Worms On Clones

[420 grower]

Ok I've been trying to clone for a while now but I stopped using rock wool b/c of gnat larvae kept getting to the roots. Now I'm using dirt in a dome and I pulled one out today and sure enough I got little clear worms eating away at the stem. My dome is on a heating pad. I don't know what to do. Please help.

[stonecrowe316]

Ok I've been trying to clone for a while now but I stopped using rock wool b/c of gnat larvae kept getting to the roots. Now I'm using dirt in a dome and I pulled one out today and sure enough I got little clear worms eating away at the stem. My dome is on a heating pad. I don't know what to do. Please help.

i used sliced potatoes on the soil,they eat on the slices then replace it daily.or bake your soil to kill anything in it

[420 grower]

Well it even happened with rockwool so how could they be getting in there? I'm thinkin of makin an aerocloner. Does anyone know how long that method takes usually? I have good strains I want to keep going and not have to keep buying clones.

[LansingAreaCaregiver]

Well it even happened with rockwool so how could they be getting in there? I'm thinkin of makin an aerocloner. Does anyone know how long that method takes usually? I have good strains I want to keep going and not have to keep buying clones.

 

Question, where are the gnats coming from? Also, are you 100% positive that they are just gnats and not another pest?

 

Ultimately, I think you're going to need to figure those out before making much progress. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're combating the symptom rather than the true cause, and you'll struggle regardless of which medium you choose. If I had to guess, I'd guess that you're growing in soil and that your soil is too wet (common cause of gnats.)

 

I'd recommend a thorough cleaning of your entire growing space and sterilization of all cloning equipment. Also, clean your cloning equipment well each time you clone. Once clean, keep your clones separate from your soil plants, making it more difficult for the gnats to travel from the soil to your clones (either in a different room or in a converted cabinet or something.) When you clone, carefully inspect the clones to make sure you aren't bringing pests from the mother plant to the clone tray (again, they have to be getting in there somehow and that seems to be the most direct way.)

 

I've personally never had problems with gnat larvae in the cloning medium, so this isn't speaking from experience directly. I have fought gnats before, though. FYI, I use root riot cubes for cloning and have had great results.

 

Good luck.

[jsburn]

AZAMAX , buy it , spray the bunny muffin outta them. move into your new life with healthy clean plants. if it ever becomes a problem again ......AZAMAX.

[420 grower]

I got some plugs tonite and well see what happens. Everything has been cleaned and steralized now and we'll see if any roots show up, little clear worms though? What else could it be?

[+greenhouse]

fungus gnats love rockwool, well no, they love the roots, but party in rockwool like it 1999.

 

Bacillus thuringiensis kills fungus gnat larvae down at the root level.

[+greenhouse]

Oh, if you plan on ingesting the plant material, even if you're smoking it you may want to try an organic route first. There's plenty of time to get your grow adjusted. Don't first reach for the big red button. Not first.... your health is worth more than that.

[LongHairBri]

a little DE (dimacious earth?) from the pool store kills gnat larva every time. like little shards of glass, they crawl and cut themselves, dying a horrable death. take that little maggots!!