Beefernug01

a few day's after I repotted with a little bloodmeal, small gnats started appearing. they breed like crazy if the top inch of soil is left wet for more than a day or so. (very fast lives)

I was looking through some 30 year old gardening magazines and came across a solution. they had a picture of what they called a fungus gnat, and solved the problem by covering the top 1/2inch to 1in of soil coarse dry sand.

I scrounged up some playground sand and layered an inch on top. with the lack of a good breeding ground, and an abundance of spiders in my basement grow area, the flies have completely died off.

ps- one thing I noticed right away, the sand cut down on the smell of the blood meal and other organics.


just thoought i'd share

organic

Thanks for posting this tip! That's a good one.

On a related note regarding sand, I observed this past summer that pure silica sand (available at building supply places, usually for swimming pool and agricultural water filters) seems to deter slugs. I haven't tried it with plants yet, but will this next growing season, by pouring a ring of it around a plant as a physical barrier. They seem to not like crawling over it.

O

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Stoned Dog

That is a good suggestion! I also read yesterday that placing a small glass of minty green mouthwash next to your plants will get rid of them too. They like the smell and fly into the mouthwash and drown. Your suggestion sounds like it would work better long term though.

REALTR33

another way to get rid of those damn slugs is to make a ring of table salt around the base of your plant. if they crawl over that they dry up and die. ive also read that when your stems get bigger you can take an aluminum can, cut the top and bottom off, and use it as a sheild aginst all sorts of pests. the sand sounds like a great idea, with the added bonus of cutting down on the smell...at least untill you reapply a blood/fish emulsion tea

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jamesgang

! tablespoon per gallon of water. (500ppm). Soak soil thouroughly. One or 3 applications will kill off the larva." You" must kill off the adults. I use duct tape. Get the gnatural at your local hydro store for 14.95 a pint.

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