Here it is. It flies. It has eggs in the soil. Probably larvae too. Came in with the soil, haven't seen any on plants, pretty sure its not a winged aphid, so that's good. Is it a threat, and how to eradicate from the soil. BTW It's very tiny...i mean VERY tiny.
There are many different ways... you could sprinkle some cinnamon on the soil, then water so the cinnamon leaches into the soil... that is an organic way, cinnamon is a natural fungicide, it kills the fungus, depleting the fungus gnat larvae food supply therefore killing the larvae... bingo no more fungus gnats. Or you can go with chemicals... Just Google "how to get rid of fungus gnats", and you will find what works best for you and your budget... I had to harvest about two weeks early because of these bastards... when you water the soil, check the run off, sometimes you can see the little larvas gathered all around the drainage holes in your pots... if you see them... suck them out with a syringe, (you can get syringes at your local grow shop)... Fungus gnats will also lay there eggs at the drainage hole sites on your pots, so make sure you water enough to get run off, then then cinnamon infused water will kill the fungus at the drainage hole sites on your pots. Anyway, I hope I shed some light on the subject for you... oh and the most important thing...DO NOT over water, only water the plants when the soil is dry!! stick your finger about 3 inches into the soil to check... sometimes the soil looks dry, but when you check with your finger, it is moist under the surface. Fungus Gnat larvae thrive in this condition! once you get a good watering schedule down, they will disappear because, fungus can not grow in dry soil, and your plants will love not being over watered too much! Take it easy... and good luck!
Thanks so much! Just another quick question: since I do not have access to my plants this weekend, should I expect my plants to be goners? How fast do these larvae work? When I get back monday, I am going to do the cinnamon thing. From what I've read I'm sure it'll work...if it's not too late Anyways, +rep bro.
I have just tried cinnamon today as I have seen these little flies about too. They have been around for a while and havn't done that much damage, they are just a pest that can be removed easily enough. If you have some sand I would do that too.
you have to use like sand from the cigarette ashtrays, and you don't need it 1" thick. You just need a good layer covering the top of your soil. It keeps the gnats from layin eggs in the soil and suffocates the larve
After flushing some water through the plant today whilst adding cinnamon to the top layer yesterday, lots of wrigglers have appeared in the water and I have poured it away. I hope this can easily be fixed as it would appear that there was lots more than I would have thought in the first place.
[quote name='"Tihspeed"']hot shot no pest strip placed at the base of a plant FTW [/quote] So true, they work great. They kill many bugs and at least deter others. Ie. Spidermites. I use them religiously now. That said, they should be only one part of the equation. Use applications of Neem, dish soap, pyrethrin and other like products when necessary for best defense and plant health. Also, keep your grow area clean!