Verve compost

I was having a discussion about the products that are changing with a local nursery assistant yesterday and it turned to B & Q's Verve compost. I'm not the only person having problems with fungus gnats it would seem, as she has had other enquiries about them and Verve compost is the likely culprit. As we know many suppliers have changed the 'make-up' of their multi-purpose composts this year, B & Q's Verve amongst them. The assistant was saying that B & Q have not only reduced the amount of peat content but they have reduced the screening process as well which explains the presence of the gnats/larvae.

Although the gnats aren't really an issue when plants are outside, inside they are a nuisance and with nothing on the shelves that will destroy the larvae in the compost it would seem I have no option other than to re-pot again, using another compost, as home remedies haven't dealt with the problem. Re-potting a 6ft Ficus as well as a large Parlour Palm is not an easy task at the best of times, but I object to having to do it twice within a few months.

 

That is a bitter sweet symphony Sheal.

My sympathies with the fungus gnats, I used to work on a mushroom farm where you'd have 6 billion in your tea mug every time you put it down.

We had no choice but to water from above there, to keep the casing moist.

If you can water from below they don't get the right conditions to breed.

 

Six billion! I bet they took a while to count.

I don't think watering from below will make any difference Zigs. I only water the Ficus once every two months, but they are still reproducing, however I'll give it a go before I start crawling round the kitchen floor again when I re-pot.

 

Not used it, but came across this:

"Nilnat is a biological control for Fungus Gnats. It is a microscopic crystal which, when eaten by the Sciarid Fly maggots, swells up in its gut, perforates the gut wall and kills the maggot."
http://www.3ch.co.uk/plant-aid/pest-control/nilnat/prod_1075.html

 

Thanks for your replies everyone.

 

To be honest I've not had a problem and find it better than most.

 

Not really, you just get everyone in the world to queue up to take one each, then all you have to do is count how many people missed out, and its simple arithmetic from there.

 

Just tasted like that many, you get used to it.

Best thing was clearing out a tunnel that had been left after cropping.

The farm was only interested in button mushrooms for going into ready meals, used to have some lovely dinner plate sized mushrooms out of the old tunnels.

 

As my usual MPC , Wickes , had the great GC's thumbs down for 2012. I used mainly B n Qs Verve compost , yes I did suffer from Gnats - which I had never really noticed before. I had fly paper and insect killer over all my alloted indoor plant space . Apart from being unpleasant in the house , do they do any harm ?

By the way, is this the last compost post of 2012 , or the first compost post of 2013

 

I don't think they do any harm Harry, they are just a nuisance. Apparently as soon as the plants are watered more of the larvae hatch, so it's a no win situation. I'll be buying more soil at the weekend to re-pot.

It's probably the last compost thread of this year, unless members want to add there thoughts on what compost they'll be buying next year. Apart from problems with the gnats I think many of us thought that Verve did well as a multi-purpose, compared to other products.

 

Clear all fallen leaves & debris off the top of the pots & put a layer of coarse sand on, that'll mess them up too

 

Sorry Zigs, these are indoor plants I'm talking about, which is why the gnats are being what they are........pests!

 

I declared war on the fungus gnats today. So out with the Verve compost and in with the Levingtons. I also invested in a can of fly spray that I haven't bought for years.

As security, I fly sprayed our spare room so that the plants could go in there straight after re-potting. I cleared off all the old compost from the plants outside and washed the roots. I then brought them in, repotted in the kitchen and whisked them into the no fly zone.

I then sprayed the rest of the house to kill any flies still lurking, left for the stated 10 minutes (I gave it 15) and threw all the windows open after so other half and I could breath.

So far so good, I'm not sitting here now doing a rather stupid impression of Mick Jagger! I'll investigate the plants in the spare room tomorrow and see if it's worked. Fingers crossed for now.