I have tried using sands this winter. It really helped me reducing the number of gnats. The key is to keep the sand dry. You will not 100% eliminate the gnats by only using sands. Gnats love to lay egg in moist soil/medium. Dry sands discourages them from laying their eggs there. I like to sprinkle some mosquito dunks on the soil, water it, and then pour some sand over it. So far no more gnats around. I don't normally water my cuttings until I'm ready to move them to 1 gallon pots. When I'm ready to move them, I will sprinkle some more mosquito dunks over the soil in the gallon pot and water them.