--- title: "I’ve reached the end of my tether with fungus gnats. What are my…" description: "I’ve reached the end of my tether with fungus gnats. What are my options? Advice or thoughts are very gratefully received… I’ve tried everything (I think!) and…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/lafP2vDuQVO7tPw0Y2DQCw" community: "Pests, diseases and problems" author: "MoMo" published: "2024-09-14T20:41:10.163871Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/pestsDiseasesAndProblems.jpg" --- [Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Pests, diseases and problems](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md) # I’ve reached the end of my tether with fungus gnats. What are my… _Posted by MoMo on 2024-09-14_ I’ve reached the end of my tether with fungus gnats. What are my options? Advice or thoughts are very gratefully received… I’ve tried everything (I think!) and I’m exhausted. It’s been five months of this war and while there are way less gnats, I need them gone, exterminated, for good. The current regime is: yellow sticky traps everywhere (almost literally), watering less (but I have some plants that won’t tolerate that much) and mosquito bits in every watering. Plus hydrogen peroxide solution if it’s looking bad on particular plants. I see two options: 1\) Spend a lot of money and mix enough soil to repot everything in one day (or I guess bake all the existing soil…?), sealing each of the plants in a bathroom after repotting and then smoke bombing the heck out of the rest of the house. This sounds insane I know. But I’m hyper focused enough to do it. 2\) Try carnivorous plants. This is a less nuclear option but I need to tip the balance in my favour. I’m thinking 3 - 4 Cape Sundews might do it and I hear they’re good gnat eaters. Has anyone tried this? ## 25 comments ### NicTheBucket commented on 2024-09-14 Diatomaceous Earth! Sprinkled on top of the soil ### MoMo commented on 2024-09-14 Aha, when I say I’ve tried everything… I did try this! But, I think I used too much and it got gloopy when I watered. I’ll give it another go and have read that just mixing a bit with the topsoil when dry can work? #### NicTheBucket replied on 2024-09-14 Shoot 😭 I made a small batch of soil with d-earth mixed in and used that as the top layer of soil in all my pots. #### MoMo replied on 2024-09-14 I’m going to do this, along with the drops. I think this is the next stage of the war. And if all else fails, carnivorous plants and wholesale repotting! ### Blute commented on 2024-09-14 I use happy happy houseplant’s fungus gnat death drops and they work amazing, I don’t see any fungus gnats at all anymore #### MoMo replied on 2024-09-14 Thank you!!! I looked into these early on in the process but they didn’t seem available in the UK. BUT I just found something that seems to do the same thing, that I can get. You reminded me! 💐 #### Amie206 replied on 2024-09-15 I bought this for the first time last spring. Gnats GONE and didn’t come back at all this summer ### Plantpa commented on 2024-09-14 Could try sprinkling cinnamon on the surface of soil. Could also a layer of sand then top off with small pebble stones. Don't use types of sand that will compact \& not let water flow through. Sand \& pebbles will help prevent the Gnats from burrowing into the soil to lay their eggs. This has worked for me. #### MoMo replied on 2024-09-15 Thanks for the suggestions - I haven’t tried pebbles or sand, purely because most of my plants are aroids and I want to preserve the aeration. I can try cinnamon though, can’t hurt! #### MoMo replied on 2024-09-15 Thanks for the suggestions - I haven’t tried pebbles or sand, purely because most of my plants are aroids and I want to preserve the aeration. I can try cinnamon though, can’t hurt! ### honeybee 🌱 commented on 2024-09-14 Systematic :) #### MoMo replied on 2024-09-15 So - I think I may get to this soon, feels like it might be the best option to really eliminate them 😳 #### honeybee 🌱 replied on 2024-09-20 It works SO well for about a month and a half—you’re supposed to re-apply every three months I believe! You just have to be careful not to discard anything into the natural environment. Also—if you were to combine systematic with other strategies like diatomaceous earth, it would be even MORE effective ### Allison commented on 2024-09-15 Although sundews wont eliminate the issue, I always recommend them! They do help quite a bit. #### MoMo replied on 2024-09-15 Thank you! I quite like the idea and they need similar care to my aroids so it feels like a good fit 🤞🏽 ### YinDeezy commented on 2024-09-15 Mosquito bits ‘tea’, BTI drops in water or beneficial nematodes. #### MoMo replied on 2024-09-15 Mosquito bits tea are my plants favourite drink as of the last three months 😬 they’ve lessened the issue but not eliminated it. Sadly, nematodes did absolutely nothing - I have no idea why, I followed the instructions to the letter. #### YinDeezy replied on 2024-09-16 That’s strange. What brand did you use? I use Natures Good Guys and apply with every watering. I don’t have any fungus gnats with my indoor plants. ### Adrian commented on 2024-09-15 I would repot and soak the roots in a hydrogen peroxide/water solution (1 part hydrogen peroxide, 2 parts water, just enough of the solution to cover the roots in a container) for 30 minutes before repotting to kill any lingering larvae/eggs, gently pat the roots dry with a paper towel, then try bottom watering for a while to prevent attracting new gnats. If you’re looking for a cheaper soil base, I swear by Espoma, and it runs for about $7-9 where I live. They’ve got soil mixes for everything from cacti to orchids. You can add a few squirts of peroxide to the water the first to second time you water the plants after repotting to be extra sure the gnats haven’t stuck around post repotting. I bottom water all my plants and haven’t seen any gnats since I started bottom watering. Hope this helps! Gnats are the worst! ### Jo commented on 2024-09-15 What worked for me is watering with garlic water. I used garlic peels or cut up garlic clove, left it to stand overnight or even just few hours. My sticky traps where full of gnats and after treatment since changing them, all it clear. #### MoMo replied on 2024-09-15 I haven’t heard this one!! What does the garlic water do? #### Jo replied on 2024-09-15 It's won't hurt ua plant but got rid of all my gnats. I didn't have to change soil. Garlic repels gnats,it's antifungal and antibacterial ### Jo commented on 2024-09-15 I tri treated with garlic water constantly for about a month before [More comments](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/lafP2vDuQVO7tPw0Y2DQCw.md?cursor=mMeYKp9i9RdQb3N0cy5HZXRBbGwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABioBEh48rdGA) --- _Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_