Planta
Volver a Pests, diseases and problems

guys i have a hugeeee gnat problem. i’ve tried sticky traps, letting… | Pests, diseases and problems | Comunidad de Planta

mals

guys i have a hugeeee gnat problem. i’ve tried sticky traps, letting my soil dry out, apple cider vinegar traps, and cinnamon. please if you have any remedies let me know!!

Adjunto 1 de 1
2 Me gusta 17 comentarios

17 comentarios

  1. Plant Father

    are your plants in plain potting soil? or has it been amended with additional drainage material, like pumice and perlite? most of the time when people have fungus gnat infestations it’s the soil they’re using. miracle gro is well known for being full of pest eggs and larvae, typically because the bags are stored outdoors. you may also be overwatering your plants. fungus gnats breed and thrive on moist soil since they eat the fungus that also breeds and thrives in moist conditions. if your soil and watering habits are all good and you still have a gnat infestation, i would recommend looking into bti— it’s a type of bacteria that kills the larvae and eggs in the soil. a trap of some sort will take care of the adults.

    2 Me gusta
    • mals

      yes they’re in potting soil but i mixed it with perlite and orchid bark. i used miracle grow so that could be a contributing factor. do you have a soil that you’d recommend? i’ll look into the bti as well, thanks!

      0 Me gusta
    • Plant Father

      any peat free mix will be an improvement. i like sol soil’s media for people who tend to overwater, and i’ve purchased good mixes from repotme dot com as well. i’ve heard good things about molly’s aroid mix though i haven’t tried it personally.

      2 Me gusta
    • Sushi

      This is good feedback I’m gonna keep it in mind if I have an infestation in the future 💚

      2 Me gusta
  2. Meowmy

    Traps=adult gnats Neem oil sprayed on soil=larvaes I sprayed (almost drenched) neem oil on the soil once and had success. Be careful and do it at night and avoid young leaves and careful with plants with thinner leaves though...

    0 Me gusta
    • mals

      i’ve tried neem oil! i’ve soaked the soil in it and i haven’t seen a difference unfortunately…

      0 Me gusta
  3. Ms.Issy

    I use sticky traps for the adults & mosquito dunks or bits in my water to kill the eggs/lava. I am currently using a dunk that I keep in my watering can; so every watering has a dose in it. I also bottom water some of my plants, like my monsteras, this helps keep the top of the soil dryer. This is the best way I have found to get rid of 95% - 99% of them

    1 me gusta
    • mals

      i’ve read about mosquito dunks.. i’ll have to give that a try. thanks!

      1 me gusta
  4. PlantMum

    I would recommend any Bonide products, specifically this one. I use it on my plants and it has greatly decreased the amount of gnats, but it does take several rounds and months of work to get rid of them. The picture attached is an outdoor pesticide but it works the same indoors, and is much cheaper because it’s in bulk. You can find it on Amazon :)

    Adjunto 1 de 1
    2 Me gusta
    • PlantMum

      I also use sticky traps to catch the adults and a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water to disinfect the top of the soil.

      1 me gusta
    • mals

      thanks!!!

      1 me gusta
  5. exitJiraffe

    The only thing that solved my problem was changing out the soil on affected plants. I had a major infestation from a couple plants. Once I got rid of the soil and repotted with fresh soil, everything was better. I also sprayed my roots down with hydrogen peroxide, to kill any remaining larvae. I left some sticky traps on the affected plants after repotting, and they caught a few gnats, but I honestly haven’t had to use traps since I repotted. I haven’t had any major problem in 2 years. I always check new plants for larvae in the soil before I bring them home. They are visible to the naked eye.

    4 Me gusta
    • mals

      i’m thinking that i’m going to have to repot more of my plants.. only thing is, i have 71 plants :-(

      1 me gusta
    • Miembro de Planta

      Wow, thats like a full time job! Well done you!

      1 me gusta
    • exitJiraffe

      Oof I’m sorry. Yeah it took a long time for me to redo mine. But it was worth it.

      2 Me gusta
  6. Mouse

    I’m just testing this out, so no promises, but since they need access to the soil …. I did a good coating of diatomaceous earth (not horribly thick, but solidly white) and then topped that with some sand. I’m pretty sure I had already seen success with only the diatomaceous earth, but it discolors and looks bad so I started covering it with the sand.

    0 Me gusta
    • mals

      damn… that’s smart. last night i go mad and unpotted all of my plants and put them in water until i can repot them

      2 Me gusta