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I posted here the other day when I was pretty sure my orchid had… | Pests, diseases and problems | Comunidad de Planta

Aria

I posted here the other day when I was pretty sure my orchid had fallen victim to fungus gnats. I set her into a clear bin with some yellow sticky traps and woke up to 3 or 4 flying around in there. I stuck some traps in my other plants as well and found my polka dot plant had one in the trap and one or two flying around her. I’ve put her into another bin away from the rest of my plants but I’m still worried the others have been infected now. What are ultimately the steps I need to take now? Should I let the plants sit until the soil has dried out completely (it’s been quite a few days since either of them have been watered), or should I take them away now and remove all the soil? I saw someone mention gnats are attracted to peat moss and miracle gro has been known to contain pests, I have peat moss added into a few of my plants along with perlite. The peat moss is not miracle gro brand but the other soil I use is. What brands would you recommend for good pest free soil? I’m a little stressed out as I’m still new to much of this and just very unsure of what to do moving forward. I’m doing my best to consider this a learning experience and I really really appreciate any help 🩷

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5 comentarios

  1. c.cat

    you can change the soil if you want, or add more drainage to your mix, if you havent done that already. you can also use things like systemic granules or other insecticides to kill them. fungus gnats thrive in moist soil, and so making sure your plants dry out at least halfway (depending on the kind of plant) between waterings. when i had fungus gnats in the plants in my bathroom, i didnt actually directly do anything to combat them, but i did stop watering as often as i got a little lazy and realized my plants dont need water as often as i thought. this is a personal experience, so do what you want with that info, lol one soil mix i can recommend for most houseplants would be Sol Soils. its a bit expensive as i believe it is a small buisness, but their soil comes dry, which extends the shelf life, and the mixes are chunky and well draining, which gives an environment that fungus gnats dont like. they sell ready to use mixes, but also soil amendments, like perlite, pumice and leca! for the orchid specifically, make sure the roots dry out and turn a silvery color. what medium do you have it in? i know a lot of people use sphagnum moss with perlite and orchid bark. if you have any succulants or cacti, i use the brand EB Stone mix, and add in more perlite! hope this helps!!

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    • Aria

      Thank you so much I’ll absolutely look into the soil you mentioned!! I’m pretty sure that’s what initially caused this problem 🫠

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  2. Hemlock Plants

    First off, don’t be stressed out, they won’t hurt your plants. They’re just a little annoying. There are many remedies depending on availability of products (I live in CA so can’t get systemic granules), and if you have pets, etc. Castile soap, neem, peroxide, insecticidal soap, etc.

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    • Aria

      I live in Canada as well and just discovered mosquito bits (which I keep seeing) aren't readily available at many stores. Will hydrogen peroxide kill the eggs in a similar way? I have many herbs so I'm worried about using things like insecticide

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    • Hemlock Plants

      My understanding is yes. Castile soap should also.

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