I have scarid fly at the moment, found a young astro soft today with the roots gone.

I have found Rogor will kill them if plants are watered with it. I have many buzzing around now so must give them a drink tomorrow. Its toxic so care must be taken but you get long protection with it. Kills them as they hatch out of their eggs in the soil

Ooooohhh that's nasty Betty. Don't know if I can stand looking at this thread anymore so sad seeing cacti like this. Damn gnats & damn cold weather!!!

They love moist warm spots too, I lost so many seedlings on the heat mat last winter with them, by the time I learnt what they were it was too late .................. I think that is half the reason I have not turned in on this year

Damn cruel things they are

Yeah I'm really starting to hate this colder weather, most of my cacti are just going dormant. It's times like this i'm glad we don't live in a real cold country.

Betty,

Bummer on that astro. Personally I haven't had much sucess with rogor when dealing with fungus gnats. I do have a little trick, no make that 2, and will start another thread soonish.

I did read somewhere that once you kill the gnats there are often a lot of damaged roots that can then rot. so kill the gnats then get ready for the rot.

I'm not really sure but I will be carefull following a gnat problem.

Grrrr.

gnats
I have a small gnat problem at the mo, would love to hear your remedies so I can eradicate them in spring, once and for all!

I just saw this when looking up scarid fly:

Soil pests

Soil pests can range from fungus gnat larvae, wire worm, root weevil, non-beneficial nematodes and
certain types of moth eggs. Some of the more common pests in soil are:

• cutworms
  
• carrot rustic fly
  
• white grubs
  
• stable flies
  
• citrus weevil
  
• craneflies
  
• billbugs
  
• cranberry gurdlers
  
• armyworms
  
• rhoedodernian weevils
  
• houseflies
  
• scarid fly
  

These and most other soil dwelling pests can be controlled with regular applications of beneficial
nematodes. Nematodes can attack and control over 250 types of soil pests; we
recommend an application of nematodes in early spring and late fall.

from: http://www.goodbugs.ca/pests.html

I think where possible biocontrol is the way to go.

I am unsure if scarid fly occurs in the tropics so I am not sure if I am safe from it or not.

It also suggests fungus gnats are controlled this way too... I wonder if these nematodes are available here? I also wonder if there's some 'companion' plants that deter the flies and gnats? That way you can plant them around your pots or near your precious cacti and they're particularly safer.

I know chemicals are the most effective - but we all know that these pestecides are not very selective in what they kill as well.

As far as fusarium or other fungi go - I think you're left mostly with a chemical option.

I know for peas you can use 1 part milk to 4 parts water to control powdery mildew - but I don't think that's the same with many fungi (unfortunately).

Slim6y,

Fungus Gnats don't disriminate and will occur anywhere including the tropics, they are even harder to control once you get them. I don't want to get too far off topic but yes bio control is available for fungus gnats, mites called Hypoaspis miles will search and kill the gnat larvae. The problem for bio control is it is very very expensive at this point in time.

As I said before I will or anyone else can if they want create a new topic for fungus gnats. There is plenty to talk about and killing them off reqires a systematic approach or a very harsh chem.

Started off as a small orange dot on the upper left where the darker red is.
This didn't seem to be spreading so i just kept an eye on it.
It was then placed in full sun for a day during a recent house move. This burnt the side with the dot and since then its spreading like mad along the burn.

So far i've done nothing but place it in filtered light and kept it dry.

Thinking i'll give it the chop tomorrow after i pick up some sulphor and a new blade.

Banjankri,

I would probly cut it too. Your doing the right thing keep it dry and allow plenty of air flow. Just be careful as other plants can contract the rot. The spores are carried in th air, on tools, clothes and pots etc.

contract the rot after i've disturbed it or all the time?

Also i've picked up some copper oxychloride, i'm guessing i just sprinkle it onto the cut?

Yeah you can sprinkle straght on or you can disolve in water. I think its better to use as a powder for your purpose.

As for the spores, they in the air around us all the time, you can't see them. Just be mindful if you have conditions that favour disease, as it is possible for it to spead from one plant to another.

Made the cut, sprinkled with copper. Few days later the red returned only this time deeper.

Turns out the copper stained it the second time and it wasn't a reemergence of the rot . I sprinkled some onto some pachanoi stock graft scraps to test this theory. They turned a deep red in 2 days directly under the skin beneath the copper



I'm continuing to keep isolated at this point just in case though.

i am betting that last one is fungal. which is why it spread on the burnt part. just a hunch.

i sometimes get small orange dots on mine too (mostly pereskiopsis grafts). playing with different things over the years i found it is almost *always* caused by 2 things. high humdity/moisture and bugs/bumps.

what i have noticed is that bugs (like caterpillars slugs etc) can eat the cactus bits without really harming the cactus. where the damage comes is from huid conditions and/or poop. bug feces inside open wounds just SCREAM for infection! i have managed to cure everyone of mine that began to get orange rot by simply keep them dry and in good light (mine are always kept in full sun year round, so no "getting used to the light" problems here).

i think this is why pereskiopsis grafts get it more than others is simply due to more water around. i see it now and then on my hylocereus grafts as well. and now that it is the rainy season, i have had a few more spring up.

as for scarid flies or whatever they are called....i don't know about them other than they are very lethal.....i lost a crested hanazono graft last month cause of them buggers at my wifes parents house (i kept it there cause they have a mini greenhouse)......i hate em and would gladly deal with toxic stuff to kill them in their tracks should they show their head at my place. they are bad little buggers.