Gnats protection idea

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Figs4Life

Registered:1361572751
Posts: 666

Posted 1364087889	Reply with quote #1

I was wondering if you put a reasonable thick layer of sand on the top of the soil ( indoor pot), wouldn't that be impossible for the gnats to pass through the sand since the sand is too heavy for them? __________________ Wish List: - White Greek - Maltese Falcon - Excel - Celeste FL Follow me on youtube for more Fig videos: Silver Destiny My name is George & I live in NY zone 6B

saramc

Registered:1301867088
Posts: 486

Posted 1364184145	Reply with quote #2

Gnats can even burrow thru sand. Unfortunately __________________ ~Sara~ Suburb near Louisville, KY//zone 5b-6b

Nichole

Registered:1333814555
Posts: 878

Posted 1364222028	Reply with quote #3

There are members who have tried it. I did it too but I don't think I had any gnats to give it a whirl. Not that I'm complaining. I put sand on top and then a nylon stocking over the cup to keep any hatched gnats from exiting the soil. I was told the sand has to be dry or they can burrow through it, but then you can't water. Maybe someone else who tried the sand can offer their experience. __________________ Seattle area - Zone 8b http://www.niroha.com Fig Inventory https://sites.google.com/site/nicholesgardeninventory/fig-trees Wish list: Barbillone, Black Triana, Brooklyn Dark, Brooklyn White, Figo Branco, Figo Preto, Grantham Royal, Grisse de St Jean, Honey Jumbo, LSU Gold, LSU Scott's Yellow, Matta, Noire De Caromb, Panevino Dark, Roja, Syrian Long, Uncle Corky's Honey Delight

jimmychao

Registered:1347690066
Posts: 285

Posted 1364223479	Reply with quote #4

I had a lot of gnats before. Mosquito dunk works for me. __________________ Jimmy Northern NJ - zone 6 ebay ID: jillji Wish List: Aubique Petite, Japanese White, Jolly Tiger, Maltese Beauty, Norland, San Giovanni...

c2meang

Registered:1347058157
Posts: 225

Posted 1364232158	Reply with quote #5

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. __________________ Peter Magnolia, AR Zone 8a Wish list: Maltese Falcon, Maltese Beauty, Galicia Negra, Col de Dame Gris, Toni's Brown Italian, LSU Red

Rewton

Registered:1291943117
Posts: 1,946

Posted 1364232462	Reply with quote #6

I used sand on the surface of soil on a few 1 gallon pots combined with pantyhose to cover the drainage holes: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Office-window-figs-fungus-gnat-control-6184249 This solved the gnat problem for those potted figs but is not really practical to scale this up to protect 30-40 rooted cuttings in cups. __________________ Steve MD zone 7a

Registered:1352993559
Posts: 412

Posted 1364234934	Reply with quote #7

Back in Oct I had about 30-40 flying around at any given moment. Haven’t seen a gnat in months. Sand worked for me but its a PITA. My sand is usually wet, when its dry my plants need water. I use about a quarter inch on top and restrict access to the drainage holes. No Chemicals were used.

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