Root Gnats

Hey,

My plant is off the hook, but I have to combat root gnats with H2O2 like every other day. I've removed anything that I feel could possibly attract bugs, but they will not go away. My fly paper literally has thousands of gnats stuck to it. No other bug problems though.

My question is this........

Is it possible to melt a thin layer of wax over the surface of your clay pebbles, creating a seal around the stem, also creating a small hole with a tube to feed the plant from UNDERNEATH the wax, would that help keep the gnats out? I figure a tight seal around the stem, as the stem grows in girth, it simply presses the soft wax outward but maintaining a seal. Would this work? Has anyone ever tried this before?

BTW, I am new to this forum, I hope I posted this in its proper thread, if not, just let me know, no need to bite my head off. Thanks!

Thanks!

why would the hot wax not melt through the spaces between the pebbles and into the reservoir?

Fungus gnats feed on decaying organic material. If you are properly treating your res with h2o2, and your roots are healthy, they arent coming from there.

Are the roots rotting? Is there another source of stagnant water? dead leaves piled up?

Are they fungus gnats for sure?

Hey MYOB -

Thanks for the response. I see what you're saying about the wax, I was thinking maybe a slightly solid, warm wax that could just be pressed and molded on top of the surface.

I keep zero organics around this plant at all. But I do have a smartpot with canna-coco. I'm not sure it gets too much water build up, the coco seems to be unsaturatable. I'm pretty positive there is plenty of gas exchange. I was wondering if the gnats are climbing up the root tips at they protrude out the pot? It is a very porous container, I'm sure you know.

I never even knew I had a problem until I read on a thread here that your plant may not have any symptoms at all, other than brown, thin roots. That was the supposed 'sure sign'. I noticed it with mine and gave it the H2O2 solution. It seemed to work because within hours, big fat, white, fuzzy, feeder roots started bursting out of the sides of the container. That lasts for about 2 days and then back to the thin brown. I can't tell how bad it is, if the roots are browning due to self-pruning or if it's straight-up gnats.

Sometimes I let the plant sit in about an inch of water, nutes and H2O2 and feed from the bottom. It seems to love that because in it's short, 4 month life, this plant has had nothing but solid green, healthy, standing straight up in the air, leaves. It is also the frostiest, stickiest most flourishing plant I've ever grown. So, there are just no outward symptoms of these gnats, but give the pot a little kick and they come flying out from everywhere. I see the walkers on top of the pepples sometimes, I see the flyers standing on the leaves sometimes, they never do any harm or eat anything, they just keep reproducing the hell out of themselves.

I give this plant as much H2O2 as I do nutrients at this point. I'm not sure if that's really good or anything, but it seems to be the only thing keeping the problem at bay. The flypaper, too. I place it all over the surface of the pebbles, then kick the bucket, when they fly up they get stuck. I can usually be pretty gnat free after that for about 3 days.

Any ideas?

Hey Renegade. H2O2 isn't going to kill flies, and isn't any use from the bottom since it won't wick up far enough to do any good.
Keep up with the fly paper, which reminds me to get some more.

Something is too wet. You might have some green algae somewhere. Rockwool? What's your growing system (DWC)?

I had very limited success with H2O2, so now I use DNF HydroSparkle with greater success (root slime/rot), for bugs I use a horribly expensive natural/organic insectiside.

In line with what MYOB said, if you can get rid of what the gnat larva are feeding on, you get rid of the gnats.

Good luck.