Newbie here with PH & Fungus gnats questions

[boomerbythebeach]

I have two (probably stupid) questions. PH readings - If the soil ph is 7 do I adjust the water + nutrients to lower than that? Gnats - I was told to only water when the top 2 inches of soil is dry. When I did that, I ended up with fungus gnats. I am using fox farm ocean soil in 5 gal pots. Any suggestions??? Thank you in advance for your time & patience

[Katzie_Wolf71]

Giving water to your plants has nothing to do with getting gnats. What type of soil are you using? Maybe it was already infested with them. As for pH in soil it should be between 6.5 and 7.0.

[boomerbythebeach]

Thank you so much! It was Fox Farms Ocean but it had been outside so that's where it probably got infested. I really appreciate your help & not making me feel stupid.

[Saturnalia]

The bright coloured sticky strips help a lot with gnats. Like these.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-Larg....Xfly+tra.TRS0

It can also be helpful to cover the top of the soil with a layer of an inch or two of gravel (or river stones) to stop the gnats getting into the soil.

If you're thinking of spraying pesticide, be sure not to do so when the plants are flowering. No one wants to smoke that shit.