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My plant is doing well seems like but random question is it normal or… | Anything about plants | Planta 커뮤니티

Mia

My plant is doing well seems like but random question is it normal or concerning these little gnat looking flies in his soil??? If i move the soil around i see some crawling out escaping or idk… ughhhh Let me known thanks!

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  1. KJM

    Sounds like fungus gnats. You're probably keeping the soil a little too wet. Get some sticky traps to entrap the adults and treat the soil with a product for mosquitoes to kill the larvae. I'm sure there are other suggestions as well regarding treating the soil.

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    • Mia

      I figured so too it might be too moist- it’s confusing when watering the this plant - they say water until it drains out - but I might just bottom water feed it so it doesn’t get too wet.

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    • Jae

      Bottom watering promotes deeper, stronger root structures as it mimics naturally occurring underground streams. Its altogether a good practice. I would definitely wait to water until your soil is dried out more too. If you stick your finger in the dirt past your knuckle and it's still wet, your plant can dry out a few more day before watering.

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  2. Mia

    Oh and i do have some traps!

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  3. KJM

    Watering until water drains out the bottom of the pot is a good practice. It ensures that all of the roots are getting moisture. It also flushes salts from the pot. You would just need to go longer between waterings if you continue to top water.

    3개 좋아요
    • KJM

      I agree bottom watering is also a good practice as long as you flush the pot occasionally and make sure that it has plenty of time to absorb moisture from the bottom.

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  4. K

    Fungus gnats aren’t at all harmful to your plant but they can be very annoying. Often when you buy a plant or buy a bag of soil the eggs are already in there. If you really want to get rid of them you have four options: 1. Use “mosquito bits” when you water. This is a pesticide you can get at hardware stores. You will have to use it regularly for at least a few months to work fully. If you’re someone who also puts nutrients in your water then just be aware that this can cause other microorganisms to grow. 2. Beneficial/predatory organisms: these usually come in a lil packet that you either water into your plants or hang on the plant itself. The organisms are small enough that you won’t see them but will eat the fungus gnats in early stages of development so you never see anything. Nice if you don’t want to use pesticides or if you don’t want to have to add things to water consistently, but more expensive than the mosquito bits. 3) semi-hydro: this is kind of an honorable mention because it’s got so much else associated, but fungus gnats don’t grow nearly as much in non-organic media. This has up- and down-sides but overall I’d say is a more intermediate-to-advanced option and will require more work up front. 4) sanitize your potting media: if you only have a couple plants then you can water with a 25% hydrogen peroxide solution (like 25% peroxide from drugstore, 75% water) for a month or so and after that switch to monthly use. If you have more plants or plan to get more, you may find it useful to bake your soil/potting media when you get it before planting. In this case, you would bake some soil at 300-350 degrees for 15-20 minutes and use that to replace the soil you’re using. You’d then use that technique for any organic potting components you bring into the house thereafter, so new eggs/larvae can’t come in. More of an upfront time investment but very effective.

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    • K

      I’ve personally done all but the beneficial organisms. I currently use the last two and haven’t had fungus gnats since switching. The mosquito bits didn’t work for me because I found it was too much to prep and coordinate the watering schedules. I haven’t tried the beneficial organisms but some people absolutely swear by them.

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  5. Mia

    Thank you sooooo much for your help!

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  6. The threeplantiers

    Try beneficial neamod worms they eat the larvae of the fungus gnats and are harmless to humans and after all the larvae they will die

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