A Way That I Got Rid of My Fungus Gnats !!!!

The Weedster

Active Member
OK Dudes , This might sound kinda awkward but it is a true way I have tested this on my Fungus Gnat Problem....
... Ive tried the sand idea and it did work but I noticed my plant wasnt looking too healthy if you leave it on there for too long and watering my plants were a bitch..
...
.... Ive tried neem oil and it yet again failed as them little shits laughed in my face, The sand method works for a while but soon to return with a vengance if you dont smother your plant with it....
...
....
..... Anyway, I had an idea... I went and bought me a clothes Iron.. LOL ... The thing is that a clothes Iron will only penetrate a half inch of the soil, exactly where them bitches like to hide out.... It didnt hurt my plant a bit because the steam doesnt go far into the soil... I have been Gnat Free for about 3 days now and for some reason I think the plant liked the steam because Ive noticed new growth on my buds.. I havent had new growth on them in like 2 weeks and all of a sudden after that treatment the growth has now picked up on them... Anybody have any idea why ???
... Hope this thread helps, because that was the cheapest way to get rid of them but you do have to look for them again because you still have the larvae to get rid of when they become the adults, But if you get to them soon enough you will hopefully get rid of the whole clan... I treat mine once a day just in case.. I will continue for 7 days to treat with the Iron and update yall on the success of the Iron.... :) Happy days if this works....
...
... I almost forgot to tell yall, Im using 4 gallon Square pots... The Iron seems to fit better in it than a 2 1/2 gallon round pot... :)
 

Total Head

Well-Known Member
the visual i have for this is hilarious. that's thinking outside the box though. i would be careful but i suppose if the pot was big enough you could avoid cooking too much plant/root matter, but wouldn't you melt the pot?. what setting did you put the iron on? maybe one of those little hand steamers could work too. shit i should have one of those just to clean my pots out. steaming the bugs away. interesting idea indeed.
 

The Weedster

Active Member
Ive always heard that the top roots on the plant dont really matter once your in the late stages, and the top roots dont usually develop toward the top of the pot until the later stages anyhow.... But if you dont want to take a chance on hitting the roots then you can always add an extra layer of soil to the top before steaming it... The bugs will thrive in the newer soil you put in and therefore still take care of the problem when you steam them.... And yes it helps to have a bigger pot... And I dont hit the plant with it either, I just try to get as close as I can to the plant and not leave it there for too long either...
.... So far its working great though :clap:
 

kang420

Well-Known Member
i just put sand around the plant and never have any problems with any bugs. how was the sand harming your plant? i really hate ironing clothes never mind iron my plants lol
 

The Weedster

Active Member
i just put sand around the plant and never have any problems with any bugs. how was the sand harming your plant? i really hate ironing clothes never mind iron my plants lol
LoL .... I dont know if I put too much sand on it or what... But the sand turned to like a crust and my plant seemed to be getting smothered out because it kept too much moisture in the soil... = One Droopy Plant.... I took the sand out and within a day and a half it was perking right back up.... And anytime I watered it , The water liked to run off to the sides of the pot so I had to punch holes in the sand just to get it to water the center... It was almost like that magic sand you get for kids, LOL
.... Still no gnats today on day 5 of steaming and plant is still doing well.....
 

kang420

Well-Known Member
LoL .... I dont know if I put too much sand on it or what... But the sand turned to like a crust and my plant seemed to be getting smothered out because it kept too much moisture in the soil... = One Droopy Plant.... I took the sand out and within a day and a half it was perking right back up.... And anytime I watered it , The water liked to run off to the sides of the pot so I had to punch holes in the sand just to get it to water the center... It was almost like that magic sand you get for kids, LOL
.... Still no gnats today on day 5 of steaming and plant is still doing well.....
the whole idea of the sand is to create that 'Crust' so no bugs can get out of your pot, i allways leave an inch or more around the pot so water doesent run outta the pot. i find when you put water on it it may take 30-40 seconds before it sinks into the sand and into the soil then your ready for more water and then with lights on the sand will form a crust again and stop bugs again. if your happy ironing your plants all the time thats cool but sand is much easier and ive never had a sick plant due to a little sand around it. good luck tho if you dont try new things you would never know!
 

The Weedster

Active Member
the whole idea of the sand is to create that 'Crust' so no bugs can get out of your pot, i allways leave an inch or more around the pot so water doesent run outta the pot. i find when you put water on it it may take 30-40 seconds before it sinks into the sand and into the soil then your ready for more water and then with lights on the sand will form a crust again and stop bugs again. if your happy ironing your plants all the time thats cool but sand is much easier and ive never had a sick plant due to a little sand around it. good luck tho if you dont try new things you would never know!
Well, It might have been my fault... I had about 2 inches of sand on my soil , LOL That might have been the problem in smothering my plant... I will give sand another try after I see that I have more bugs... Thanks for the input about that... Maybe later if it works then I can still keep the Iron to straighten my leaves if they ever start to claw..LOL
 
Any thing has to be better than those god awful yellow sticky traps, number of leafs I have fooked up using them is unreal and they look disgusting covered in dead or dying gnats.

I use sand now, has good drainage and will work when wet too if you use the sharp sand, its too sharp for the adults to burrow down and lay eggs and any eggs that come with the soil, when they make a run for it into adulthood the sand shreds the fook out of those fungus root eating bastuds.

Ironing the soil in your pots!!!! just gotta love it. ;-)
 

Stickystickyganja

Well-Known Member
Cudos to you brother, nice idea. Im expecting those fuckers to come since im growing organicly in coco. So when time comes and the try to invade, Ill be waiting with my girlsfriends iron...just when shes not home lol
 

The Weedster

Active Member
Cudos to you brother, nice idea. Im expecting those fuckers to come since im growing organicly in coco. So when time comes and the try to invade, Ill be waiting with my girlsfriends iron...just when shes not home lol
LOL Dude.... She might be mad if ya told her you ironed dirt with her iron... haha
 

The Weedster

Active Member
First time fungus gnats have been blazed. Very innovative Weedster!
Thankya Potpimp... I was just sittin around one day and thought about what the best way to get rid of them before they even start.... Once youve had them for a while though its much harder to get rid of them by ironing once..LOL But if you stay on top of them, You knock the numbers down pretty quick... I like seeing them run from it myself... LOL
 

The Weedster

Active Member
Still working well on my second plant... Got my other three separated from the one plant so they wont catch the disease of fungus gnats.. LOL... They have been in veg for 11 days now and doing great from seed... All three popped up and doing fine.. Hope all is female... Just dont want those pesky gnats again...
 
Top