought powdered neem leaf which can be used as a face mask believe it or not. There is neem leaf and neem seed oil–both used in middle eastern countries & both sold at my local Middle Eastern market. You’ve offered so many good choices but I appreciate that you’ve mentioned the possibility of CHS bc I’ve heard that too.
I’ve also most definitely been criticized when/if I discuss issues openly online. To be honest, those are normally people who haven’t grown long enough to have had these problems. For instance, I ‘wash’ any outdoor plants I grow in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide immediately after harvest. This is something Jorge Cervantes did as well but the number of people criticizing me was humorous–and I remain humored not bitter most days.
I’ve now been through the Thrips experience, the Mite experience, the Aphid experience, the PM experience and am going through the Fungus Gnat experience now. I shared vids and pics of all of the above so that others could recognize them in their own gardens/tents. On that note, I had sticky papers and you reminded me so thank you!
For me, gardening/cultivation is like horseback riding: everyone knows how to ride that horse but it’s the falling off that is the greatest teacher.
“Modest” airflow and Worm castings extract with saponins as a surfactant controls gnats. Once a week spray soil (top 1/2”-1”). Use sticky traps to catch the mature adults. Effective in 4×4 tent gardens. Grow strong grow righteous…🦚😌✌️
Nematodes to kill the larvae and orius bugs to kill the gnats 🤪
the best!
Know your medium and when to water. If so you will avoid fungus gnats knowing when to water and when to lay off. Also bottom watering young plants so the tap roots goes down rather than keeping the surface wet will help prevent larva from forming.
Last, up your perlite, pumice or rice hauls to get more air in your medium.
Last many causes of gnats are from compost, so be careful where you source it from!!
I had constant battle with them little varmints I tried what you tried it would knock them down but wouldn’t get rid of them. Now I am using a product called slf. It’s totally organic you’re supposed to be able to drink it even but it gets rid of the gnats once you get rid of them use about 5 mm per gallon a week will keep them away
Great info brother
Niiice👍
those things are loaded with seed’s nice job let me know if you need a tester
had a nasty problem with the little buggers!!! outsmarted them with a 3 pronged attack. Firstly a layer of gnat barrier on top of soil. Then painted circles of paper with neem oil and placed them around the ladies. Topped this with neem cake and a little more gnat barrier. Problem solved. Left in place for about a week, then removed all above the paper circles and just dusted with neem cake .No more gnats
Full seed
Has anyone ever seen a male herm and throw pistols in late flower
I’ve had good luck getting rid of the gnats using cinnamon sprinkled on the soil, especially in the gap between the outer edge of the pot and the soil.
Microbe-Lift BMC. 2oz is $20 and it will last you years. Add a couple drops to regular watering and gnats will be gone in a week. It is the same as Bt in mosquito dunks but in drop form and easier to disperse. I might add it to my water 4 times 3 to 4 month grow cycle. I add vitamin c to remove any chlorine or chloramine before I use it in case it wipes out the Bt, but it probably isn’t needed.
Hi Chris,
Quick question re seedlings and colour. I’ve got one that just recently sprouted above surface and the stem is quite dark/black/brown. The roots are white (or at least the stem turns from dark to white halfway down and i’ve ensured the soil covers the white par). The seedling seems quite short compared to the other one (diff strain) i’ve got going a few days earlier.
It seems healthy as it’s not dying and it is facing the light and growing new leaves but i’ve just never had a dark stem before as they usually turn that soft light white green kinda colour.
This is my 2nd grow and first time dealing with a new and different phenotype so I am passing it off as just a unique trait and as long as it doesn’t suddenly die it should be fine.
What do you think? Thanks for your time.
Spinosad for the win
I used diatomaceous earth and neem oil, it worked for awhile but what worked best was after my last feed of organic dry amendments, putting down a half inch of playground sand.
The easiest place to find diatomaceous earth is at the pet store. I prefer to get it there because they typically only sell it as a ‘food grade’ product.
I used ground mustard from the grocery store. It worked great 👍🏻
I just sprinkled it on the soil and watered it in.
