So I have recently started using Recharge and I also use great white my last grow. I had a little problem with gnats nothing significant that I wasn’t able to get under control but I have alot of house plants. I also get them in on a normal basis. But anyway, I heard that you can use a layer of play sand on top of ur soil or gnat nix to prevent them but my question is that ok to do while using microbes?
Using Recharge with gnat nix or sand to prevent fungus gnats
by Pcooper1991 | Sep 12, 2019 | Grower Questions | 7 comments
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For sure and don’t waste money on gnat nix, use play sand about 2” unless you are careful watering. Sand is a great way to help control them as the gnats can’t climb through so they can’t fly to reproduce. Spray every 3 days with neem, etc. and you can beat them. Good luck.
i use mexican butterwort, when i buy new soil and its abit contaminated from being stood outside. they need rainwater but dont need constant wet soil like most carniverous plants. just have them around your house plants they have nice flowers also. fungal gnats thrive in wett soil so maybe some things are being over watered
Gnatnix sux in my opinion. Irritated my skin and made a mess in the grow but did zero to stop the gnats.
I’m copy/pasting the rest of this from another fungus gnat question… this is the method that has always worked for me. 🙂✌️
Gnats live most of their lives as little larvae in your soil. They only turn into flies and leave the soil to mate and lay eggs at the very end of their life. To beat them, you gotta take the fight to the soil, because that’s where they actually live.
I recommend predatory nematodes. You can find them at many grow stores or you can even order them off amazon for pretty cheap. You want “SF” or “Steinernema feltiae” nematodes for fighting gnats.
I would do 2-3 applications about a week apart to totally get rid of them. The population will majorly drop after the first application, but they won’t be gone for good until you apply a few more times to get any survivors.
Placing sticky traps near your soil will also help control the problem as they can catch adults before they lay more eggs. Focusing on prevention and proper IPM is also key to avoiding pest problems like gnats.
I wrote a free IPM guide to help people learn the basics of IPM and preventive pest control.
You can get the free guide here:
https://growerslove.com/pages/get-the-free-ipm-guide
Gnat nix gets a thumbs down from me as well. It simply didn’t work for me. Playground sand would probably be a solution if you keep that layer thick. I water several of my houseplants from the bottom (sit them in a saucer of water) to keep the surface layer dry, this keep fungus gnat habitat to a minimum.
Beneficial nematodes (SF) help but in a way that is barely noticable if you have an infestation. According to a friend that maintains plants in office buildings, vermiculite inoculated with nematodes is how they keep those plants from being fungus gnat breeding grounds. When I make new soil I water it right off the bat with nematodes that way when the first fungus gnats start laying there’s already a hungry population ready to eat the larvae.
Also get sticky cards! Every adult you catch is one less to lay more eggs. I use sticky cards from Olson Products Inc. (available on Amazon) they sell 100 for ~$30. Switch them out weekly to get a sense of how the battle is going. Good luck
Best thing by far is BTI by Gnatrol.
Totally organic and effective.
Add to your water everytime for 3 weeks and place yellow sticky cards over the top of your soil.
Gnats will be gone between 2 to 3 weeks.
Thanks everyone all you guys answers are helpful.. also has anyone heard of the product T Drops? I was giving a sample by my local hydro shop just also wasn’t sure about it effective microbial life
I’ve also received a sample of T-drops and didn’t see much of a difference. Very expensive when its not a sample too! I spoke to the rep who told me that it is a predatory fungus that feeds on the fungus gnat larvae. I asked if he could tell me what the fungus was but he said it was a secret.
One thing that threw me off was that the bottle said it couldn’t get above 72 F or the fungus died. The samples arrived in my grow store on a hot day and might have been bunk on arrival. Hopefully you have yours refrigerated. It won’t mess with the other microbes in your soil. Nematodes are the tried and true answer if your looking for a predator for the larvae IMO.