What To Do About Little Flies

[GreatLakesMeds]

My style of caregiving is to sign up a new patient, let them try various meds/strains, and encourage them to grow for themselves. As such, I have a few friends (ex-patients) who turn to me for advice from time to time. I decided to post my answers to their questions here in this forum so other newbies can benefit from the answers.

 

"What do I do about all these little fleas/flies/gnats???"

 

Those are most likely fungus gants that live in/love your soil (not so common in hydro). Nearly everyone growing in soil will encounter these. The best solution I have found is Azmax. Yes it is a chemical, but here is how I keep it out of my meds..

 

First off - fungus gnats generally live in your soil, and in my experience, the top layer. This top layer is generally not doing anything but taking up space, since the roots are all lower (some soil growers will put small stones or hydroton on top of the soil to help gently disperse the water. This encourages the roots to grow up into that top layer of soil, and also helps slow the multiplication of the gnats. So remove that top layer of soil (and hundreds of eggs) and replace with either new soil or, ideally pebbles, hydroton, perlite, etc.

 

I'd bet that if you have fungus gnats, you let your grow room get a little dirty and untidy. One option to wipe out the gnats immediatly is to just spray the top of the soil with azmax. I don't recemmond this, but it will work pretty well. Gnats generally won't harm your plants, so no need to panic. The way to win and keep your meds clean is to take a small dish like a coffee cup or a spray can cap and put the azmax solution in that and set it under the plant. The gnats seem to really get piled up in the container pretty quickly. Keep your grow room clean as you rotate out your plants that have been infested, and gnats should be a thing of the past.

[herb green]

 

"What do I do about all these little fleas/flies/gnats???"

 

Those are most likely fungus gants that live in/love your soil (not so common in hydro). Nearly everyone growing in soil will encounter these. The best solution I have found is Azmax. Yes it is a chemical, but here is how I keep it out of my meds..

 

 

Azamax is derived from neem seed and is organic...

 

>>>>AzaMax is a 100% Organic and earth-friendly product that gives you a broad spectrum of pest control over a broad range of plants. AzaMax is licensed in all 50 states.

 

Made from Azadirachtin Technical extracted from Neem, a tree known for it’s innumerable benefits. AzaMax contains Azadirachtin A&B as active ingredients and more than 100 limonoids from it’s special technology.

 

AzaMax does not use hard chemical solvents - It contains only food grade formulation ingredients!<<<<

http://www.4hydroponics.com/growroom/pest2.asp?ItemNo=azaMax

 

Anyhow, here's a few options from Growco

 

http://www.4hydroponics.com/growroom/pest.asp

 

There are these...Gnat stix!

http://www.4hydroponics.com/growroom/pest2.asp?ItemNo=gnatStix

 

Bunny Muffin !!! ha!

[AnthonyB]

Look up green sand. Its real fine sand that you sprinkle on top of your soil. It cuts the little buggers up!

[rockinlespaul]

A clean grow room is a happy grow room.

[JohnB RPh]

I want to post "use Extenze!" so bad, but am afraid I'll get banned.

[Kingdiamond]

Keep all of your grow area clean this does keep the insects at a low as for your current problom get a sticky fly strip and hang one on each side of the grow space .

[budpuffer]

i use safers soap weekly on plants in the grow room,and blue sticky strips in the bloom room,but i've not had a single bug on a sticky strip since i've done this routine.i've had my fair share of bug issues when i first started out,but once you get a handle on whats what it gets easier,a clean room,and a sharp eye,will help..i've thrown meds. out because of bugs,i don't want to smoke em...and nobody likes to open the door of their grow room only to see a bunch of bugs start flying around..i like the weekly treatment,not just when you see em"...zb

[The Mayor]

I have had the black gnats, and I find that both the sticky fly strips and the yellow sticky cards work well. Put the yellow stickies on the side of your plant(s) opposite the fan.

I have also tried the vinegar, and the beer/vinegar which caught a few, but not as many as the fly paper.

Oh, and since the flypaper came in a package of 4, I used them all. I found that the one near my intake air holes (which are covered by a window screen AND a furnace filter) caught the most.