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I have a plant (2 technically) infested with fungus gnats. IT IS… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community

Ashlynn

I have a plant (2 technically) infested with fungus gnats. IT IS SOOOOO ANNOYING!!!! I put tape that I folded over all around the side of the pot. Do you think this will work instead of little traps that are specifically made for it? If not, what do you guys recommend? I’m pretty sure the common denominator of which plants have them are the ones I repotted so I’m thinking the soil was probably bad😐🤦🏻‍♀️ HELP 😂 Also, the pot that has the gnats is a fairly big pot and has a layer of rocks at the bottom that I was trying to help use for extra drainage, but maybe this is also a problem? But even after chopping off her eye, could you not 4 feet long roots she had to be in this big of a pot. (See photo below) The other plant that has it in a separate room that I repotted with the same house plant soil has a tiny amount of rocks in the bottom of it as well. SEND HELP

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27 comments

  1. GreenMommy

    The stickers for fungus gnats are bright yellow its the color that attracts them so i dont think regular tape would work. Fungus gnats like moist soil and lay their eggs in the first fee inches so i dont think the rocks at the bottom are a problem if they add extra drainage so the soil doesnt stay as damp then ig it actually helps. Try mosquito bits tea and neem oil if you haven’t already

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    • Ashlynn

      For the mosquito bites tea and need oil do I mix it in with the water when I next need to water my plants? And thank you so much! I will be taking down my multiple DIY tape traps.🤦🏻‍♀️😂

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    • GreenMommy

      1 teaspoon neem oil, 1/2 castille soap ( to help the oil mix with water) and 4 cups water you mix it and pray the plant’s leaves and the soil. Spray early in the morning before the sun is too bright or after sun down cause the residue oil on the leaves could burn it if it sun is hitting it. You spray every 2-3 days for 2 weeks. Another option the mosquito bits you make tea with it : 2 tbsp with 4 cups of water let it sit for 30min then use it to water your plants like you usually do :)

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  2. Mar

    Try these to put into your watering can and kill the eggs. Systemic granules will help to sprinkle on top for the adults and the yellow sticky traps for the rest.

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    • Ashlynn

      Thank you sooooo much!!

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    • Sunny

      This has the same active ingredient as Mosquito Bits, the Bti beneficial bacteria. It’s the liquid version. It kills the larvae and not the eggs. It stops the life cycle.

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  3. Danii

    These drops helped a lot. Also pull back on watering.

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    • Ashlynn

      THANK YOU!

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    • Sunny

      This has the same active ingredient as Mosquito Bits, the Bti beneficial bacteria. It’s the liquid version. It kills the larvae and not the eggs. It stops the life cycle.

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  4. Jackye

    Mosquito bit tea works very well. It places beneficial nematodes in the soil and they eat the fungus gnats babies. I just bought some yellow butterfly shaped sticky things to torture them all to death. I also have a blue light bug catcher and have replaced way too many sticky pads as it is large enough to annihilate several generations of gnats.

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    • Ashlynn

      Haha this- this is what I need😂 thank you so much!

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  5. PlantsInHarlem

    In addition to everything suggested above, you can also spread diatomaceous earth on top of the soil and water it in. It’s like shards of glass to the pests. It’s an added step to get the larvae, and it’s organic. Good luck.

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    • Ashlynn

      Super helpful! Thank you so much

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    • Jackye

      I spread the white stuff, too! Only time I like to be covered in white dust.

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    • Sunny

      The downside to the white stuff , DE, is it slows down the soil from drying out when it’s placed on top of it. This is the condition that helps fungus gnats and encourages root rot. I would skip using it and just use the yellow stickies to trap the adults and the Mosquito Bits to kill the larvae in the soil.

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    • PlantsInHarlem

      I agree that leaving it on top may indeed add to the problem. Which is why I water the white stuff in. FYI: I no longer have fungus gnats.

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    • Ashlynn

      Do you mix it in with your water?

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  6. Chlo & Lex

    My roommate and I had a MASSIVE infestation of these and NOTHING worked to get rid of them. We eventually snapped and dumped out all our old soil and repotted everything to get rid of all the larva. This worked really well but I would definitely try to keep a little bit of the original soil (if clean) to make it easier for the plant to adapt (we did not but our plants all made it). After that we got these little blue light sticky traps for our plants room, and have been really diligent about letting our plants dry out between watering. We only have a few now and the numbers keep decreasing!

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    • KB

      This. I repotted every single one of my plants and never saw them again. I used bad soil before and that’s where my gnats came from. Long process but worth it.

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  7. KJM

    The soil could have had fungus gnat eggs in it and when the environment was right they all hatched. As previously mentioned fungus gnats breed in moist soil so I would let the soil dry down a bit. Regarding the rocks at the bottom of your pot, these will actually inhibit good drainage. I would repot in a pot that has a drain hole and no rocks. This is a common myth in the plant world.

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    • KJM

      You can also treat the soil with a systemic pesticide or with a product called mosquito bites/dunks. If you use the mosquito bites you just crumble the pellets on top of the soil and scritch it in about an inch. That along with the yellow sticky traps attacks the fungus gnats from both ends of its life cycle.

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    • Chlo & Lex

      The sticky traps are definitely a good move! They also help you monitor if the number of gnats is going up or down!

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    • Ashlynn

      Thank you so much! I very much so appreciate this. If the problem keeps getting worse, I might report her soon. I just don’t wanna send her into too much shock. I got her probably three or four weeks ago and the big leaves that she already had have started turning a really bright green and started dying, so I am slightly worried about what that could be. This plant has me stressing.🤦🏻‍♀️😂

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  8. Ashlynn

    Thank you so much everyone! I’m going to get the traps and see if I can get maybe some of the recommendations to put in the water for when I water her!

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  9. chloe

    water from bottom

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  10. Jackye

    I have watered from bottom, top, spread DE on top or mixed in the soil but fungus gnats find their way in. Making the mosquito bits tea works for me, and I’ve used it in Texas and Alaska. I have tried sprinkling the bits into the soil, but that’s ineffective. Using near boiling water and allowing the bits to steep in the hot water until it cools down is best method. Watering all the plants with this tea gets rid of the larvae and eggs. Another method that also works is Cedar Oil. Cedar irritates insects and it causes them to “close” their breathing holes on their body and then suffocates. Cedar oil has helped me keep ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes from establishing in my yard and garden. I always have pets so I know how bad fleas and ticks can get in a climate like Texas. Cedar oil also creates a healthy soil that encourages beneficial nematodes to grow.

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