potato slices work GREAT for fungus gnats!

i put 2 potato slices per plant ontop of the soils this morning, before lights off. 12 hours later, i turn on the lights and check the slices. theres tiny bugs ALL OVER the damn things. i just threw them away and replaced them. either i have a terrible infestation, or potatoes work good lol

Interesting........ where did you hear about this? So the potato slices just attract the gnats?

I LOVE natural ways to grow or take care of plants lol I also have some ladybugs in the grow tent just in case..... but the poor things keep dying so I assume I have no mites.

ive never had any bug issues *knocks on wood* but id think a small dish of molasses would work well also...they get stuck in that sticky mess and they are never getting out

ladybugs will happily eat raisins soaked in water and cut in half...


EDIT:

:looking:
it's awful to say, i know.....
:looking:
...but if you are out on a walk, and happen to notice a plant swarming with aphids...
:looking:
...you can always take a leaf in a plastic bag back to the lady bugs, catch em one by one, and let them in the bag for treats...maybe...



yes...i said bring aphids inside your house...maybe even your grow....eeek

ChubbySoap said:

ladybugs will happily eat raisins soaked in water and cut in half...


EDIT:

:looking:
it's awful to say, i know.....
:looking:
...but if you are out on a walk, and happen to notice a plant swarming with aphids...
:looking:
...you can always take a leaf in a plastic bag back to the lady bugs, catch em one by one, and let them in the bag for treats...maybe...



yes...i said bring aphids inside your house...maybe even your grow....eeek

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almost like taking care of a fucking pet lol but I wouldnt mind taking care of these little buggers..... they keep me mite free.

iPACKEDthisBOWL4TWO said:

Interesting........ where did you hear about this? So the potato slices just attract the gnats?

Click to expand...

i found it on this
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=11688
if u hit ctrl+F, then type potato, it will go right to it. its under fungus gnats. my guess is that the potatoes are real moist and they like that

djruiner said:

ive never had any bug issues *knocks on wood* but id think a small dish of molasses would work well also...they get stuck in that sticky mess and they are never getting out

Click to expand...

i may try that! i was thinking of dunking the potatoes in sticky stuff so they cant leave it haha

ChubbySoap said:

ladybugs will happily eat raisins soaked in water and cut in half...

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any info on this?

i can understand the gnats being attracted to a potato, that makes sense to me, but what i don't get is why they die once they are on them?? maybe i'm missing something here, idk..

i would love to get a good cure for fungus gnats as i seem to always get a few of them in veg.. i know that you can put sand around the tops of the pots to obstruct access to the moist soil, and watering less often helps as well, which i always do in later veg / flowering, but i always like to keep them on the wetter side for this stage of veg, and therefore get a few gnats.

Put an inch of sand on top of your soil and they will disappear forever.

kingofqueen said:

They dont die in the potatoes they are all in there munching on them till you come along and throw them away or better yet soak em in bleach then throw them away . The layer of sand stops them dead in there tracks. Like a roach motel , larve cant get out and adults cant get in . But it does slow watering alot and for me it seems to suffacate the soil of air slowing growth . Neem them bitches !

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i was just looking for some neem at loewes the other day as i forgot all about it when i was at the hydro store.. i just got a clone from someone, and wanted to kill anything that may have been on them before i introduced it into my garden.. i got some organic stuff from loewes, but it seems like it may have burnt some of the leaf tips.. i think i maybe should have diluted it some first, but i'm glad it was only the lil clone i sprayed, and nothing else as i won't really be losing anything if i kill the clone..

potatoes work awesome for a disposable surrogate breeding ground. they also like a little bit of vinegar in a cup of water. i just got rid of a moderate fungus gnat problem in my tent by mixing about 7 drops of dish soap in a spray bottle and drenching the top layer of soil with it (sounds counterproductive but i read about it on some garden forum along with the potato thing. it's supposed to kill the eggs and larva). i repeated this a few times a day and after any waterings that took place. i also had a cup with water and vinegar in it that attracted and drowned about 12 of them in 3 hours. by the time i got around to getting some organic bug death and sticky traps and a hot shot thing (4 days later) there were only 2 gnats left and i squished them with my finger. i put the hot shot thing in there for good measure and haven't seen any bugs since and it's been 3 weeks. i do spray the vegging plants about once a week with the organic bug death soap stuff and then i rinse them the next day. the bugs won't be returning.

i hang fly strips in my area, then in the tube i pour sum honey. they work great, mine will be covered from top to bottom by the time harvest rolls around, my plants n sticky buds wont!

i usually use a pyrethrum or neem oil spray, or combination, and mosquito dunks i break up in the top laYER OF MY Soil.

racerboy71 said:

i was just looking for some neem at loewes the other day as i forgot all about it when i was at the hydro store.. i just got a clone from someone, and wanted to kill anything that may have been on them before i introduced it into my garden.. i got some organic stuff from loewes, but it seems like it may have burnt some of the leaf tips.. i think i maybe should have diluted it some first, but i'm glad it was only the lil clone i sprayed, and nothing else as i won't really be losing anything if i kill the clone..

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Home depot now carrys Neem oil

they sell sticky yellow cards for this they come on sticks and u put around your soil and the gnats are attracted to the yellow and get stuck (if you use these they sticky will get on your fingers vegetable oil will remove it)
the potatoes are much cheaper and easier to find also

Never get them by allowing soil to dry well between waterings and by breaking up your topsoil regularly to aid in drying and aeration. An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure. This for the benefit of those growing but not knowing yet.

Potato slice are used to ID that you have Gnats,, thats ALL it does, you got 2% or less of the gnat population, and while your posed the population grew 5%

And agree with eh above post. layer of sand will screws them up. I never grow in soil without sand on top.