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Please help!! I have a shelf of plants that enjoy high humidity, and… | Pests, diseases and problems | Communauté Planta

Kris

Please help!! I have a shelf of plants that enjoy high humidity, and a couple months ago they have been overtaken by fungus gnats. I've tried neem oil (which did more harm than good - used too much), letting the soil dry completely, repotting twice, cinnamon, and diluted hydrogen peroxide. I have yellow sticky traps for the adults, but I can't seem to kill off the eggs. Systemic house plant granules are illegal in California so I can't use those, and my local hardware store didn't have mosquito bits. Is there anything else I can try? I'm sick of them flying around my room, and have noticed how they're detrimental to my plants. Plus, I don't want to buy any new plants now and expose them to the gnats 😓 Any help is greatly appreciated!

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13 commentaires

  1. PlantMama

    Zevo flying insect trap will help:)

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    • Kris

      I have one of those plugged in as well, it helps with stopping them from flying further into my room but they still hang around the plants

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  2. jlsKenzy

    What helped me this summer was food grade diatomaceous earth a little of it sprinkled on top of dry soil, it was my last resort. It kills the adults when trying to lay their eggs and also any larvae. I got it off of Amazon, didn't take much and didn't take too long to notice a difference. Five months later I rarely see any.

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    • Kris

      Sounds good, I'll give it a try! Is there a specific brand you'd recommend?

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    • MummaDeb

      I as going to say the same thing. Also, just a layer of sand will keep them from getting back into the soil to lay eggs. I would suggest removing the sand once the gnats are under control. It keeps the soil moist. Might be OK for some plants but I lost a couple of cactus.

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  3. jlsKenzy

    Makers Supply - the amount was about a cup. I have 1/3 left over and used it on 30+ plants, it doesn't take that much. I took a spoon, sprinkled some then gently mixed in the very top layer of soil. I saw a brand that used a "squeeze" top application, but I thought that would get in the air and all over. Keep the powder dry, otherwise it stops being effective and you'll need to keep reapplying. So, continue bottom watering your plants.

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  4. Sunny

    Order the Bti beneficial bacteria online. Use it every time you water per the label instructions. The granular form, Mosquito Bits, and liquid form, Microbe-Lift, both contain Bti as the active ingredient. 🪴🍀

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  5. Leafy

    I struggle with this too, I’m always too intimidated to try neem oil so I also use sticky traps in combination with uv traps, particularly in warmer weather (I don’t have any heat lamps to raise the temperature so my gnats slow down in cooler seasons). It can be a long game but every adult you get is less eggs so it’s a war of attrition but can be won, best of luck.

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  6. Snail Diva

    I know you don’t have the bits currently but do they have the dunks? You just leave it in you water until ready to water. I’m in Canada so we do not have systemic either so that’s what worked for me.

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    • Kris

      I was able to order the bits online thankfully, I hadn't checked if it was available before - hoping that a mix of diatomaceous earth sprinkled on top and bottom-watered mosquito bit tea will kill them off fully

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    • Snail Diva

      Just make sure you sift them as they can mold if some of them end up in the soil. That’s what made me choose the dunks instead. Hopefully that works well!

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    • Kris

      Okay sounds great, thank you!

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  7. Amy

    I’ve used beneficial nematodes that I ordered online and they killed all sorts of bad soil pests and do not harm your plants. They are beneficial bugs. It comes as a powder that you mix with water and it worked really well and fast. The nematodes are super tiny and you really can’t see them.

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