Fungus gnats and seeds

[JohnAndSancho]

I've got 2 community pots of C. Radicalis seeds from @DoomsDave and a handful of sprouted seeds of a. Merrillii from @GoatLockerGuns in my apartment. I guess the fungus gnats found them when I was at work. Are they gonna be a problem for seeds? I got rid of them in the other palms with top dressings and other methods, but seeds are a new realm for me. 

 

Overwatering can't be an issue, since I've been snowed in at work for the past week. I'm actually worried that they might have dried out too much while I was gone. 

 

Seeds are literally plopped in soil in partially filled 2gal garden pots. I've read that lots of soil has gnat larvae in them from the warehouses. 

 

How can I get rid of these flying jerks without harming the seeds or preventing germination? 

[Darold Petty]

I  believe that the larvae eat the microscopic root hairs of the seedling palms, so no foul before germination.  Still, the primary cause for these gnats is pot medium that is kept too wet.   

(There are commercial products for fungus gnats, but I'm not familiar with their use.)

[el-blanco]

Try this, it worked for me..... put a good layer of perlite on top.  Maybe 1 inch.  I had fungus gnats in a few newly potted houseplants and it worked.

[JohnAndSancho]

3 hours ago, el-blanco said:

Try this, it worked for me..... put a good layer of perlite on top.  Maybe 1 inch.  I had fungus gnats in a few newly potted houseplants and it worked.

I don't have any perlite laying around, but I have LECA and some Turface. I'm _guessing_ it would provide the same benefit..... Maybe?

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I don't have any perlite laying around, but I have LECA and some Turface. I'm _guessing_ it would provide the same benefit..... Maybe?

Layer of Turface will work.. Forget Perlite, will float away when watered/ blow away if dry ( from the surface of the pot )

[JohnAndSancho]

1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Layer of Turface will work.. Forget Perlite, will float away when watered/ blow away if dry ( from the surface of the pot )

Gangster. I'll try to keep it thin so the little guys can (hopefully) sprout. 

 

Pretty much figured out they started in my dead Calathea. 

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Gangster. I'll try to keep it thin so the little guys can (hopefully) sprout. 

 

Pretty much figured out they started in my dead Calathea. 

I get Washingtonia r seeds that somehow work their way down 2-4" in pots that have at least that amount of Turface near the surface and they pop right through it w/out any issues.. So top dressing with say 1/4th to 1/2 an inch over any seeds in pots should be fine, and help keep the bugs from finding a home. 

[JohnAndSancho]

17 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

I get Washingtonia r seeds that somehow work their way down 2-4" in pots that have at least that amount of Turface near the surface and they pop right through it w/out any issues.. So top dressing with say 1/4th to 1/2 an inch over any seeds in pots should be fine, and help keep the bugs from finding a home. 

I need to get on my Mosquito Dunk regimen again too. Some of those little b*stards set up shop in the bottom of one of my patio palms and came in when I had to bring everyone inside for snowmageddon. 

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I need to get on my Mosquito Dunk regimen again too. Some of those little b*stards set up shop in the bottom of one of my patio palms and came in when I had to bring everyone inside for snowmageddon. 

Yea, lol.. that's not something you want in the house -at all-.

[JohnAndSancho]

Yeah. I've got some water hogs in here. 

 

So it turns out there's a drawback to "self watering" pots. 

[Matt in OC]

Mosquito bits work ok for me on potted palms but I think fly tape is actually the most helpful, combined with less watering.