During certain times of the year, unwanted fruit flies and other insects may be more abundant in your home. They tend to be attracted to dirty surfaces, spoiling fruit, sugary substances, and any other food you may have out in the open. Here are a few hacks to help you out so you can start growing with Hamama! (If you currently have a fly problem in your kitchen, we recommend waiting to start growing with us until it is under control.) Keeping Pests Away Before we get started with the hacks, you may want to consider these factors: First, our system is meant for indoors as that is where you will have the most predictable & constant growing environment. Harsh direct sunlight, strong wind, precipitation, temperature fluctuations, bugs/critters, etc outside will not result in predictable happy growth for your microgreens! Do your Hamama growing inside for best results! Next, when growing your microgreens you want to make sure to keep your Grow Tray clean between each growing period. You can learn more about properly cleaning your grow tray here! You will also want to use clean, drinking water for your growing. If you would not drink your tap water and you instead drink filtered tap water, use filtered tap water for growing your microgreens. Lastly, you will want to keep your microgreens away from any fruit baskets, house plants or even your pets (if you’re not sharing with them)! Insects are great hitchhikers! The reason we suggest keeping your grow tray several feet away from fruit baskets or other house plants is because common molds, specifically white molds, are often found growing on the soil of your plants. Airborne spores also generally attach to young plant leaves where they are able to germinate and grow, quickly spreading to other parts of the plant and nearby plants (the mold can hop around). 3 Hacks for Keeping Out Unwanted Insects 1. Gather a few small jars and pour in 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and whirl in a few drops of liquid dish soap. With the lids off, place the jars wherever you see the most gnats or fruit flies. They will be drawn to the smell of the apple cider, but once they land in the mixture, the soap makes it difficult for them to escape. These non-toxic traps work like a dream. 2. You can spread a little honey on bright yellow index cards if you have them. Set this near your grow tray. Yellow attracts gnats because it’s the color of plants under stress whose defenses are weakened against predators. When the gnats come to investigate, they’ll get stuck in the honey. 3. Make a homemade gnat/fruit fly trap with a shallow dish and red wine, which will attract them. Some people use a container with a small opening, like a water bottle, so it’s more difficult for the gnats to fly away after they investigate the wine. Going forward, you may have to do some of these kitchen tricks to remove the population before starting your next Seed Quilt! Some creative growers have also found this little greenhouse from IKEA to fit their needs to keep away pests including your pets who may want to munch on your microgreens!! So remember!!! Set up a DIY insect catcher to keep unwanted pests out. Keep your grow tray away from fruit baskets / houseplants (any fruits flies / unnoticeable bugs in soil can hop over). Use clean water source - Filtered water or regular tap water both work just fine, though filtered is recommended. Make sure your Grow Tray is properly cleaned before each use - scrub with water and soap and rinse well or even put on the top rack of your dishwasher in between uses! Keep pets away from your tray - insects are great hitchhikers!! As cute as these plant friends look together, remember to encourage social distancing so they stay healthy! :D Do you have any hacks to help keep away pests in your home?! Send us a comment below!! :D
