Arrrgh! Fungus gnats

Personally I think the second one of mine is always better because I get so antsy to get going in the spring that I start the first ones too soon and it is still too cold by the time they are at their prime for planting. It doesn't matter if I get them going early because the second ones catch up and are much stronger plants.

Jeanette

Great suggestion - I have thought about doing the spacing with edibles, but not with the ornamental stuff. It would help, especially as I'll be carrying a lot until planting time.

Malathion mixed according to direction and sprayed will kill any bug on ornamental plants. Fungus gnats lay eggs in the soil and hatch. You can water the plants with the same solution, or use a systemic spray or crystal. The plant will take up the poison with the roots, killing insects from the inside.

Yeah - I was hoping for a slightly less toxic method, especially as this is inside my home. But should I ever need the big guns out in the GH, I'd probably go that route.

Why not bring your plants outside and spray them there? The longer you wait to kill the bugs, the more bug and more damage.

PC, did you ever try Al Tapia's recipe on those gnats? It sure works on other things, don't know why it wouldn't. Let me know if you are interested.

Jeanette

Of course!

What is Al Tapia's recipe...I want to try it on my fungus gnats.

Thanks, Debbie

Of course what PC? Of course you have tried it, if so did it work? Or of course you would like the recipe??

Debbie, if PC says it worked don the gnats I will go look for it. Oh, hold on, let me see if I can find it quick.

That didn't work, I will have to cut and paste it.

Jeanette

Ok Debbie, here it is. And PC, you let us know if it worked for the gnats. Debbie it works for most things. Aphids, mites, etc. and it is common household products.


Al Tapia’s spray

1 pint rubbing alcohol
1 pint very hot water
1 tsp pure, cold-pressed neem oil
3-4 drops Murphy's oil soap

Add neem & soap to hot water & shake well. Add alcohol. Spritz plants thoroughly, covering all surfaces - especially underside of leaves & leaf axils. Be sure to shake vigorously as you use the spritzer to keep the neem mixed with the solution. Works great - the neem oil renders all the insects it contacts unable to complete metamorphosis or reproduce, while the alcohol provides reasonable knock-down for current generations.

Cool...I'll try it as I just found the black fungus gnats in my greenhouse today.

Debbie

Okay, I'll try that next. I don't know if it's me being inconsistent or the peroxide not doing the trick, but I still have a few of those nasty little bugs about.... even after the plants not getting watered by my waterer when I left town for 7 days... grrr....

Both off you, Please let me know if it works. Thanks, Jeanette

The one problem with the recipe is the ingredient of oil. Leaves need to "breathe" and oil may prevent that. Expert advised against the product Leaf Shine that was, may still be, on the market to make leaves. People used it years ago on large-leaved houseplants. The reason was the same against that.

Blomma, I doubt that 1 tsp of oil to a quart of the other stuff is going to suffocate the leaves. So far I have used it on about 10 different house plants including 2 different types of large leafed Angel Wing Begonias and have not had a problem. I don't notice much of a shine like leaf shine gets.

I would say, that it is like any thing else you buy that states "if you are worried about it, try it on one part that doesn't show." i.e. one leaf.

Jeanette

Coming in late on this thread - does it matter what type of sand is used? Play sand ok? And has anyone ever tried Pyola from Gardens Alive on gnats? I always have that mixed up in the GH but was wondering if it works on gnats. They seem to come and go in my GH. I keep the yellow sticky traps (about 8 in my 6 x 10 GH) up at all times so that catches some but there always seem to be 1 or 2 flying around. I do watch the water but it's hard with seedlings to find the right balance between the babies needs and the gnats preferences.

Cindy, I used to keep a bottle of peroxide and water mixed and when I saw those flying I would squirt them. The plants loved it. LOL

I am sure the Pyola would work. If you have it mixed up, try it.

Jeanette

What is Pyola? When you all use sand as part of your potting amendments what kind of sand do you use?

Pyola is a Garden's Alive product. A pesticide. If you are interested just go into Gardensalive.com and order a catalog.

I don't use sand so I can't answer. Only that if I were to use sand I would just get some fine sand, like the kids stuff, anything but course or salty from a beach.

Jeanette

Jeanette - have plenty of play sand around so that's good. What concentration of peroxide to water? 1/2 c to 1 gal? I was keeping some around in a spray bottle last year but then went off course. Bought a big bottle of H2O2 just for use in the GH too. Duh...
Flowerfantasy - I use Pyola in the GH for aphids and am trying it on spider mites. My aphid population is practical nil this year. Of course, the main course for the aphids was an abutilon that I was overwintering last year. This year, I decided not to bring one in the GH because of the aphid problem. I had seen a few on an ornamental pepper a few months ago but spraying them regularly with the stuff has pretty much eliminated them. The problem this year has been the mites. They settled in on a passion flower vine last fall.

Thanks I saw kids play sand that has color to it and I was wondering if it could be used. They main reason I ask is there are some plants that they recommend use some sand with the soil and a few other thing to pot them in and I just wanted to know what was the best kind to use.

Thanks Jnette, I am going to have to get something as am getting my GH up this week and I want to be prepared for what may happen LOL. You just never know .

Flowerfantasy - I think when you're adding sand to a potting mix (like for cactus) it's supposed to be sharp builder's sand to promote drainage. The play sand is finer and might pack a little. At least, that's my impression. For a temporary fix for the gnats, the play sand should be ok to use.

Well I just have a few plants coming that said to use some sand and was trying to find out what to use.

sticky papers for the adults and bacillus thurengensis (BT) for the larvae.

BT is in mosquito dunks, one can fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, float a dunk overnight and then water with the solution in the morning. BT is non-toxic.

I use Pyola as a "first line" attack on soft bodied bugs, and it seems to be quite effective---if you catch the little %@#^ early, and spray often. If the infestation gets out of control, it starts to lose its effectiveness. I believe it's a combo of Pyrethrum and Hort. oil. If things get out of control (as white flies did on my "greenhouse tomatoes" in my initial year of GH gardening), Pyola won't work. NOTHING organic works when it gets that bad, except sacrificing the plant, which I did. I was SO tempted to go down to the spot outside the GH where I moved that tomato into 20 degree weather at 4 am, just to watch those white flies freeze to death ! (I resisted the temptation, however)! Haven't had a single white fly show up since. But now I've got red spider mites all over everything. I grow a lot of citrus in the GH, and they are spider mite magnets. Found a product that seems to knock them down pretty effectively---"Mite X" from Bonide. Claims to be pretty organic in nature, and it REALLY hurts those mites. We'll see...

Stone, that Bonide doesn't happen to have a systemic called dysiston in it does it? Be careful what you use it on if it does. No edibles. OR follow the label very closely.

Jeanette

Bonide does have some products in their line that have nasty chemicals, but Mite-X is pretty safe--it has plant extracts/oils as the actives (I think clove oil is the main active) and it's definitely allowed for use on veggies. I'm not sure if it's officially certified by OMRI for organic growing or not, but from a safety standpoint it should be fine.

Good, because I used one of their products that had systemics in it to get the mites. I did it on purpose tho. But not on edibles.

Jeanette

I went to the York, Pa. Flower show in March & Came home with three pots of little sundew (carnivorous) plants. I just love shushing the little fungus gnats into their pot, putting the plastic cover on & letting the sundews feed.

Ah, now that's definitely the most satisfying way I can think of!!!