pearlite question

[Shakey B0n3S]

soooo, i havea few root gnats flyin around....
are they a harm to my plant they dont seem to land on the plants but i keep a gooood wind going...
if i do a layer of pearlite around the top of my soil will that help keep em down?

[Sticky_Budz]

soooo, i havea few root gnats flyin around....
are they a harm to my plant they dont seem to land on the plants but i keep a gooood wind going...
if i do a layer of pearlite around the top of my soil will that help keep em down?im not sure on that but stickyicky said he use this stuff called sevin dust. It keeps the bugs off of 'em he says it works great try it out. good luck peace

[Hick]

"Sevin dusr" will ..suffice as a pesticide on the adults, but is useless to rid your gnat larvae problem.
Perlite will probably help the situation, due to it aiding in keeping your medium drier on top. Diatomacious Earth(sp) is much, much better. Is organic, isn't toxic(sevin "is"). Playground sand works on gnats, too.
What you are striving to accomplish, is keeping the top few inches(2-3) too dry to accomodate the larvae hatching and surviving. The Diatomaceuos not only helps keep it drier, but slices them up and kills thm.

[Pot Belly]

Sevin is OK for outside grows early on, but I would not use it for indoor growing.....

Hick is right on the money. Diatometrious earth is what you need. Perlite, sand, etc... is good, but D.E. is the best. It is made up of little one cell ocean organisms that have skeletons made of silica. This stuff is the death of gnat larvae. Find it at any garden store.

Be careful not to breathe any of the soil as you are putting it around your plants. Using a mask would be recommended. Once established and moist, D.E. is no longer a threat to your lungs or future bud.:aok:

[bombbudpuffa]

Heres some-http://www.ghorganics.com/DiatomaceousEarth.html

[Shakey B0n3S]

so what is the best way to stop watering ontop of the soil wat is a better method and how do i administer the waterings....also with the D.E. do i just put a layer ontop of my soil that is currently in the pot?
thank you everyone for your fantastic replies

[Pot Belly]

Yes, put the layer of DE on top.......

To water from below, put your pot (container) in another container, bin, whatever, that's watertite. Pour your water and ferts in there. The roots soak it up from the bottom leaving the top layer of mix dry.

[Shakey B0n3S]

thanks for the info i will try and get my hands on some DE either today or tomorrow....my 400w MH light is comming today so tomorrow i will destroy the bugs

[booradley]

Yes, put the layer of DE on top.......

To water from below, put your pot (container) in another container, bin, whatever, that's watertite. Pour your water and ferts in there. The roots soak it up from the bottom leaving the top layer of mix dry.

How long should he leave it in there? Or should he just leave it sitting in the water?

[Pot Belly]

Leave it there.........

The water you use should be soaked up in 2 or 3 hours. Longer is too much water. I always water like this during the "morning" time. You'll figure it out how much to use.