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Preflower and Fungal Gnats, can I use Neem Oil?

MNGrows
MNGrowsstarted grow question 9 months ago
I just top dressed some Gaia Green into my soil. While mixing it in, I noticed several small flies fly out of the soil, I'm guessing they are fungal gnats. My plant is in preflower and showing pistals. Can I use neem oil in this situation to get rid of them?
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Week 3
Other. Bugs
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BudBoutique
BudBoutiqueanswered grow question 9 months ago
Hey buddy, First of all nice grow so far - dont worry we get u covered here :) Using neem oil to control fungal gnats after top dressing during the preflower stage can be helpful, but there are precautions to consider: Neem Oil Application: Dilute neem oil properly and apply it during the evening to avoid direct sunlight. Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Use sticky traps, allow soil to dry between waterings, and consider introducing beneficial predators like nematodes. Monitor Carefully: Keep a close eye on plants. If gnats threaten plants, consider more aggressive action, but prioritize plant health and quality. --- Neem Oil Mix: - You'll need neem high-quality oil, a mild liquid soap or emulsifier, and water. Neem oil is not water-soluble, so it needs to be mixed with an emulsifier to create an even mixture. A common emulsifier is mild liquid soap, such as dish soap. - Mix 1 teaspoon of neem oil with 1/2 teaspoon of mild liquid soap. - Gently stir the mixture to combine. Once you have the neem oil and soap mixture, you'll need to dilute it with water. Use a gallon of water as a standard measurement. You can adjust the quantities proportionally if you need a smaller amount. - Fill a spray bottle or container with a gallon of water. - Add the neem oil and soap mixture to the water. - Close the container and shake it well to ensure thorough mixing. Before applying the neem oil mixture to your entire plant, test it on a small, inconspicuous area of the plant. This helps ensure that the plant doesn't have an adverse reaction to the solution. Apply the neem oil mixture as a soil drench or foliar spray during the evening or when the plant is not exposed to direct sunlight. Be sure to cover the tops and bottoms of the leaves, as well as the soil surface. Remember that neem oil has a distinctive smell, and while it's effective against pests, it can also leave a residue on the plants. If u have further Questions feel free to send me DM Have fun and GOOD LUCK :)
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m0use
m0useanswered grow question 9 months ago
I have dealt with gnats a lot in my indoors grows and the first thing I tried worked so well I never looked back. and it was not neem. You can still use neem I just think you'll have better success with the below items. I use beneficial nematodes, they are microscopic parasitic worms that eat the fungus gnat larva, it kills em before they turn into the flying stage of their life. I use a brand thats called pot poppers. I've also heard that adding in mosquito dunks/pucks or BT into your feeding water will kill em dead. BT is a bacteria that infects the larva of many bugs and kills em quite fast. its sometimes sold as a liquid and advertised as caterpillar killer. Both are great options that work and work very well. The issue with sticky traps is its only killing the end life stage and not at a good rate, its better for monitoring pests in the grow environment. Gnats like yellow but they also like to fuck and lay eggs, Side note, I don't like to use DE aka diatomaceous earth as its useless when wet and takes some time to be effective. Can also be a respiratory irritant if the powder gets in the air and you breath it in. Good Luck!
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Sciolistic_Steve
Sciolistic_Steveanswered grow question 9 months ago
Bt(i) or BTI -- mosquito dunks or bits is the brand in north america, possibly elsewhere. it'll take 2-3 weeks to get the gnats under control. neem won't do much, and 2x less if it is clarified neem oil. calrified is stripped of teh active ingredient that actually affects certain pests nervous system. if active ingredients don't include azadirechtin (spelling is off) or says "clarified neem" you know it's just horticultural oil with a bad smell... still useful, just not as effective with pests. they don't like the smell, but it won't screw with their nervous systems, so less effective in that regard. probably safer for pets, though. in teh usa, it'll depend on the state you are in. e.g. my state doesn't allow the sale of non-clarified neem oil, or they make it so difficultit is hard to find either way. neem on some preflower sisn't a big deal.. definitely don't want it on developing flower. just remember you don't want to smoke the preflowers, lol... neem biodegrades pretty fast.. if 15 days or so have gone by, i wouldn't be too concerned about it on some preflowers, but i'd still avoid applying in flower, unless absolute catastrophe is the other option. bti is a bacteria. it's been used on our food crops for a century? it's safe. you've constantly eaten meals throughout your life that had bti applied to the soil or Bt applied as foliar spray on a large farm. it's safe. much safer than chemicals or oil.
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GreenHarvest_Official
GreenHarvest_Officialanswered grow question 9 months ago
Yes using neem oil is fine but there are a couple of precautions to consider. Not the best expert on the topic but this article really helped https://www.growweedeasy.com/cannabis-plant-problems/fungus-gnats Good luck with the rest of your griw and hope your plant recovers
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GreenThumbedGrower
GreenThumbedGroweranswered grow question 9 months ago
Yellow sticky traps is a great idea. After a week see what happens, then possibly try some neem oil at 1ml per litre of pH'd water. Only use neem oil and other foliar based sprays when the lights are off or if growing outside, at night or at dawn because the sun will cause the droplets of oily water to act like a mini magnifying glass and it will burn a hole right through your leaves =)
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CULTIVATORFROG
CULTIVATORFROGanswered grow question 9 months ago
Coinsido con las respuestas de los colegas las moscas están en su suelo. Las trampas adhesivas son una buena opción. No es necesario agregar aceite de neem. Suerte
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ZooKeeper
ZooKeeperanswered grow question 9 months ago
Get some sticky traps to trap them. For the larvae mix 4 parts water to 1 part hydrogen peroxide and spray the medium. You want to let the top layer of the medium to dry out. If your top layer is always wet you are over watering.
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Pjm70
Pjm70answered grow question 9 months ago
They don't really harm the plant, it's all in the soil.
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Pjm70
Pjm70answered grow question 9 months ago
You can cover the soil with sand or small rocks. Let the top couple of inches of soil dry out. Aim a fan just above the soil. Anyone of those methods should work for them.
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