ive been seeing a couple gnats in my grow box, i think theyre attracted to the light but i see them come flying out of the soil sometimes, is this a problem? if it is how should i go about getting rid of them, im trying to go all organic and im growing a little garlic in there because ive heard it acts as a pesticide. im using miraclegrow organic mix if that matters
Sounds like Fungus Gnats , Common problem with MG soil.. take steps to treat them. There are worse bugs, but you don't want to let them go to long un-checked.
I've had fungal gnats for a long time now. I've gotten mixed reactions as to how dangerous they are to the plants, but they lived side by side my last crop the entire time and it turned out quite good. The bad: They will nibble your leaves for food, and lay their eggs in your soil. The larve will feed on your delicate roots and will leave garbage in your soil that blocks drainage qualities. The good: Even a swarm doesn't eat very much, they cannot do serious damage to your plants. The majority of the problem with gnats is that they are attracted to people, so every time you go near your plants you get a faceful of gnat. Like Russy said there are definitely worse problems to have..However, they are likely a localized problem (i.e. breeding in your back yard, coming in a window?) so it's really hard to get rid of them. I've used peroxide with temporary success, it will kill them and their larve on contact and has minimal to no impact on your plants.. But it won't be long before they are back, if they are a resident problem in your area. I've tried predatory nematodes but despite being applied evenly to my plants it only stopped them from infesting about 1/2 of them. I've been avoiding nuking with a spray product such as Neem oil or pesticides, for the sake of my plants.. but everything I've done so far has not been working very well, so that may be the best option. I don't think your gnat problem is related to MG soil.. Soil, sure, but MG soil attracts bugs in particular? I've never heard of that.. Fly paper WILL NOT help your situation at all, it will only let you monitor your infestation.