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Bugs in my soil

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Bugs in my soil Empty Bugs in my soil

Post  Mr. Carter Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:52 pm

I was just looking at the base on one of my plants and noticed what looked like tiny little ants. It really bothered me, so I pulled the pot off and noticed a lot more deeper down in the pot. There were also some different bugs that looked kind of like gnats, but with longer wings. This is in a plant that I recently got from a nursery, so I guess the bugs were a free gift. Sorry I don't know what kind of bugs they are, but if my description rings a bell with anyone, I'd like to hear from you. What can be done about my bugs?
Mr. Carter
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Post  Mr. Carter Sun Jun 24, 2012 12:45 am

I looked through the critter guide and couldn't find pictures to identify the bugs. The ants are red and really tiny. I called the other bugs, gnat, but they very well could be something else. They could just be ants with wings. They are actually down in the soil. When I removed the plant from it's pot, they were all over the outside of the soil, where the walls of the pot would be. I read soaking the pot in water for a half an hour would possibly drown then out. Then changing to a better well draining soil would also help too, but earlier I asked about changing some nursery trees from the soil that they are in, and everyone's response was to just let them stay until next year. Any help?
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Post  Billy M. Rhodes Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:44 am

Repotting is stressful to a plant and should only be done to healthy plants in the right season. For tropicals such as Ficus summer is OK, but for other species, cooler weather is required. So when is the best time to repot? It depends upon where you live and the species.
Dealing with the bugs/critters in your soil could be as simple as submerging the plant in water for about 30 minutes to drive out the bugs and then letting it dry properly between waterings. A stress plant is more susceptible to bugs than a healthy plant.
What bug remedies you use depends upon the bug and the plant. Check with your extension service.



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Post  Joe Hatfield Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:11 pm

Simply ask them to leave... WITH PESTICIDE! MU AH AH AH AH!
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Post  coh Mon Jul 02, 2012 8:19 pm

Based on your description, it sounds like some of the critters could be fungus gnats. Look those up and let us know if that's it. Are you also seeing them flying around the pots and soil surface?
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Post  Steven Mon Jul 02, 2012 9:07 pm

If you confirm that it is fungus gnats, they can be easy to deal with, with the wet spring we had here I had them move into my make-shift greenhouse. I have found that using either diatomaceous earth or even ground cinnamon (a trick my grandmother taught me years ago) on the surface of your soil ( i even mix it in just a bit on the top layer) will quickly kill off their eggs and any hatching offspring, this coupled with not overwatering or allowing the soil surface to dry just a bit between waterings (depending on species) will usually get rid of them.
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