I happen up your site. Thank for the advice on fungus gnats. Last year the fungus gnats destroyed my patio garden. Your advice has given me courage to try again.
Yes! Always try again, it's worth it!Another defense I use, are the yellow sticky sheets that attract bugs. Last year, I hung them around my squash plants to help with the Beatles! I got them on Amazon
I've been a gardener for my whole life, until the last 10 or 15 years fungus gnats were NOT in potting soil. I don't know what Miracle Grow is doing, the it is the WORST and always has fungus gnats. And it's a mess if you get them in your house. Good idea here! thanks
Me too. I had no idea it was the potting soil. I didn't have any previously. They have infested everything! I thought it was the cheaper potting soil, now I know it's both.
Omggggg I've been wondering why I'm having this problem, never knew this. I clean every 6 hours and still have them I'll never buy this again 💯I'll stick to fox farm
I bought a bag of soil to change my plant's soil because I saw a few gnats, it started getting worse, so I thought I should change the soil again...opened the bag and gnats started flying out of it 😢 No doubt my poor roses where not doing well. I'll try this, thanks!
We have fungus gnats in our kitchen all summer long😭 I have wondered if I might make it worse now that I am growing so many things inside this year. I'll have to try this with my next bag of soil 👍
Try the stick on clearsticky strips that you put on the window. I put one on my kitchen window and one on my sliding door near the majority of my plants.
After baking soil and it's cool, place in the pot transplant my seedlings and I cover it with a lot of pebbles. This is done for indoor vegetable pepper plant.
Awesome just may try that. Definitely worth trying. You have to moisten the soil anyways. Only extra step is just to boil the water and a little tin foil. Thanks🙂 Thanks
I recently brought a bag of this soil it was loaded with fungus gnats and eggs that look like "Tiny Green Balls" the bag had small holes in it had gnats all over. Took the dirt baked it killed everything, (TIP) after fill the pot over half way with dirt put the plant in water after it drains cover the top with dry soil when it's time to water it again push back the top soil water it then put the dry soil back over it I'm gnat free now they hate dry soil
Good video. Once you have gnats, I know it's difficult to get rid of them. Would it be effective to cover the base of your plant with something like a stocking or very tight mesh of some sort so that the gnats wouldn't be able to escape? Thanks
I considered a mesh to cover the stock and soil too.. I plant to try it on my autos.. I'm going to use beard nets.. cuz I think the water will pass through it fine, but the gnats that are pregnant won't fit through.
The biggest problem with fungus gnats is their larva, which lives within the top few inches of soil. The larva will eat the tiny watering root hairs and it can be devasting on your poor baby sprouts. Adult fungus gnats pose no threat other than being annoying. To get rid of the fungus gnat larva you should let the top soil dry out for a few days before watering again, the larva cannot survive dry soil for very long. You use this boiling water method shown in the video to give yourself the best chance of killing any fungus or larva eggs which can stay dormant in your soil for a long time. It's peace of mind before you plant your seedling.
LOVE your cats! I wonder if microwaving would work? Just to burst the eggs. Microwaves are cheap at thrift stores and garage sale and craigslist too. Sjort nuking I think would be good...what do you think?
Hello my friend! I think it's a sound idea, and I love the idea of reusing something. I would definitely want to do research on any of the cons and then make the best decision for the situation. Thanks for the idea!
People have said that if you put your soil in the freezer that the fungus gnats go dormant just like if it was winter. Then they reimmerge when the soil warms back up, so don't use that method.
It's so unpredictable. I've had different results after leaving my soil in the garage over winter. Some good, some not so good. This year, I bought some that were kept outside, and they were completely frozen. We are also going to be away for 3 weeks and won't have time to clean it. Wish me luck!
Since I watched this video yesterday, I’ve been doing this for all of my already potted plants. The most recent one I did it cooled down pretty quickly. The foil was never too hot to touch maybe because it was a larger amount of soil. Is there a certain amount of time it has to say super hot or is mixing the boiling water up with all the soil good enough?
