Its almost fall and winter time which means another wonderful time rooting cuttings. I myself try to do a couple hundred. I know some folks do more while some do less.

Gnats are a big winter problem as anyone with indoor plants know. gnatrol works very well for me, I have read misquito dunks work.

I want to come up with a rooting mix. light and fluffy, well draining. maybe a sand based perlite mixture. cactus mix. I have read put an inch of sand at the top.

with doing as many cuttings as I intend to do I want to come up with a method and or system that works with little effort.

so lets talk mixes, and pest control

Hey I'm new to the forum,  sand definitely works to keep the fungus gnat away.  I've never tried with figs,  but with other plants.

Gnats may be a regional problem. I'm not sure. It has just not been an issue for me. I start cuttings in coir and pot up with ProMix HP and pine bark fines 50/50. Last winter I installed grow lights and grew in a closet for 2 months before I could transfer them outside. I think it may be the potting soil that people use that already has the gnats in it. Stick with the Pro Mix HP and you may be fine.

I brought my 2 foot Genovese basil plant in for the winter, my wife keeps asking where the gnats are coming from but she hasn't figured it out yet.  

Last week I called "You Bet Your Garden" on WHYY and Mike McGrath recommended soilless potting mix to deal with the pests.

Steve, how did you apply the sand?

Dom

I have read on another thread that a very diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide kills the eggs or somehow breaks their breeding cycle. The kind of peroxide you put into cuts to clean them out and disinfect. May be worth trying as its cheap.

I'm thinking if you sterilize the potting soil or compost that would kill the baddies.  It would kill the goodies too, but you can add your amendments when the plants start to grow.

I've never seen a gnat in 4 years of rooting in perlite with coir or peat mix here in the northeast. Cloners are also gnat proof. Gnats tend to proliferate in spring in my greenhouse, but even there they don't pose much of a threat to established trees.

Gnatrol is the best stuff I have found and tried just about everything. Haven't done a completely soilless medium. Wouldn't know where to start.

Hydrogen peroxide has been the cheapest and most effective for me. Gnatrol was good. Mosquito dunks ineffective.

I'm thinking the right rooting mix low on organic matter, fast drainage along with gnatrol would work great. But I also don't want to have to water 300 cuttings 3 times a day

I had gnats in a premium seed starting mix I used to root cuttings last winter. I know they came in the bag. Since I only work small quantities I microwave my potting soil to about 180 F before using to root cuttings.

I add an inch of perlite on top of my mix. It is my go to method. I'm also finding Hydrogen Peroxide is a kind of cutting cure all.

I'm using a mix of about 3/4 vermiculite to 1/4 perlite and it seems to be working.  Not sure what my plan is IF I get some good rooting going on.

I've tried vermiculite,have to be careful with that stuff as it can hold a LOT of moisture,100% vermiculite seems to be good for rooting but not longevity,it's killed my cuttings after rooting and looking great because I had to start giving a dilute fertiliser and it just held on to too much moisture,maybe a mix with perlite would work to counteract the water retention issue?,may have to experiment some more when I get my hands on some expendable cuttings(unknowns)