What’s the best way to use neem oil to get rid of the gnats that have set up home in my soil thanks
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be careful use your better judgment. Some will have you ruan your crop
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Use a spray bottle. Spray the soil until damp/wet
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Let the soil dry out .They like moist dirt.
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If you have a true infestation it takes more than just neem. But, the way I use it. Mix with water, make sure ph is correct, and water well. Then mix with water for a foliar spray, use the spray the NEXT day after lights out, and every other day for 2 applications. You need a yellow sticky trap up at all times or a predatory plant to keep the adults down. Add perlite to top of soil, 1-2 inches deep, and change you water cycle to a true air-dry if possible.
If your invested badly.
First-yellow sticky trap, fan across soil or cover top of soil.
Second. Diluted hydrogen peroxide flood. Goggle it.
Third. Neem oil foliar spray. Every other day for a week.
I highly recommend keeping a yellow sticky trap up at all times as a guage of how many if any you have. Or alternative is a predatory plant such as a sundew or pitcher plant ro control any flying insects in the grow.
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Thanks it’s not too bad at the moment but if I don’t get on it now I’m sure it dont be long before it gets a problem
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Pour one-quarter to one-half inch of apple cider vinegar into a clear or semi-opaque plastic cup, creating an effective fungus gnat trap. Add a drop or two of liquid dish soap and stir to combine thoroughly. Cover the top of the cup with transparent tape, leaving a one-eighth-inch opening in the center of the taped area.
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Place the vinegar trap near your houseplant and check it daily. Don’t disturb it if you see gnats congregating on top of the taped area; they’ll soon find their way into the hole and down to the vinegar
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Set up some yellow sticky traps around your houseplant to attract hovering adults to the area.
Fungus gnats are lighter than liquid, so they’re able to walk across the surface without sinking. Dish soap breaks the surface tension of the liquid, causing them to drown in the vinegar in the trap.
Drop a small bit of ripe fruit such as banana or cantaloupe into the vinegar. Make sure the bait is large enough to protrude above the surface of the liquid. It will attract adult gnats faster than vinegar alone.
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Cut a fresh raw potato into chunks. Place a few pieces on the houseplant’s soil for two or three days. Pick up the potato pieces and look to see if anything has been chewing on them.
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Take the houseplant out of its pot gently if you have discovered fungus gnat larvae. Remove as much soil as you can without disturbing its roots. Seal the infected soil up in a plastic bag and discard it; do not add it to the compost heap. Clean and disinfect the plant container. Repot the plant in a good commercial sterilized potting soil mix.
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Modify your watering practices. Allow the houseplant’s soil surface to completely dry out. Withhold water as long as you can without causing injury to the plant. Fungus gnats require a moist environment, so the larvae will die when the soil dries out.
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Remove debris and dead plant material from the soil surface daily to eliminate an adult fungus gnat attractant and larval food source.