They are in everything now fox farm, pro mix. I switched to coco and worm castings. But my soil i re use i put in the shed and dust the top layer with diatomaceous earth. It will kill anything trying to get in or out!
miracle gro is the #1 soil with fungas gnats,i buy 60l of soil a week from every soil company out there in canada and miracle gro is the one that continuously has gnats ,get your soil from a hydro store and you wont have this issue, I buy super soil thats organically amended SO I CANT BOIL OR HEAT SOIL so im very aware who has gnats and who dont in there product
Hello! I didn't microwave mine. I used hot water. In my zone 5b, I'm 3 months away from planting my onion seeds! Yikes. I will be doing this process in early January. Happy Gardening 🙂
If you buy soil from a hydroponic store you will have less trouble with infestation because they keep the bags and bales of soil inside where if you buy from a department store they keep them in the garden center or outside all year.
If you buy Fox Farm Happy Frog, you won't have to worry about anything in the soil. I've been using for 6 years and I've never seen those little tiny white bugs or anything in it. But you will find a lava rock here and there lol
I just watched a video where the poster said there was an experiment in Alaska with soil at 25 degrees below! zero F. 70% of the adult fungus gnats somehow survived. Not sure about the larvae. I've been doing the boiling water and oven methods and both seem to work well. An additional suggestion would be to never open bags of soil or potting mix inside your home. Twice now I have opened bags only to have fungus gnats fly out. Never again!
That's interesting. I live in Ontario Canada and have left bags in my garage during our very cold winters and thought I might be ok. Having said that, I can't say if gnats came from one bag or all. It would be an interesting experiment, BUT it might also be annoying 🙄 🤔 I've never had anything fly out! That's crazy! 😀
I spray my soil down with hydrogen peroxide it kills mold and fugus/bateria. The 10% solution can be used to kill black mold and wood rot fugus under your crawlspace. I just use the 3% from the store it kill the mildew odor in new potting mix.
Nice instructive video. Actually, potting soil is not something contaminating? One can also put the soil into a pan and heat it up by adding water. Since potting soil often contains turf one should better not put it into an oven. Turf can burn.
Seeds have what they need in the beginning from their seed coating. I usually add a diluted fertilizer after the first true leaves appear. So having sterile mix to start seeds is ok!
I use the white bag promix to start most seeds. The boiling water kills everything but no gnats. Pick your poison. You can always add nutrients of your choosing after the soil is sterile.
It helps. It isn't 100% (not sure there is anything that is 100%), but will definitely decrease this from happening. After planting in the soil, I top with vermiculite which also aids in helping. This year, I have started roughly 300 seedlings and haven't experienced any damping off fungus. BUT, last year I did everything the same and had a few cases of this. Happy Gardening
I've bought soil at the end of the season, knowing I would need it in January to start onion seeds. I've left it in the cold garage for months, and I've brought it inside to my plant area. Both resulted in bugs. Now, having said that, I have also had years where I wasn't able to clean it, and I barely noticed anything and other years where they are so annoying...
@@GardeningintheNorth that’s interesting, thanks for sharing ur experience , for me ive been leaving the soil stored for 6 months then I treat it with mosquito bits tea then leave it for two weeks then another application of mosquito bits then another two weeks then I use it ! It’s a long frustrating process but it’s better than dealing with another infestation that I had years ago ! My house is insects free for 3 years now
@@GardeningintheNorth it’s misquito dunks ( u can find in ur local nursery or amazon , they kill the larvae 🐛 of any insects ! I call it tea as i soak this dunk in warm water then leave it there for 3 hours or a day then water the plants ! U can find lots of videos on youtube regarding this ! It’s effective in killing gnats larvae
I think it's gotten a lot worse in the last 10 yrs. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Miracle Grow eliminated a step or two in the soil processing to "reduce their Carbon footprint" & meet new environmental regulations to "save the planet"
@@loloholmes2793 that's a shame as it just about renders a bag of potting soil useless. I know there are ways to kill them but....Perhaps this is an opportunity for the competition to come out with a gnat free soil
You’re also killing all the beneficial microbes and fungus in the soil. You’re basically making a dead soil. All you need to do to get rid of fungus gnats is water in beneficial nematodes. When you’re using soil you want to use better natural approaches to problems.
Thanks Victor. The whole video is about cleaning your soil. I talk about the different ways in order to give people options. Not everyone will want to do it just the one way. Thanks for watching.
