I’ve had this money tree for a few years and realized it has fungus gnats today. The soil is dry though it feels like there’s a little moisture on the bottom. I’m inclined to just let it dry out for a couple of weeks based off of what I’ve read, and because I’m not experienced in pest treatment. Neem oil and other applications seem confusing to me, mostly because I’m traumatized from treating a coffee plant that ended up dying a few years ago 🥲 Any advice?
I have found a premixed spray bottle of neem oil at home depot and whenever I see pests I just spritz the plant down with that and haven't had any adverse problems. I have my money trees in a rocky bonsai soil as well which I think deters the gnats
1 likeDo you saturate the top of the soil or just a few spritzes? I think it might benefit from a different type of soil. I live in 9b Florida so I wonder if it holds onto water more than I realize. Thank you!!
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You might need to repot in fresh soil the fungus gnats may have already laid eggs in that soil. Then I would spray it down in the neem oil.
1 likeThank you! I bought some new soil today that’s more suitable for the tree.
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Yellow sticky traps work well at catching the flying adult fungus gnats. Decreasing the soil moisture also discourages infestation. That’s what has worked for me
1 like I have also used beneficial nematodes as an additive to the soil when I had bad fungus gnat issues (from using infected compost) . You can buy the beneficial nematodes online. I like NaturesGoodGuys. It’s a dry powder you mix with water and add to the soil. The good “bugs” eat the bad bugs. They’re naturally occurring. I can’t do neem oil indoors due to sensitivity I have and I tried hydrogen peroxide and that was too strong for my plants. Watering properly was key for me
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