I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a couple of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to use something that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas what might be causing this?
Thanks, Pat
Good day Pat. I would recommend safers insecticidal soap, yellow sticky traps or diamatious earth. You should be able to find these at most nurseries.
Gnats are fungus eaters. Sometimes overwatering can casuse the fungus growth or it could of come in with the potting soil itself. The yellow traps should work ok. This will attract them to the card and they get stuck. The safers soap is a potassium salt?.. and it's very safe to use around you and the pets. You will need to treat for a few days/weeks. Diamatious earth is a product that you put on the top of the soil in your pots. As the insects come out of the soil, the diamatious earth shreds them to bits. If you place sand in the top in the pots, this may work also.
Good luck...
I didn't know they were fungus eaters. I can see some green stuff growing on the dirt in the pot. That's probably it. Thanks!
Pat
Another solution I've used- put a layer of sand on top of your soil. The gnats can't get access to your soil, lay eggs, etc...
You'll get a decimal reduction in their population in roughly one week.
One other thing was mentioned. You need to back off on the amount of watering your plants get. Black Fungus Gnats are usually a good indicator of over-watered plants.
Sprinkle ground cinnamon on the potting soil.
Pat
I use a soil drench called Gnats Away sold by Gardens Alive. Also cut back on your watering.
Marv-M> I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
use one medium garlic clove, skin ON, and place stem side down into the soil...for a 2 inch pot; 4 inch pot? 2 cloves on opposite sites; 6 inch pot:
3 to 4 cloves).garlic WILL grow but as the garlic aroma on top will make the gnats literally smash themselves against the windows trying to get out; the garlic roots will intertwine GENTLY with the plant's roots and will take care of the fungus gnat's larvae growing on the root hairs.
All good suggestions. I'll give it a try. What they're bothering is a purple hyacinth vine I've got growing in a pot. Most of the leaves are kind of drying up and falling off. It was doing fine until the gnats showed up.
Pat
Spread a layer of perlite on the surface of the soil. It stays dry and prevents the gnats from reaching the actual soil to lay eggs. The abrasiveness prevents already hatched nymphs from creeping out. Use yellow sticky strips to trap the gnats.
Thanks ! I've gotten so many great ideas about this I'll have to try them all. :)
Pat
Overwatering causes this. I use product called Knock Out Gnats sold by Garden's Alive. One bottle lasts for years. It's a strain of Bacillus thurgiensis Israelensis, but it's the H-14 strain which is specific for fungus gnats. It is host specific and will not harm anything or anyone other than gnat larvae.
Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a friend?
Thanks, I'll see if I can find it. They're getting crazy!
Pat
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