Fungus Gnats Solutions???

[Jimmynitz]

If you're using soil/soiless you can throw all the poisons away. Stir the top of the soil everytime you water and you'll kill the little beasties before they can fly.

If you are referring to BT israelensis, that is not a poison unless your a mosquito or fungus gnat....no harm to anything else:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis_israelensis

Stirring the top of the medium may kill some larvae, but what about the drain holes at the bottom? They like to go in there too..easier access, right to the roots, LOL.
I did the sand thing, mosquito dunks, etc etc...tedious and those dunks can get expensive pretty quick if you have a lot of plants and a big infestation.

Get some Microbe-Lift BMC, FTW!!!
Its super concentrated....1 drop per 1.5 gal. Just make sure to buy the 1/2oz size for birdbaths. The larger sizes are even more concentrated and will be overkill and a waste.

 

[cannarado]

If you are referring to BT israelensis, that is not a poison unless your a mosquito or fungus gnat....no harm to anything else:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis_israelensis

Stirring the top of the medium may kill some larvae, but what about the drain holes at the bottom? They like to go in there too..easier access, right to the roots, LOL.
I did the sand thing, mosquito dunks, etc etc...tedious and those dunks can get expensive pretty quick if you have a lot of plants and a big infestation.

Get some Microbe-Lift BMC, FTW!!!
Its super concentrated....1 drop per 1.5 gal. Just make sure to buy the 1/2oz size for birdbaths. The larger sizes are even more concentrated and will be overkill and a waste.

That Microbe lift knocks the hell out of those lil buggers!

 

[click80]

BTi

The Bti is the best imo. A friend who had a horrible problem had them totally eradicated in no time. He just purchased the Mosquitoes away disks and soaked them in a 5 gallon bucket and did a couple drenches with them. Totally worked. You could scrape just a small layer of soil away and the soil looked alive with them things. Terrible infestation. I hope I never get em, but I have considered using this stuff proactively...FWIW

 

[BCrocker]

The Bti is the best imo. A friend who had a horrible problem had them totally eradicated in no time. He just purchased the Mosquitoes away disks and soaked them in a 5 gallon bucket and did a couple drenches with them. Totally worked. You could scrape just a small layer of soil away and the soil looked alive with them things. Terrible infestation. I hope I never get em, but I have considered using this stuff proactively...FWIW

How many discs per 5 gallons?

 

[click80]

my bad

okay just called my bud, he used the Dunks AND Gnatrol. I guess he used the Dunks before and it took a while to work. This time he used the Gnatrol which has an immediate release form of the BTi, and the Dunks have a slow release. He said you just put the whole disk in and let it soak for at least 3 days. Then you water with it. He keeps on watering with it until they are gone. He also said to try and keep them from coming back he crumbles up one disk and sprinkles it around the top of his moms every week or two, and waters good. Ummm...what else did he say, Oh...sometimes it can take a little while to work but it will stop them from reproducing. I'm just repeating what he said. I do know he had a terrible problem, and he did get rid of them. Sorry I didnt check with him first on the exacts.

so in other words just keep adding water until the disk is gone...

 

[Seamaiden]

Aahh... that explains why the dunks I used in a container that had mosquito larvae took so long to kill them off. I thought maybe they were old dunks or something. Thanks for that, click.

 

[cannarado]

Jimmynitz is right on. Try the microbe lift

 

[click80]

Microbe is def better buy

Jimmynitz is right on. Try the microbe lift

yeah, if there is a dealer near you or you have time to order this one. I checked the MSDS and the microbe lift is about 100 times more potent and also about half the price as the dunks.

As previously stated, nothing personal, I always check ingredients if I can.

It's kinda ironic but I think I have them now. Periodically I have noticed one flying around here and there, but they were so small and quick I don't even know if it was one. Anyway, I have been so busy in the new place that instead of watering my old moms one day, and new ones another day (the old moms need it every other day, the new moms every third day) I started watering them all at once. So the new moms have been staying damp on top, now i pay the price. j

I will repost as I am just using azatrol, and then tomorrow i am putting a layer of DTEarth, Hydroton, pinch or two of Ocean Forest and some Peat maybe, and some dunk crumbles. I want to see if the Azatrol is as effective as i have heard. You know what I will compare Azatrol to standard Neem Oil, I will see if there is any diff. Little experiment before i use any dunks. I am also ordering some of the Microbelift. Its so cheap, I am going to get the bigger one for ponds and share with my friends ;o)

 

[Mavric]

For the knat problem I used Ivory liquid dish soap.Two tbls of soap in a gallon of water.Give them a good soak.T soap also helps the plant take in more water.

