As far ascommon houseplant pestsgo , fungus gnats are n’t needs the high-risk critter to linger around your plant , but they can be quite the pain in the neck . Fungus gnats typically bother plant that are already struggling with overwatering or fungal infection . On their own , they ’re more probable to be a symptom of a larger payoff rather than a problem in their own right .
Really , gnats only become problematic when they protrude to multiply — and once they reproduce , they can multiply tight . While it might not know for more than two weeks , an adult fungus gnat can lay up to 300 egg , making it imperative that you deal an plague as before long as you note it .
It ’s loose to see just how problematical gnats can become , so how can you annihilate them ? We ’ll go over summit on how to get free of fungus gnats and forbid these pests from taking over your place , and we ’ll break down tried - and - true solutions for getting free of them .
What to do when fungus gnats start attacking your plants
While they ’re harmless , fungus gnats can be indicative of a more serious problem . The number - one perpetrator behind fungus gnat is — drumroll please — overwatering ! True to their name , fungus gnat often prey on fungus in the grunge that can grow fromoverwatering and root bunkum . When you see them bulk large around a specific plant , this may be a sign that you demand to cut back on water that plant .
whole tone 1 : Isolate the moved plant from the rest of your collecting to prevent the gnat from pose eggs elsewhere .
Step 2 : Repot the affected plant into fresh stain , removing as much of the infected potting mix as possible . Replace it with a uninspired , soilless commixture if you may — constitutive amendments often attract these fly microbe .
pace 3 : When you water your plants , apply a method such as bottom lachrymation to ensure you never countenance your plant sit around in urine .
Solutions for getting rid of fungus gnats
After doing some price control for your plants , it ’s fourth dimension to round the fungus gnats themselves . Luckily , you’re able to easily access solution for fungus gnats since they ’re a reasonably common problem . You might even be able-bodied to grab remedies from your kitchen or medicine cabinet . Depending on the sizing of the infestation and what items you have available in your home , here are six solution you’re able to assay .
Solution 1: Yellow sticky traps
Yellow sticky traps are n’t the most subtle means of getting rid of fungus gnat , but they are effective . Adult fungus gnat will aviate right to them and get stuck . While the traps can become unseemly over time , they will stop the gnats from reproducing . jaundiced sticky trap for houseplant are well-to-do to get at as well — you may often observe them in the pest control area of your local garden center or even make them at home .
Solution 2: Mosquito bits
Bacillus thuringiensis , or Bt , is used in a popular merchandise call Mosquito Bits , which , in spite of its name , will also aid you get disembarrass of fungus gnat . Bt is essentially a bacterium that drink down fungus gnats but is considered safe for humans and pet . Mosquito pellets are very effective , as they consistently kill larvae in the filth .
pace 1 : If using Bt in pellet form , sprinkle the pellets like a shot onto your soil .
Step 2 : If favor , you’re able to also soak the pellet inside your watering can to eject the bacterium into the urine . Pre - soaking countenance the bacteria to travel more chop-chop to the antecedent , where the fungus gnats are likely feasting .
Solution 3: Apple cider vinegar
All you need for this one is apple cider acetum , a exculpated cup , and credit card wrapping .
Step 1 : Fill a cup more or less one - third of the fashion with vinegar .
Step 2 : wrap up the top of the cup with plastic wrap and poke a small trap in the transparency top . Adult gnats will fly into the acetum through the small hole and eventually drown .
Solution 4: Hydrogen peroxide
The next time you irrigate a plant infested with fungus gnats , test out a atomic number 1 peroxide solution . While H peroxide might not be as effective as other suggestions on this listing , it ’s worth a shooting since it ’s probably already in your medicinal drug storage locker ! And while you’re able to utilize a hydrogen peroxide solution as a spray on stems and leaves , it ’ll ferment better in the growing spiritualist because this is where egg typically brood .
Step 1 : make a admixture of one part 3 % hydrogen hydrogen peroxide and four parts water system .
Step 2 : water system affected plant with the H peroxide mixture , inebriate the plant to drink down larvae lurking in the soil . Do n’t vex if the ground start to fizz , as this is what happens when hydrogen peroxide breaks down .
Solution 5: Neem oil
Diluted neem oilis one of the most various product for dealing with pests . you could usually find it online or at your local garden center for economic consumption on plant . Whetheryou have scale , thrip , or gnats , it ’s decidedly commodious to have neem petroleum lying around to manage pest . Neem oil deeds by stopping insect from mating and eating , so they finally die . The drawback with neem rock oil is that it ’s unremarkably a foliage atomiser , so you believably wo n’t be able to get it down to the ascendant where gnats and their larvae blast near rotting roots .
Solution 6: Cover the soil with sand
Since fungus gnats lie their eggs in the soil , one way of life to prevent them from inconvenience your works is to hold back them from touch the territory . Adding a layer of sand to the top of the dirt will prevent fungus gnats from laying egg in the soil , and it will trap any be orchis or larvae from achieve the airfoil .
While this wo n’t get rid of an existing infestation , placing a layer of sand on the Earth’s surface of the soil can keep an existing infestation from getting worse and prevent succeeding infestations . piddle and liquid fertilizer will still be able to reach the soil through the sand , so your flora wo n’t be harmed by this method .
While not necessarily harmful , fungus gnats can rapidly maturate out of control and may also argue an overwatering issue with your houseplants . To prevent fungus gnat , key preventative measures admit never letting your filth get waterlogged and avoiding constitutional matter in your soil .
If you do recover your indoor jungle becoming a house to gnats , there are quite a little of result out there to get rid of them . With a cup of Malus pumila cider acetum or a sprinkle of mosquito chip , you ’ll be on your style to getting rid of those pestering fungus gnats once and for all .