@@GardeningintheNorth I meant I watch your video, I already trust your experience by definition, and if so, just let people know your best way. The problem with youtube these days is that in order to monetize well videos should be long, Im not saying you follow that, Im just saying that it is like a new thing nowadays . By sharing your best way and NOT giving a choice of failing for others , you save people time, which is life. But I know what you meant.
Thank you Victor. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain what you meant. I understand what you meant, and value the advice and will think about this as I plan out future videos. 😊
Not always , but def possible I actually ended up with springtails thos time they r pissing me off . Came from worm castings I sterilized everything else lmfao . Not a cheap fix in my set up . Hahahajajaja
@@nmzkal helpful if you have lots of organic matter, they can eat your roots , especially with no organic matter around, that being said they can be just ad beneficial as earthworms in the soil if you know how to control populations .
I happen up your site. Thank for the advice on fungus gnats. Last year the fungus gnats destroyed my patio garden. Your advice has given me courage to try again.
Yes! Always try again, it's worth it!Another defense I use, are the yellow sticky sheets that attract bugs. Last year, I hung them around my squash plants to help with the Beatles! I got them on Amazon
I've been a gardener for my whole life, until the last 10 or 15 years fungus gnats were NOT in potting soil. I don't know what Miracle Grow is doing, the it is the WORST and always has fungus gnats. And it's a mess if you get them in your house. Good idea here! thanks
Thank you! 😊
Me too. I had no idea it was the potting soil. I didn't have any previously. They have infested everything! I thought it was the cheaper potting soil, now I know it's both.
Happy Frog too. Not just Miracle Grow. I have no idea what’s going on but I’m glad to have found this method!
Omggggg I've been wondering why I'm having this problem, never knew this. I clean every 6 hours and still have them I'll never buy this again 💯I'll stick to fox farm
True
My soil i purchased this year was over run with fungus gnats. I am glad I watched this, I’m so frustrated I wasn’t sure what to do. Thank you so much!
Oh no! As a follow up to this, I bought these yellow sticky sheets that I hang near my grow lights to catch anything that made it through 😊
I'm getting ready to start my seedlings. So happy to have found your video
Awesome! Happy Gardening ❤️
I do that for all my potting soil when I am growing indoor, but I never thought about doing it for the seed starter. Interesting!
Thank you Karen ❤️😊
Does it work against squash bugs as well? Looking to pull my indoor herbs and retreat my soil as it looks like I have gnats and squash mites somehow..
feel like boiling the dirt kills the good bacteria tho
@@LEETGAMER trust me, you'd much rather avoid what I've gone through
I bought a bag of soil to change my plant's soil because I saw a few gnats, it started getting worse, so I thought I should change the soil again...opened the bag and gnats started flying out of it 😢
No doubt my poor roses where not doing well. I'll try this, thanks!
Oh no! I hope you have better luck!! 🙂
I just did my soul and I will repot tomorrow. Sounds like a great idea.
We have fungus gnats in our kitchen all summer long😭 I have wondered if I might make it worse now that I am growing so many things inside this year. I'll have to try this with my next bag of soil 👍
I have a few bags in my car, winter is my freezer. When I need them, I will use boiling water. 😀
Try the stick on clearsticky strips that you put on the window. I put one on my kitchen window and one on my sliding door near the majority of my plants.
After baking soil and it's cool, place in the pot transplant my seedlings and I cover it with a lot of pebbles. This is done for indoor vegetable pepper plant.
Great idea! I use vermiculite the same way. Helps to keep the soil moist longer Happy Gardening 😊
Awesome just may try that. Definitely worth trying. You have to moisten the soil anyways. Only extra step is just to boil the water and a little tin foil. Thanks🙂
Thanks
Thank you! ❤️
I recently brought a bag of this soil it was loaded with fungus gnats and eggs that look like "Tiny Green Balls" the bag had small holes in it had gnats all over. Took the dirt baked it killed everything, (TIP) after fill the pot over half way with dirt put the plant in water after it drains cover the top with dry soil when it's time to water it again push back the top soil water it then put the dry soil back over it I'm gnat free now they hate dry soil
Great strategy!!! Thank you, I will need to try this. Happy Gardening 🙂
Thank you! I stumbled upon this video. It's very useful info! Subscribed. 😊
Welcome my friend!
