FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

After getting some great advice from you guys especially Adriana about my fungus gnat problem it dawned on me that I can't afford anything (im skint) until pay day e.g. mosquito bits etc. I have read that gnats are only attracted to moist soil/sphagnum and covering the media will put the adults off completely. So my compulsive self has topped my vfts with quartz aquatic gravel. In one day my adult fungus gnats have literally disappeared. I found one so far and squished him. Please tell me this isn't toxic as I've read quartz is inert. The layer is literally as thin as I could lay it. Is this a HUGE mistake.

Quartz is a good top dressing material.
My only caution would be to rinse it off first before you use it.

Ahh thank you. It's been rinsed 3 times and the last time in rainwater. That's a big relief. I was worried because this quartz has no sealant on it like some aquarium gravel. So it won't stop new growth coming through? Obviously I haven't put it to close to the growth point.

Quartz doesn't require any sealant; it's chemically inert.

Silica sand is made up of small pieces of quartz. That's one of the ingredients that you can use to make carnivorous plant soil.

The gravel won't stand in the way of new offshoots. The leaves will push past the pieces, especially since you put down a thin layer.

Thanks Mikeb I'm really happy with that then. It's put off my adult fungus gnats, it is probably reducing chances of crown rot, it looks better and it's reflecting a lot of light. Yet I found it really hard to find anyone or any pics of vfts with any kind off dressing on the top of the soil/sphagnum online. Weird.

It looks great! I too went the "topping" route in the gnat battle but I quickly realized I often don't hold things properly and was constantly sloshing sand or gravel off the top when I picked up a pot lol. Hence my journey to mosquito bits. The white gravel looks beautiful though, it's a great choice.

Lol thanks Adriana. Ive had the gravel for a couple of years now since my little girl had a gold fish from the fair. Im sure you can guess how that went the poor fish lasted less than 2 weeks and it was good quality quartz gravel I had online so I washed it in a weak peroxide solution and kept it, then triple washed it just before adding to the pots. Now I will do your treatment for any larvae asap.