Fungus gnat update

[RubySlippers]

I realized a few days ago that my plants have fungus gnats. The damage is not catastrophic at this point, but it it ain't good, folks. Two of the four plants are worse than the others. I applied Neem yesterday and hung some yellow sticky traps inside and outside of my tent. Today it seems like there were fewer bugs on the trap. How often should I be applying the spray? Yesterday was plain water day, but I was paranoid about over watering so I only gave them about half their normal ph'd water. They're dry, so should I go ahead with nutes and Neem tomorrow? Is it ok to get rid of the diseased leaves? (It pains my heart to look at them everyday!)

You'll also see some significant spotting on the leaves. I'm not sure if this is gnat-related or a nutrient deficiency? My plan was to get rid of the bugs then re-group. I'm running out of room in the tent though, so I probably should flip to flower within the next week or two. Do you have any tricks for jamming plants into a tent?

Any advice on how to proceed would be appreciated! Thanks so much!

[alltatup]

Ruby, I think your plants look great!! You should read the defoliation tutorial on GWE, tho, and maybe trim them a little: http://www.growweedeasy.com/defoliation

I don't think the minor damage on a few leaves has anything to do with the gnats. The trouble with the gnats is the larvae they lay in the soil. You want to kill the larvae in the soil by treating the soil with the neem oil. So if you haven't already, check out this article as well: http://www.growweedeasy.com/fungus-gnats

Nothing is as challenging as the first grow!! You don't know what's around the corner cuz you haven't done this before, but it gets easier and easier. I have learned just about everything I know by consulting the GWE site continually, and reading and re-reading!! The article on defoliation will give you some heads up of what to anticipate in the flowering phase. Hang in there, Ruby: you're doing great!

[RubySlippers]

Thanks, atu! I actually did some defoliating Monday and the plants even survived! I removed a few leaves yesterday as well. Being new to growing, it's hard to know which leaves to take and how it'll effect the final flowering plant. I've been taking random leaves that cover bud sites, being careful not to take too many. Is it ok to take leaves from shoots that have been topped? Or is that counter-productive?

Maybe the pictures I posted above weren't a good representation of what's going on. The picture below is NOT my plant but I have a few leaves that look pretty similar. This is why I think the damage is due to gnats. My ph runoff is also low: 6.2-ish. Lately when I water the water runs right through the soil and the fabric pots stay pretty light. I've backed off on the total amount of water given so the topsoil will dry out and the gnats will stop leaving their babies in my dirt. I cleaned out the tent, sprayed with Neem oil and hung up some yellow srticky traps (How many times have those things got stuck to my face?!? I want to murder them!). I feel like it's under control now, but the tent is in the basement and there always seem to be bugs flying around. But I will be victorious!

Thanks for your encouragement - it's nice to know that others have seen what I'm seeing. This site and forum has been incredibly helpful. Cheers!

[alltatup]

OK, yeah, those are some gnarly looking leaves!! If you keep having the problem, post pics and present the problem in the "I need help with my plant" section. Gnats won't do that to the leaves, but if the larvae are getting at your roots, it will definitely affect the leaves.
But I have no idea of what's wrong with the leaves in that picture. It's not your plant, right? I'd rather see the pics of your leaves, cuz those other leaves could look like that for some other reason. I still say that your plants look NOTHING like that.

Of course, the oldest leaves are going to start looking beat up, but if you haven't switched to flower yet, that shouldn't be happening.

As for defoliation, I still go back and read the tutorial over. I am definitely still learning the art.

As for yellow sticky papers, what I hate is when they pull my hair out!!!

[Kylrmassey]

Check out my post "leaf issues." My issues started by looking like that and progressed.

[RubySlippers]

It looks like the gnats have receded. I see a couple teeny ones so I'll continue with the Neem every other water or so. Now I need to focus on possible nute deficiencies. Lower, newer growth is pretty soft and yellow. Thanks all!

[Potted]

Neem oil should b applied once every 10 days till problem is resolved,mix warm and spray the under side of leaves as well as tops shaking often to mix ( oil and water.) I've putt a little dish soap in as a sticker for oil+ water.

[berrypilot]

🌱 How are your plants doing? I had a really, really bad fungus gnat invasion on some of my outdoor plants (I was watering too often) and I wonder if you were able to get rid of them? I stopped overwatering, and I used diatomaceous earth, and I sprayed the topsoil with neem oil, used sticky traps (though I took them down because they cause a bee ) I also started watering them with both SM-90 and Mosquito bits in the water, to hopefully kill the fungus gnats. I think I have them beat now as I haven't seen any for the last few years, but I'm still a little worried every time I water the plants that they'll come back. I never had this problem indoors so it's a new thing. I swear I think it's coming from a neighbor who doesn't take good care of their plants 🌱

[alltatup]

Man, BP, you killed them gnats!!! You gave them the whole circus!! (Sorry about the bee.) At least now you know what to do if they return and the thing is, once we've been through it, we recognize it right away and nip it in the bud if it does return. Good job!!!

[RubySlippers]

I have 3 hanging sticky traps inside the tent and 2 near my watering table. They're all empty except some poor fly that must've snuck in when I had the door open. I've just been using Neem oil after every watering. I also spray a bit on the floor of the tent, just in case. I'm surprised they didn't cause more of a problem (though one plant seems stunted) since my tent is in the basement and there's always a bunch of bugs down there. I was keeping the humidity too high for awhile, so once I defoliated and took the humidifier out the gnats seemed to disappear. I also got rid of an open bag of soil and any open water containers.

berrypilot Those damn gnats didn't stand a chance against you! Remind me not to piss you off!
Thanks for asking!

[alltatup]

And good for you, too, Ruby: we are all triumphing over the damn pests!!