Good video. Once you have gnats, I know it's difficult to get rid of them. Would it be effective to cover the base of your plant with something like a stocking or very tight mesh of some sort so that the gnats wouldn't be able to escape? Thanks
Thank you! That’s a very interesting idea. I haven’t tried that, but I like the concept
I considered a mesh to cover the stock and soil too.. I plant to try it on my autos.. I'm going to use beard nets.. cuz I think the water will pass through it fine, but the gnats that are pregnant won't fit through.
@@adamholste791 I got stainless steel mesh from Amazon. It comes in a roll and works very well.
I’m using the freeze method for my fox farms ocean Forrest trying to get rid of spring tail
The biggest problem with fungus gnats is their larva, which lives within the top few inches of soil. The larva will eat the tiny watering root hairs and it can be devasting on your poor baby sprouts. Adult fungus gnats pose no threat other than being annoying. To get rid of the fungus gnat larva you should let the top soil dry out for a few days before watering again, the larva cannot survive dry soil for very long.
You use this boiling water method shown in the video to give yourself the best chance of killing any fungus or larva eggs which can stay dormant in your soil for a long time. It's peace of mind before you plant your seedling.
very nice info i have used the oven before...but the hot water is much faster..
Thank you John! ❤️😀
LOVE your cats! I wonder if microwaving would work? Just to burst the eggs. Microwaves are cheap at thrift stores and garage sale and craigslist too. Sjort nuking I think would be good...what do you think?
Hello my friend! I think it's a sound idea, and I love the idea of reusing something. I would definitely want to do research on any of the cons and then make the best decision for the situation. Thanks for the idea!
@@GardeningintheNorth Well, now you have a scientic experiment, some research and a vd to do...
TFS! Never heard of this before, that's for the info
That’s awesome! It means I picked a good topic! ❤️
People have said that if you put your soil in the freezer that the fungus gnats go dormant just like if it was winter. Then they reimmerge when the soil warms back up, so don't use that method.
It's so unpredictable. I've had different results after leaving my soil in the garage over winter. Some good, some not so good. This year, I bought some that were kept outside, and they were completely frozen. We are also going to be away for 3 weeks and won't have time to clean it. Wish me luck!
Since I watched this video yesterday, I’ve been doing this for all of my already potted plants. The most recent one I did it cooled down pretty quickly. The foil was never too hot to touch maybe because it was a larger amount of soil. Is there a certain amount of time it has to say super hot or is mixing the boiling water up with all the soil good enough?
Hello! I always leave the hot soil covered with the tinfoil until cool. You don't want to rush the process. Happy Gardening!
They are in everything now fox farm, pro mix. I switched to coco and worm castings. But my soil i re use i put in the shed and dust the top layer with diatomaceous earth. It will kill anything trying to get in or out!
So smart! I love using worm castings. The plants grow faster and bigger in it.
Very interesting, never thought about that, thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching!
miracle gro is the #1 soil with fungas gnats,i buy 60l of soil a week from every soil company out there in canada and miracle gro is the one that continuously has gnats ,get your soil from a hydro store and you wont have this issue, I buy super soil thats organically amended SO I CANT BOIL OR HEAT SOIL so im very aware who has gnats and who dont in there product
Thank you! I definitely will look into that in my area, I really appreciate the info 😊
How about putting the soil in the freezer?
But miracle grow does great outside
Hi! Do i need to microwave it before or after doing my own mix? (More so do i need to microvwave compost as well)?
Hello! I didn't microwave mine. I used hot water. In my zone 5b, I'm 3 months away from planting my onion seeds! Yikes. I will be doing this process in early January. Happy Gardening 🙂
If you buy soil from a hydroponic store you will have less trouble with infestation because they keep the bags and bales of soil inside where if you buy from a department store they keep them in the garden center or outside all year.
Great suggestion!
That is awesome and really simple!
Thank you!
