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SOS! Fungus gnats. Recently repotted (a week and a half ago - also… | Monstera Maniacs | Planta community

RubisGarden

SOS! Fungus gnats. Recently repotted (a week and a half ago - also watered it then) my Monsterra directly into this cement pot and although I waited for it to fully drain to put back into its saucer, it seems to not be too happy. I saw many adult gnats flying around this morning and tbh I just put it outside so the buggers don’t bother me indoors. It’s my first time dealing with this so I’m dwelling on repotting it (again) back into its black plastic but very aerated previous pot… or can it be saved? Is the cement pot an issue? I have a feeling it’s not liking it. I got sticky traps but other than that not sure what else to do. Heard many tips on tiktok but unsure what’s right for my specific situation. The plant itself seems happy and grew a whole new leaf anyway! BUT it’s just plain annoying ☹️☹️☹️ Help.

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4 likes 13 comments

13 comments

  1. Bri

    Do you bottom water ?

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    • RubisGarden

      No I don’t, should I?

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    • Bri

      It’s not a should or shouldn’t just a preference, I noticed a big difference with my gnat problem after switching to bottom watering 😁 you may also try diatomaceous earth I’ve heard that works too, I have some but haven’t had the need to use it after switching to bottom watering

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  2. Arlo

    Fungus gnats are a lot more annoying to us than to plants. Unless there’s somewhere else they are laying eggs they are likely in the soil. I would use insecticidal soap to kill any eggs on the leaves or stems, then bonide systemic granules to kill anything in the soil. I wouldn’t keep it outside since that’s a great place for it to keep other more problematic pests. Sticky traps are good, fruit fly traps near the plant can help too. Note that if your pet chews on the leaves, the systemic granules make it even more poisonous than it already is, so take precautions to keep it away from them if you need to.

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    • Arlo

      Other things to check anyway is that your soil is fast draining enough which is important for monsteras regardless. I’ve never heard of making sure to bottom water with fungus gnats, and its not something I do with my monsteras since they like a little shower occasionally anyway

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    • RubisGarden

      Thanks Arlo - I believe it’s just in the soil. It’s my only plant indoor and we’ve never had this issue before up until this week. I will try the soap! And the systemic granules. Luckily my dogs are pretty disinterested in the plant and aren’t chewers by nature. But I appreciate the call out. By outside I mean my apartment balcony - would you say it’s still a risk?

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    • Arlo

      My cats are the same, they don’t care either! Yeah, any time it’s exposed to the elements outside it increases the risk of pests. A controlled environment like a balcony is a lower risk, but it’s more of a risk than being indoors, if that makes sense. Personally I wouldn’t risk it even though I deeply appreciate how annoying and gross gnats are (have been fighting my own battles off and on), because it looks like your monstera is already relatively isolated from other plants and the potentially harmful pests are microscopic and harder to pick up on until they’re already an issue. If the gnats get bad enough or are already bad enough to be “filling” the room making it intolerable to be over there and/or risk spreading to other plants, then it may be worth doing it anyway! The systemic granules will kill basically anything regardless lol.

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    • RubisGarden

      Nice! Okay I will give this a shot this weekend once I have all the supplies on hand and report back 🫡

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  3. Doll

    These have worked for me when I had an infestation. You just make a tea and water your plants with it. There are other brands that are probably quicker to use like a liquid or something but these work just fine. And also the sticky traps for the adult gnats. 🤍🪴 I’m gnat free!!

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  4. Moon

    Had to do a double take because your dog look just like mine!

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  5. greggcetera

    mosquito bits and neem oil are gonna be your best friends, also i found that putting an inch or so of horticultural sand on top of the plant’s soil helped a lot, it stopped the adults from laying eggs in the soil cuz they couldn’t burrow into the sand :)

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  6. Sammy 🪴

    I had the exact same issue not too long ago. Purchased these to nab the pesky adults and reduced watering for around 2 weeks to kill off any eggs

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  7. Olly

    Sure you’ve got this sorted but I used a combo of Neem Powder, yellow sticky pads & Fungus Gnat topper

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