I have a gnat infestation and I want to add an inch of sand on top of my pots. I already have a bag of quikrete play sand. I was going to use that but then I googled it and it said not to use play sand in the garden.
The thing is though I am not trying to alter the soil structure. Just on top to prevent gnats. Is this sand okay or do I need to buy another type?
Some people here do that.
I use cotton batting sheets. The stuff the use in quilts. Keeps a nice dry layer and bugs can’t get through it to the soil, and vice versa, from the soil. Pretty cheap, and you can water right through it. No issues with algae, mold, or soil bugs.
So I did a bit more research and found that it potentially has a high saline content.
I guess back to the hardware store I go.
What about a sprinkle of diatomaceous earth and bottom water if possible?
The amount of sand you need you could probably wash some in a cloth but I expect river sand would be best as it’s not full of shells which might be a little alkaline
Take a 5 gallon bucket and put some water in there.Put 5 drops of this product in that water and let it sit somewhere for a couple days keep that water around Water your plants with that water with no nutes in it water in between feed with that water.One week you will notice over half of them will be dead.Next week and you will see an occasional old timer gnat feebly wandering around as it will be the last of his brood.That Microbe product is the same stuff in dunks just in a concentrated liquid form that is instant you don’t have to wait till the dunks soaked for weeks to work this stuff will not harm you pets or plants it’s non chemical .After a month all your sticky traps will be clean.One drop treats 100 gallons of water 5 is probably over kill but I’ve been doing it and no problems no more gnats
If all else fails I will look into that. Thank you.
Some photo’s of your setup will help us help you.
Gnats are a symptom of too wet soil.
I would recommend this too if you are using fabric pots.
If you’re in plastic pots then I’d switch to fabric pots.
I use molasses. @Rogue has a good answer. Let the dry out. Molasses you mix it with water. It will make your soil sticky. They won’t like it. I’ve seen people put rice on top. They got some kind of stuff you can get from Home Depot. I can’t remember what it’s called but you can Google it. They have sprays also. If you get you some sticky traps yellow for black flys blue for white and white for anything. I’ll hang mine next to the light. When your lights come on the fly to it. If you put the sticky paper up there, it will tag them. I’ll take an apple cider put it in a little small containers. Put a little holes on the top. They’ll go inside and don’t come out. But if they’re on the ground and around in the soil. They make sprays with wintergreen and stuff like that. Dr. earth makes final stop. It will burn their ass. If I have dirt, that is not real good. I will put boiling water through it. It will kill everything. I know you can use hydrogen peroxide in your water, but you got to be very careful. It will boil plant out of the soil. You’ll be able to star like a soup bone. These are my ideas. I’m not telling you to do anything. But these are things that I do. They hate fans.
I’ve seen pro nurseries clone in it. Should be AOK if it’s porous enough
I’ve been using Grow It, Coco Husks, as a medium building product, for years now.
A compressed package is cheap, and makes a huge amount.
I leave a space 3" inches from the top, then I fill it up with hydrated coco husks.
Also, I bottom water FAR, FAR more now, than ever before. Drives your roots down, saves me a few trips to water or tea the plants.
If you want no joking around eradication, https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/beneficial-insects-predators-parasites
I used masonry sand to fight gnats which really helps. And you can water through it.
If You use the molasses in a tea Brewed over night you won’t get that sticky soil thing going on.The Microbes from the tea you added the molasses to will chew it up like bubblegum and break it down so it becomes more soluble and doesn’t leave a residue on your plants.I add it as a fuel source to get those microbes to multiply.Hope that helps a little
I use it every grow. You should never store your mixer. It all breaks down if you do it like that. Turns to slugs.
I don’t have a problem. Sorry! At the doctor. I had bad dirt some years ago. I get the fly’s a little but they don’t live. I know how to get rid of them. I get mites every now and then. Really don’t worry about them. Has to do with touching in my area. This person above has the fly problem. Molasses will make the soil crusty when drys. Like a coke spill. They can’t come out. They can’t molt. They die.
No sweat Brochaco I misread the comment you wanted to form a shell of molasses to smother the little fuckers.Gotcha
Excellent product, I use it all the time. It’s worth noting that adult gnats don’t harm the plant, it’s the larva that can reek disaster on the root system. This product kills the larva not the adult. But when 1 female gnat can lay 300-400 eggs every 14 days, you’d be fighting an endless un winnable battle if you don’t kill the larva and only target the adults. Combating fungus gnats requires a dual approach IPM.
This stuff completely wiped out the larvae I had.After awhile you will see one or two ancient ones that feebely get stuck in the sticky trap to finish them off.I haven’t had a gnat in over 6 months now.