Thank you for watching my friend! 😀
Thx Always use thick gloves when handling hot water
If you buy Fox Farm Happy Frog, you won't have to worry about anything in the soil. I've been using for 6 years and I've never seen those little tiny white bugs or anything in it. But you will find a lava rock here and there lol
Thank you 🙂 where do you buy yours? I see that it is sold on Amazon, but it's very expensive.
O wow i didn't know anything about that ha cool. Thanks for the info.
Great video, thank you!!
I just watched a video where the poster said there was an experiment in Alaska with soil at 25 degrees below! zero F. 70% of the adult fungus gnats somehow survived. Not sure about the larvae. I've been doing the boiling water and oven methods and both seem to work well.
An additional suggestion would be to never open bags of soil or potting mix inside your home. Twice now I have opened bags only to have fungus gnats fly out. Never again!
That's interesting. I live in Ontario Canada and have left bags in my garage during our very cold winters and thought I might be ok. Having said that, I can't say if gnats came from one bag or all. It would be an interesting experiment, BUT it might also be annoying 🙄 🤔
I've never had anything fly out! That's crazy! 😀
I spray my soil down with hydrogen peroxide it kills mold and fugus/bateria. The 10% solution can be used to kill black mold and wood rot fugus under your crawlspace. I just use the 3% from the store it kill the mildew odor in new potting mix.
I have the 3% peroxide. I bought it for a project but never did it. I will definitely need to take a look at this method. Thank you 🙂
Kills the microbes that deliver nutrients to your plant too.
Nice instructive video. Actually, potting soil is not something contaminating? One can also put the soil into a pan and heat it up by adding water. Since potting soil often contains turf one should better not put it into an oven. Turf can burn.
I do the boiling water method with a tote bin
I do this but never did the foil thing ill have to do the foil thing
This is great! Thanks for the info.
Thank you 😊
Doesn't pouring boiling water into your soil kill essential microbes and nutrients that are in the soil?
Nutrients, no. Microbes, yes, - But, well worth it rather than have larvae eating your roots and killing your planties. 💯
Seeds have what they need in the beginning from their seed coating. I usually add a diluted fertilizer after the first true leaves appear. So having sterile mix to start seeds is ok!
I steam clean by soil. (SIMMER THE DIRT ON THE STOVE). It is 100%
So the heat and covering the soil with foil wont encourage fungus?
This process has seemed to help me. It's not 100% foolproof, but it's 100 times better than not doing it.
Seems using boiling water is the same method as over cooking in oven.
What can I do if they are little things crawling in my soil? I have been seeing gnats and I didn't know this could affect it
Hello! If you have already planted in that soil you could try these yellow sticky sheets amzn.to/3xeIOea these really seem to work with gnats. 😀
Neem oil!
But if you use need oil make sure you dont eat the leaves,heard need oil is very toxic to humans
I've been using mycorrizae enhanced starting mix and the boiling water would kill that too.
Mabey you could add it back in after steroizing the soil
@@hopeking3588 ya, but it is kinda a waste of money to pay extra for mycorrhizae then intentionally kill it, and buy more to put back in...
Don't put it in until After you've sterilized the soil.
@@sweettooth5737 It comes already in the commercial growing mix.
I use the white bag promix to start most seeds. The boiling water kills everything but no gnats. Pick your poison. You can always add nutrients of your choosing after the soil is sterile.
does this also prevent the damping off fungus??
It helps. It isn't 100% (not sure there is anything that is 100%), but will definitely decrease this from happening. After planting in the soil, I top with vermiculite which also aids in helping. This year, I have started roughly 300 seedlings and haven't experienced any damping off fungus. BUT, last year I did everything the same and had a few cases of this. Happy Gardening
I microwave my soil to zap all of them then I fertilize my soil before I plant.
Never thought of that. Can one use liquid miracle grow in the house.i use organic things only outside.
How about buying the soil way ahead and storing it for a long time then use it ?
I've bought soil at the end of the season, knowing I would need it in January to start onion seeds. I've left it in the cold garage for months, and I've brought it inside to my plant area. Both resulted in bugs. Now, having said that, I have also had years where I wasn't able to clean it, and I barely noticed anything and other years where they are so annoying...
