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Iā€™m in fungus gnat hell - so frustrated and about ready to cry orā€¦ | Pests, diseases and problems šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø | Planta-Community

Cheryl

Iā€™m in fungus gnat hell - so frustrated and about ready to cry or toss out my plants or both! I have a collection of about 50 plants - about which 13 have an ongoing infestation of various severities since the past 2 months. Every plants has a sticky stix and I check them daily to do a ā€œtrapā€ count. I have tried combinations of quarantines, top and bottom watering with BTi tea (have used for about 4-5 weeks now), hydrogen peroxide flushes, repotting, diamateous earth, cinnamon, closing up the bottom holes with coffee filters and elastics, apple cider vinegar traps, and drying out the plants as much as I can before theyā€™re sad. I donā€™t see a big reduction in gnats; theyā€™re still around when I poke at the soil. I looked at one of the peace lilies that I did a hydrogen peroxide flush on LAST NIGHT and now there are at least 4 new gnats caught in the sticky stix trap. ***Do both BTi and a hydrogen peroxide flush render the soil inhospitable for as long as the soil is wet or do the effects wear off the next day? I donā€™t understand why there are new gnats on this plant. Am I causing a problem because now I have a really nice moist plant available to the gnats again? ***How long does it take to eradicate this pest using BTi tea?? Is there any hope for me?

9 Likes 21 Kommentare

21 Kommentare

  1. KD šŸŖ“

    Systemic granules. Have to kill the larve and prevent them from being able to reproduce to stop the problem. Itā€™s the only thing that worked for me. Now itā€™s my only go to for them. Havenā€™t hand an outbreak in many months. And when I see a couple they donā€™t last because they canā€™t even reproduce in my soil. Itā€™s a game changer. Iā€™ve have 100% success rate with it. Only time Iā€™ve gotten gnats is from my tomatoā€™s box on my patio (which I canā€™t put granules on) and theyā€™ve come inside through my door but I donā€™t even worry because they donā€™t last indoors for long.

    2 Likes
    • Cheryl

      Thank you! Other people have commented the same so it must be an effective solution. Unfortunately systemic granules arenā€™t permitted to be sold or imported into Canada at this time so Iā€™m out of luck with that for now. šŸ˜•

      0 Likes
    • KD šŸŖ“

      Ugh, thatā€™s a bummer. I wonder if you can find a similar brand that has the same ingredient?

      1 Like
    • Cheryl

      Maybe! Would have to do some digging to find that out. šŸ‘

      0 Likes
    • Cheryl

      I wonder too. Definitely will require some research. So many different products online and in the stores. I feel like I need a biochemistry degree to make sense of it all! šŸ˜‚

      0 Likes
  2. MummaDeb

    I had an infestation in almost every single plant in the house, and I had over 100 plants. This is what I did. I gave them all the hydrogen peroxide and water run through to kill the babies. I then put about a half inch of sand or gravel on the top, so that the adults couldnā€™t get back in. Then I got some sticky traps and put one in each plant. After about a week they were gone. They wonā€™t be gone right away because you have to wait for the adults that you have to die. But because you have stopped all access to soil, they canā€™t get back in. I would definitely suggest removing the top layer of sand or gravel after the problem is gone especially in the cactus or succulents so they donā€™t become overwatered. That really should do it. Always remember to quarantine a plant that you bring home. Thatā€™s how I got them. Oh, and I spent a fortune on mosquito bits and everything else. Nothing else worked. I did try the apple cider vinegar, bowls, but if youā€™re using sticky traps, thereā€™s no need. Good luck and let me know how it goes. PS that was about a year and a half ago and I havenā€™t had one fungus gnat since. It took a lot of experimenting, but that was my fail safe method.

    4 Likes
    • Cheryl

      Thank you! Wow, it sounds like you had an epic battle with gnats! I couldnā€™t imagine having to deal with a 100 infested plants. I definitely would have cried. Iā€™m glad to hear you finally eradicated them! Good for you. Yes I feel like I need to either do hydrogen peroxide flushes on more plants or do a full repot with fresh sterile soil, and then pack in the sand on top. Iā€™ve learned my lesson the very hard way about double checking new plants and quarantining them. Iā€™m guessing thatā€™s how these guys got in. Theyā€™re infuriating!

      0 Likes
    • MummaDeb

      You donā€™t need to go through all that hassle. I didnā€™t have to repot any of mine. Just drench them with one part hydrogen peroxide to three pots water. The only mistake I made was not taking the sand off of my succulents when the gnats were gone and I lost a couple from root rot. So definitely definitely definitely get that sand off there after theyā€™re gone. Oh, and they have those little sticky traps that you put right in the plants really cheap on Amazon.

      1 Like
    • Cheryl

      Do you think I should do a hydrogen peroxide drench on all the plants at once, regardless if they donā€™t need any watering at all? I guess if I make sure they drain okay?

      0 Likes
  3. ReeRee

    I would recommend washing the roots with Dr. Bonners' pure Castile soap. It doesnā€™t harm plants or the roots. Some people use it for fungal infections, some for pests.

    2 Likes
    • Cheryl

      Thank you! Yes I did wash the roots well on the plants I repotted. It was like a spa day for them I guess. Fun for them, not so much for me. šŸ˜µā€šŸ’«

      1 Like
    • MummaDeb

      Will that help if the roots are starting to rot? I use Castile soap for everything, but never thought of that. Lol.

      0 Likes
    • ReeRee

      Haha šŸ˜‚ Plants are like babies. They have a lot of fun but plant moms do and don't have fun. šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

      1 Like
    • ReeRee

      Yes, it will the soap is a very delicate cleanser. Most Castile soaps will work but some might not. That's why I recommend this brand.

      1 Like
    • BlondeinBrooklyn

      For rot you need hydrogen peroxide which kills bacteria.

      0 Likes
  4. Ria

    What worked for me was, rinsing the plant of the infested soil, (using distilled water and mosquito bits), repotting in new soil (and use the yellow sticky traps). I let the plant stay drier than usual before watering again. Each time I watered, I had used mosquito bits in a mesh bag, dunked in distilled water until the infestation was 100% gone. I also would let my plant drain excess water into the sink before placing back on the plant shelf. Best of luck!

    1 Like
    • Cheryl

      Did you put your watered, treated plants back on the shelf with other plants that you hadnā€™t treated yet or did you quarantine them until all plants were done? I ask because Iā€™m wondering if any adult gnats that were still flying around would go back into the plant with the new soil and lay eggs again. I feel like EVERY infested plant needs to have this done at the same time so that none can be reinfected. What do you think?

      1 Like
    • Ria

      They were quarantined on a separate shelf until it was all gone. I did preventative care putting those sticky traps everywhere, it seemed like only two of my plants had fungus gnats, and now theyā€™re both 100% better again

      1 Like
    • Cheryl

      Thank you! Iā€™m glad you were successful! šŸ™Œ

      1 Like
    • BlondeinBrooklyn

      i'm putting bits on every single plant's as a preventative. they don't hurt the plant so why not?

      0 Likes
  5. Sybellina

    So I still have a few now and again but this saved me from my fungus gnat hell (for now) I would mist the soil with 1 part hydrogen peroxide 3% 2 parts water, EVERY DAY for a week. I put up sticky traps everywhere. I tried ACV but these are city gnats and they know that stuff will kill ā€˜em. Someone recommended this mosquito stuff and I think I will try that next summer if they come back in full swing for me but I wasnā€™t able to

    1 Like