Seedling care

Hi,
So I planted my Asiatic seeds and now they are germinating.
I just discovered a colony of Fungus Gnats trying to destroy my loved ones :*( The Yhaoo group had threads on them with varying techniques for control. For the adults I just sprayed with a Miracle Grow pyrethrins spray. Killed them within seconds. Hopefully pyrethrins won't kill the seedlings? So now comes the task of killing the root/bulb eating larvae when they hatch. Gnatrol is way expensive $125+ a gallon! So I gues I will have to keep a keen eye on the adults and eliminate them as soon as possible after hatching.

Question: How wet/moist does seedling material havr to be? Can I let it dry out to kill the gnats or will that kill the seedlings also?

Dismayed in Wisconsin :*(

IOnce the seedlings germinated, I let the mix get just dry between spritzes with the sprayer....about 1 spritz/week, maybe 2 was all that was needed. (1spritz=1 squeeze of the handle...not much water)
I haven't had to deal with gnats....though i had some seedlings die back early when they got TOO dry when I wasn't paying attention....since not all sprouted at once, others took their place.

Well, I might be wrong, but it has always been my understanding that fungus gnats eat dead matter in the soil, and don't go after live stuff unless populations are high. I didn't see any of those Yahoo threads, but myself, I don't understand why a lily seedling (especially) needs to kept that moist. Apparently, I must be wrong. And except for delayed hypogeal germinators, I don't grow lilies inside (and consequently never have leaf growth). So maybe I don't know what I am talking about, but I have grown thousands of in-house seedlings in my gardening life, and never had a gnat problem I couldn't control with watering practices. A drier seedling may not grow quite as fast, but you'll get a better root system. Lush growth is definitely what you don't want inside the house.

I have heard of Inanda's cinammon trick as a fungucidal control, but not as insecticidal. Still, it is certainly worth a try. Keep us informed of any seedling damage that might be due to the pyrethrum spray.

I am not sure on the moisture content since this is my first try at seedlings. This particular batch I probably got to wet + I didn't bake the dirt. So we will see what happens. The pyrethrum spray killed the adult gnats within 20 sec. I have the tub uncovered now so the dirt dries out.

The Yahoo threads were from 3 to 4 years ago mostly.

Thanks for the help

Seeing this thread is seedling care, thought I would mention another little thingy that I do. When preparing planting material for seedlings, I dampen the material using damp off in the water.. Just an idea to remember.

Learnt this after losing ALL my blue poppy seedlings many years ago. Germination was fine but lost them all after a few weeks.
inanda

Since Gnatrol is so shockingly expensive I became intrigued when I found this product. It is suppose to have the same bacteria as Gnatrol.(Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis)

This message was edited Oct 19, 2006 9:44 PM

Very interesting thread: thanks for starting it, Intercessor.

I have read on GardenWeb something about that Chamomile tea is supposed to be good at preventing dampening off. Since I only do winter sowing I don't really worry about dampening off...

Diann

Emergency again! Where can I get No-Damp (oxine benzoate) I Googled it but nothing came up. Aggghhhhh......................

Here are some pics of my lilies that were sown 38 days ago. The air is so dry I have to water every 3 or 4 days.

Closeup. The bin next to it is so full of fungus gnats I keep it covered. Needless to say the mosquito dunks didn't work + they get moldy :*(. But the seedlings look nice.

Would it be possible to put them outside for ten minutes (inside a big cardboard box) on a nice day? Maybe the gnats would disappear?

I spray them as they hatch but their life cycle is 3+ weeks long and they can lay hundreds of eggs.

I hope they don't hurt the seedlings. You've done such a great job with them!

I use bayers tree and shrub insecticide. works great .

Is it OK to use something for trees and shrubs on little lily seedlings? Do you need to dilute it more?

I would! Dilute it, that is.

Hi
The insecticide is Imidacloprid (also called Merit) 1.47 % in the tree and shrub by Bayer. This is a very effective systemic . Last up to 3 months . I use about 2 tablespoons per gallon on my seedlings. The seedling have no problem with this dose but the Gnats Do. I buy the Tree and Shrub By bayers because it is the most Economical way for me to buy it about 18.50 for a quart. Bayer sell the spray bottle type($15) I use during the growing season 1 time in the spring (may) and 1 time in late july and has control aphids .All season long.

This message was edited Nov 10, 2006 7:21 PM

This message was edited Nov 10, 2006 7:23 PM

So does this stuff kill the adult flies or will it get the larvae also? Does it kill when eaten or will it kill from residual contact?

Thank you
Andrew

P.S. I think the best way is to bake the dirt for an hour at 200F but this wont keep flies from contaminating after the fact :*(

yes it is both contact spray and systemic. I dont use dirt l I use soiless mixture. I got gnats from using a new product called Mighty Myco.

I Googled gnats and found this portion of an article - I hope it helps you:

Pupae are drought, larvicide and adulticide resistant, and tolerant of temperature extremes. Adult flies emerge and live up to eight days. They are attracted to yellow sticky cards, and are distinguished by a Y shaped vein on each wing. Eggs hatch in the soil after 3-4 days at 75° F.

Homeowners can allow the soil to dry out between waterings, but this will not kill pupae. A soil drench with Bacillus thuringiensis strain H-14 (Gnatrol®) will kill larvae but finding the product in garden centers may be difficult. Spraying adults with insecticidal soap may not provide satisfactory control. Yellow sticky traps and removing infested potato wedges can reduce numbers in a limited way. If left alone, this tiny indoor "fauna" will not usually persist for long.

Houseplant Insect Control (FO-1031-B), 1995, contains information on gnats, spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs, thrips, springtails, whiteflies, aphids and cyclamen mites. The Nonchemical Control and Prevention sections are especially good.

GOOD LUCK!