August 04, 2020
When growing medicinal plants at home or indoor grow tent, though you have the best equipment such as, indoor grow lights and the best practice to treat you plants, it’s hard to imagine everything running smoothly and problem-free for the entire cycle. There are all sorts of issues you could experience… pests and pathogens can invade the tent, equipment can break, waterings can be forgotten… Fungus gnats are one of those potential problems. They’re annoying little bugs about the same size as a mosquito. If you allow fungus gnats control of the grow, they could damage and even destroy your entire crop. However there are numerous ways to protect your medicinal plants from this pest.
So what actually fungus gnats are?
Fungus gnats are tiny, dark, short-lived gnats that look like small flies. If you have an infestation, you will see them jumping around on the soil. Unlike some other medicinal plants pests, fungus gnats don’t have much of an interest in the leaves or flowers of your medicinal plants as they live in the soil. Instead, larvae gnaw on the roots and damage them. Since the root system is critical for healthy growth, a fungus gnat infection can be a problem.
Fortunately, fungus gnats are not the worst pests you can encounter. If you have mature plants with a strong root system, fungus gnats may be more of a nuisance than a catastrophe. On the other hand, they pose a serious threat to young plants and seedlings. A massive infestation left unattended can also be a problem for bigger plants.
How to get rid of fungus gnats
Water less frequently
The first, and most important, thing you should do is rethink your watering routine. Allow the soil to dry out fully between waterings—it will be fine. Most of the time, if you do that, the fungus gnat problem will go away on its own.
Eggs, larvae, and pupa, will all live in the top inches of the soil. They will need moisture and fungal spores to survive. By simply allowing the top 2 inches of your medium to dry out between waterings, you will make it harder for the fungus gnats to live there.
At the very least, this will massively reduce the amount of bugs in the grow room. Most cases of bugs and pests can be put down to bad waterting practise. It is vital, especially when growing with soil or organically, to allow the medium to dry out a little between waterings.
Fungus gnats love yellow and some careful placing of yellow sticky cards can draw them away from your plant, trapping them in the process.
You can monitor the effectiveness of your treatments with a regular body count. As the number of trapped gnats decreases, you’ll know your actions are having an effect.
If you have a pest infestation, you don’t need to get all hardcore with chemical insecticides. Neem oil can help get your infestation under control. It’s also good as a preventative measure. Treat the top layer of your soil with it to eliminate the larvae.
Pylon TR (Chemical – Editors’ Choice)
It’s the first product in the Total Release Insecticides category to contain Chlorfenapyr(21.4%) active ingredient. It provides effective control of Gnats larva on seedlings, indoor, potted and ornamental plants in the greenhouses or other indoor arrangements. It’s also very easy to use as the release button is pressed keeping all the doors and ventilation shut for a specific time. No need to make mixtures or arranging sprayers to use this product as it comes installed with these options.
Although not as potent as the solutions made especially for killing pests, Hydrogen Peroxide still does the job quite well. The suggested ratio of Hydrogen Peroxide to water is 1:4 when dealing with 3% pure H2O2. Choosing a food grade brand is highly recommended.
It is never fun to find bugs on your plants or in your grow room. But it is important to remember these problems are easily fixable with proper diagnosis and treatment.
Thanks for reading!