Help!! There are definitely fungus gnats I’ve been battling all summer. Insecticide and yellow sticky traps have been working but I haven’t been able to completely end them. Dr. Plants says the leaves could be looking like this from too little sunlight, so I’ve moved her closer to the window now. Is there anything else I should be worried about? Or cutting off the yellow parts? I’m definitely going to step up sunlight and gnat treatments.
I’m battling fungus gnats too. Still haven’t had too much damage yet. But it’s early.
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I’ve e had luck with putting pebbles on the top layer of soil. It makes it hard from the gnats to burrow under them and just as hard to come out if they are already in the soil.
2 Likes Interesting! I’ll give it a try!
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Pebbles? Can you explain (Im new at this) Do you mean Pebble rocks?
1 Like What I have is by Mosser Lee and it’s called Soil Cover Natural Pebbles. I’m sure you can get it at different places and I’m guessing there if different brands also, but if you just google Mosser Lee Soil Cover Pebbles it will come up and give you and idea of what I’m talking about.
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Sand. A few years back I had a terrible infestation of gnats. I put a layer of sand over the soil in all Of my houseplants and it’s not been an issue since.
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The gnats are actually eating the fungus in your soil, they wouldn’t feed on a leaf. Other pests certainly do though. There are several things you can do to manage fungus gnats. There is a product called BTI under the brand name Mosquito Bits. You can sprinkle them on the soil or make a “tea” and water with it. There is a strain of bacteria that kills the fungus gnat larvae. It’s harmless to fish, humans and other animals. You can also use beneficial nematodes (steinernema feltiae) they come in a powder like form you mix into your watering can. You can buy them at some garden centers and on Amazon and Arbico Organics. There are also beneficial mites that eat the fungus gnat larvae. I like to use beneficial insects but you can also try diatomaceous earth or an insecticide drench like Azamax. Neem oil I found to be semi effective. The nematodes have been my go to for years. I have hundreds of houseplants and I only see a gnat every now and then.
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I think the yellowing could also happen from overwatering, I learned that the hard way. I would definitely feel the soil and make sure its dry before watering.
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