Compost and fungus gnats?

Hi everyone.

I wonder if someone could offer some advice? I have in the past bought some great big bags of multipurpose style compost. But when I have used it to pot seedlings on I have suffered plagues of little black flies - which seem to be fungus gnats.

I had to buy some gnat off (horribly expensive). If this had happened once I would think it was rotten luck but it has happened more than once. Can anyone recommend compost for starting seedlings off and potting on that is a good all-rounder, not horrendously expensive and won't have problems like this and loads of little flies all around my windowsills? (Yuk)

Thanks in advance and sorry for the daft question.

Joolz

I've had good results with mix sieved multipurpose peat-free half and half with coir fibre. Watering from below helps reduce the fungus gnats. A bit of yellow sticky trap mops up any that do occur...

Can someone tell me what perlite is useful for please. I have seen it at the garden centre but never used it. CC

Thanks everyone for all your advice I am going to try a few of them. One further, and probably daft question, is sharp sand the same as normal (beach) sand?

Thanks in advance

Joolz

Thanks Savbo

I have some beach type sand. I'm wondering if I can use that to improve the drainage speed.

Waste not, want not and all that.. 

Joolz

go to www.perlite.net this should help.

Thankyou for that. CC