Hi š I have recently started my plant journey and have been having an issue with little critters. I believe to be gnats. I have watered with peroxide, sprinkling cinnamon ontop after. I have sticky traps but they just seem to keep coming. I have also started bottom watering, I had read it'll keep the soil on top drier with less likely chances of the bugs being attacked to the damp soil. Advice welcome š
Attracted* not attacked
0 likesi had to sprinkle a little ground cinnamon onto the top of my soil for some mold issues and it has helped with gnats some!
0 likes I've tried and it doesn't seem to put a dent š
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Try mosquito bits in your water!
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0 likes I used the instructions below. Also I saw some people recommend sprinkling some on the top so when you water it filters through. DO NOT do that, they mold ā¹ļø Mix 4 tablespoons per 1 gallon of water. Let mixture sit for 30 minutes and skim off the floating granules. For easier cleanup, granules may be placed in a nylon stocking prior to immersion in water. Stir or shake the water then apply treated water directly to soil or growing media surface. Compost or discard used granules. This treatment controls fungus gnat larvae present in the soil at the time of application. Repeat weekly for three weeks. Repeat treatment if fungus gnats reappear.
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I'm following this post to see what other advice people have because I'm having the same issue š gnats everywhere
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Wrote some adviceš
1 like I started using mosquito bits at the beginning of this year. Would make a teabag with 4 tbs of MB per gallon of water, leave it for a minimum of 30 min (usually more), but no more than 24 hours, then take out the tea bag and water my plants. Slowly they started disappearing. I eliminated around ~90% of the population I had. Around the end of April-begging of May started using āMICROBE-LIFT BMCā. Much easier to mix. The only problem is that you need to dechlorinate your water. Thatās why I got myself dechlorination solution (there are a lot of benefits for plants when you dechlorinate your water), and mix it with water at first, leave it for 5-10 min, then add BMC. You need just 1 ml of BMC per gallon of water. Now I rarely see a fungus gnat, maybe 1-2 times a week. Iāll be honest - itās an endless battle and you canāt eliminate them completely. But you can reduce their population almost entirely. Donāt forget to use sticky traps - both blue and yellow will work. You can stick yellow ones into the soil and the blue ones near your windows. Just lmk if you have any questions.
1 like May be a silly question but should I dechloronate well water? I don't know if that pertains to town water only š did you find that one worked over the other?
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Yes
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I soak a satchel of Mosquito Bits in the water and add a shot of Captain Jackās Deadbug concentrate. Have you tried using a humidity dome after spraying? Another suggestion is diatomaceous earth. I lost a Monstera Adonsanii to a thrip infestation but it was also an end-of-season plant purchased from Walmart š¬. How big are the ones getting stuck on the sticky traps? If very small and it looks like fine dander itās most likely thrips. Have you tried taking it out of the substrate and soaking in straight 3% hydrogen peroxide? Iām sorry, itās so disheartening when this happens.
0 likes Would you suggest the mosquito bits everytime? I wouldn't day dander I'd probably say the same size as fruit flies so I assumed gnats, could I be incorrect? I have watered with diluted hydrogen peroxide but I have not soaked the soil in it
1 like I highly recommend trying out the Bits and Amazon sells very small bottles (the smallest may be a 6 oz.). I always mix some in with my potting mix, no matter which plant, but they retain moisture so when using on top of the soil only use a healthy pinchālike a chef adding a āpinchā of salt. I would also try to soak it, it helps you to see the damage to the stem, roots, and to check that the soil remains evenly moist. The whole plant, leaves and all, and donāt remove it until the bubbles stop.
0 likesYou can also put a layer of sand on top of the soil. Gnats will have a hard time digging to soil to lay eggs.
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