You won the battle … 🤔💭 ☝But did you win the WAR??? 😌
What about 1 part hydrogen and 4 part water mix and spray on soil ?
PLEASE HELP!!! I have gotten 4 plants around 1 month into flowering and i Got popcorn nugs on most of Them and i think its becuse i didn trim/Cut the bottom of the leafs ect off is it too late to trim the bottem of the plants and give Them 1-2 weeks more of flowering to hopefully get bigger buds??? Btw i Got a grow tent and doing it indoors and theres small nugs all the Way Down to the root of the plant and a few normal size once on top
How do you go about battling fungus gnats?
Fungus Nats I battled all indoor plants got infested, I later learned was batch of Is commercial worm castings. I’ve tried everything legal in Canada. Mosquito bits are illegal in Canada however I was able to get mosquito dunks. After winter battle I took all plants carefully removed soil, cleaned damaged roots, soaked root ball for 24hrs, in water with Mosquito dunks, then new soil, about week or 2 all plants recovered from shock and they all turned out great.
My personal experience once fungus Nats have dug in your screwed 🙃 happy growing
Ive not looked into it but I’ve also heard DE add silica to the soil. It’s good to use neem seed meal in your soil mix along with insect frass and it’ll kill them off and prevent them well help the plant prevent them from coming back. I’ve heard a certain brand a lot of people use you need to rent the soil and leave it out for a couple days anyways because of the eggs and the soil
I had them and got rid of them. Some soil comes with them so the battle begins!
1. Flying ones – yellow cards, smashing them, apple cider vinegar traps, bug catcher, Insect Guard pest strip.
2. Larvae – Microbe Life or mosquito bits to eliminate any in your soil
3. Prevention – protective barrier on top of soil (mesh, sand, rice hulls, etc), weekly IPM, don’t overwater, dry soil before planting.
4. Maintenance – Combo of 2+3
I’ve used DE and would rather skip the nasal irritation, even with a mask. The above steps have worked for me.
Why not just get beneficial predators
Question: When you look at ppm/ec (same thing, effectively right?) are you looking at ppm 500 or 700?
You need to tell your shady ass ac infinity sponsor to get off the bs. They keep raising prices bc of hype/anticipation of the product then they don’t even have a supply on hand and limit peoples purchases and then raise prices before they even sell them. I’ve watched all their fans and controllers they’ve had in “developement” stage go up right before release. But now we can get a preorder cost cheaper than release cost yet both are higher then they were!Shady business.
I had a battle with fungus gnats and thought so unbelievably lucky. I caught it at like the first one killed it then two more showed up like two days later, killed those instantly. Haven’t seen them in like over three weeks on believably lucky. Not sure how long the eggs take to hatch but I’m pretty sure I’m in the clear now.
Yellow sticky traps have done the job for years.
Nice work as always 👏
I had a bad infestation of fungus gnats last round in 15 gal earthboxes. I just recommend not using the cover they provide and instead using leaf, straw or wood chip mulch. Most pest infestations are typically the environment slipped in an a way that allow them to hatch since they are already present, but just waiting to emerge from dormancy. Having larger predatory species of nematodes, amoeba and arthropods in your soil will also greatly reduced their dormant numbers.
Mosquito bits for the sun. 💚💚🦍🦍🦍
Amazingly sticky for being pollinated. Well done on the phenos amigo 👍
Hi Chris, have you ever tried using beneficial nematodes? If so, I’d be curious to know your take on the outcome.
them plants frosty frosty 🥶 looking great
VACUUM!!! THE STRAGLERS!!!
Is mosquito bits safe to. use.? I bought some . Then I thought this can’t be healthy. looking for some answers. I just need to hear from Chris he should know the answer.
I had this problem on an outdoor grow. As a beginner grower, the infestation starteled me and did not know how to handle the situation. Through extensive research I found mosquito bits and the stick traps to do the job. When you have an infestation, the sticky pads only do so much because the eggs end up in the soil. The mosquito bits were perfect for this and eliminated all traces of the gnats.
love to see build a soil here!