I’m in urgent need of advice🙃 i’m not new to having plants but lately all my plants have had gnats and white fungus on the top of them. Now i’ve almost perfected the right soil for each specific plant and none of them are currently happy. i feel like i’m failing as a plant parent and need whatever advice anyone can give me🥲 thank you in advance! :))
Fall is coming and it’s almost like the plants can feel it. They need less water outside of the growing season. I bottom watered most of last fall and winter to fight the gnats. I’d also suggest getting some sticky traps. When the top soil is less damp, you may also notice less mold on top!
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Fungus gnats! The bane of everyone everywhere ever. I think that’s a pretty safe statement. With the gnats and fungus showing up, I agree with the above that your soil conditions sound moist. I would back off the water some. That will help “sour” the soil conditions for the larvae and mold. Mosquito Bits seems to work if you can find it. It’s a biological control for mosquito larvae. It does the same for the fungus gnat larvae. (Ugh, how many times can I type larvae?!?) I sprinkle on the top of soil and the work it into the top layer with my finger. Watering wakes up the bacteria and they do their thing. Repeat the treatment every quarter or as needed.
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I’m currently battling the same problem and I’m trying out a DIY spray with water, isopropyl alcohol, clove, rosemary and peppermint oil drops. I seen someone talk about this as a pest repellent and anti mould build up solution. I started spraying the top of the soil with it and notice less noticeable white bits. I also read somewhere that rosemary and clove oil have similar effects to pests as neem oil. And that clove oil has anti-bacterial properties, but idk about facts. Eye-balled measurements like 1 part alcohol, 3 parts water and 10 drops of each oil. Someone said in another comment gnats hate cinnamon so curious to see what happens if I add cinnamon oil to the spray. I can’t seem to find the gnat hub in my house as all plants look like they have top layer dry soil, and haven’t been lucky to kill them manually as they’re so tiny. I am however using the spray to soak them in water if I see them around the house.
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