 

[motherlode]

For the knat problem I used Ivory liquid dish soap.Two tbls of soap in a gallon of water.Give them a good soak.T soap also helps the plant take in more water.

welcome to the farm mavric!

yeah dish soap is a good wetting agent

when I was a wee lad my gramps used to make ivory soap spray for his veggy garden and his grape vines

but that was back when ivory dish/laundry and bar soap were all 99.9% pure soap - it dont say that on the label anymore of the dish soap so I was tripping off whether to use it or not

 

[click80]

here is a link from a study saying that D.Earth doesnt really help against gnats.



Here is another link explaining about the different types of BTi and BTk and what they control and how.


Also, do not buy a product called Dipel Dust, or at leasat not for Fungas Gnats, it has the wrong strain of BT, I found some gardening forums that were recommending this stuff for the gnats and the gnat larvae.

So my take on the DE is that for greenhouse crops, DE is not very effective against fungas gnats. I guess i am down to the dunks...

I also found out that Roots Organic makes either a soil mix or amendment called Oregonism XL i think, it comes with BTi in it.

 

[click80]

Okay, cannot believe my luck...my local Ace Hardware, in a small rocky mountain ski town, very small, had a container of Microbelift...LOL...could not believe it. They said that since they have not sold any, people think its just for Mosquitos, that they are putting a sign up that it is good for gnats...because they were getting ready to send it back.

I am gonna have to get the calculator out to figure dilution as it is the one that treats like 2000 gallons at a time. what a hoot on the luck of this.

 

[cannarado]

I actually got my microbelift from Echters down in town here. I was using it for my hibiscus initially. Couple weeks and they were completely gone. Didnt even really notice how effective it was until i noticed they just werent around anymore.

 

[click80]

I actually got my microbelift from Echters down in town here. I was using it for my hibiscus initially. Couple weeks and they were completely gone. Didnt even really notice how effective it was until i noticed they just werent around anymore.

did you get the birdbath sized one? the one i have has a dilution of 5ml per 2k gallons. so that is one ml per 400gallons...I am hoping that I dont have to dilute it down that much. I emailed m-lift buts i wanted to do it this weekend. I cant store...what one hundred gallons?...i am prob gonna just use one ml for 10 gallons. that should be safe, well i will try it first on my white widow, lol....no it doesnt mean she is dispensable..ha, just very big, and very thirsty so i wouldnt mind strting over on that mom...any ideas? suggestions?

 

[Seamaiden]

Jeez, our local Ace closed down two years ago after their bookkeeper embezzled about a half a million from the owners. I wouldn't mind easily getting a hold of MicrobeLift.

 

[redman420]

azamax works great and it is from natural stuff

 

[GrassRootz]

Any updates on the OP's fungus gnat problems? We've been combating them for the past couple of weeks in the Pacific NW, and we appear to have had some success.

 

[cannarado]

Yeah the economy size is so concentrated its hard do dilute. I have the smaller bottle that is 1 drop per 1.5 gallon. Maybe get a dropper and go that route. Then youd know approx how much per drop like the smaller size.

 

[freegrow]

here is a link from a study saying that D.Earth doesnt really help against gnats

So my take on the DE is that for greenhouse crops, DE is not very effective against fungas gnats. I guess i am down to the dunks...

well not to step on toes but from first hand exp. DE does work on the adult gnats and the dunks take care of the larva but if you use just one or the other you usualy will not get rid of them altho one or the other will drop larva numbers and they are the only danger of eating your roots so small numbers will work but if you just cant stand them in your grow then use both for 15 days and their out a here ....I just crushed up the dunks and sprinkle them on top of my coco same with DE (make sure its food grade DE ) the dunks will soke in when you feed/water reapply DE every time it gets wet ( dont apply over wet soil wait till it drys alittle then apply DE and oh yeah EVERYBODY GROW EVERYWHERE

:joint:

 

[Jalisco Kid]

I use noseeum netting around the top of my buckets with some Velcro sewn in so I can open them if needed. Last for years,worry free. JK