@@GardeningintheNorth that’s interesting, thanks for sharing ur experience , for me ive been leaving the soil stored for 6 months then I treat it with mosquito bits tea then leave it for two weeks then another application of mosquito bits then another two weeks then I use it ! It’s a long frustrating process but it’s better than dealing with another infestation that I had years ago ! My house is insects free for 3 years now
What is mosquito bit tea? I’ve never heard of this , but I’m very interested
@@GardeningintheNorth it’s misquito dunks ( u can find in ur local nursery or amazon , they kill the larvae 🐛 of any insects ! I call it tea as i soak this dunk in warm water then leave it there for 3 hours or a day then water the plants ! U can find lots of videos on youtube regarding this ! It’s effective in killing gnats larvae
Good information 👍👌. Have a nice day
Thank you Yannis! ❤️😊
God to know! Thank you!
I've read that to kill fungus gnat eggs by cold temps it has to go below -25F; that's minus 25F
Here is Ontario Canada, that would be -31, yikes! 😊
@@GardeningintheNorth Everything's colder in Canada. LOL
Great information!
Thank you 😊
Can i do this with cactus soil?
I’m sorry I’m not familiar with that soil, but I really don’t see why not. 😊
You don’t do this with worm castings right?
I’ve never done this to worm castings, only the soil.
I use warm casting outside and never inside bcareful of organic things in the house! It draws pest!
It's a shame that you can't just buy a couple of bags of potting soul without getting fungus gnats. Has it always been like this?
Yes, as long as I can remember. However, every year can be different.
I think it's gotten a lot worse in the last 10 yrs. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Miracle Grow eliminated a step or two in the soil processing to "reduce their Carbon footprint" & meet new environmental regulations to "save the planet"
@@loloholmes2793 that's a shame as it just about renders a bag of potting soil useless. I know there are ways to kill them but....Perhaps this is an opportunity for the competition to come out with a gnat free soil
do you only steralize when seeding?
Yes, in the morning of the day of or the day before
@@GardeningintheNorth ty
Hi. How many hours should it sit before it's good to use?
Hello, It needs to be cooled. I will often do it at night and plant in it the next day. 😊
@@GardeningintheNorth Thank you for your response 😃
I would not recommend oven or microwave cuz it's gonna stink up your home.
No, it doesn't stink up your home,. I have done it twice and there's no smell..
Wouldn't you kill all the beneficial microbes and mycelium?
Yes, but it's not the whole garden, just a small amount to start seeds and grow the seedlings without a million gnats.
You’re also killing all the beneficial microbes and fungus in the soil. You’re basically making a dead soil. All you need to do to get rid of fungus gnats is water in beneficial nematodes. When you’re using soil you want to use better natural approaches to problems.
Can fungus knats have egg in Coco 😁??
Hello! Honestly, knats can lay eggs anywhere,,,
Don't heat miracle grow and water in house could upset the lab house
👍👍👍
Disagree with much of this Killing the soil
Well you can't have nats flying threw the whole house! You can always fertize
save people time, if you dont like a certain way why to even talk about it? get right to the point
Thanks Victor. The whole video is about cleaning your soil. I talk about the different ways in order to give people options. Not everyone will want to do it just the one way. Thanks for watching.
@@GardeningintheNorth I meant I watch your video, I already trust your experience by definition, and if so, just let people know your best way. The problem with youtube these days is that in order to monetize well videos should be long, Im not saying you follow that, Im just saying that it is like a new thing nowadays . By sharing your best way and NOT giving a choice of failing for others , you save people time, which is life. But I know what you meant.
Thank you Victor. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain what you meant. I understand what you meant, and value the advice and will think about this as I plan out future videos. 😊
@@GardeningintheNorth Thank you, but you are doing great.
Not always , but def possible I actually ended up with springtails thos time they r pissing me off . Came from worm castings I sterilized everything else lmfao . Not a cheap fix in my set up . Hahahajajaja
Springtails are helpful, they eat harmful fungi molds and spores
@@nmzkal helpful if you have lots of organic matter, they can eat your roots , especially with no organic matter around, that being said they can be just ad beneficial as earthworms in the soil if you know how to control populations .
Better way is to bake soil in oven to 200 degrees farenheit for half hour at 200f , fool proof , guaranteed.