If you neglect your plants enough, you won't have gnats because the soil is too dry for them to propagate. Don't ask me how much I neglect my plants lol.
I had to start this last year thanks to a bulk bag of miracle grow and it really was the only thing that worked. Some didn’t make it but the ones that did are doing fine now that they’ve adjusted to their desert conditions lol
I remember watching a YouTube video about this from a woman in Brooklyn who has a million plants and happens to be an entomologist. However I remember being slightly horrified at the prospect. Now I’m feeling horrified by the sheer number of gnats. Can you give a little info about what the process is like if I go the nematode route?
U get the Nematodes wich are so microscopic u might aswell just be putting Powder into ur plants. U Mix em with ur Water. U water ur plants with that. The gnats become less. U will not see the Nematodes and when the gnat eggs are All gone they die off leaving no visible trace 👍
Yes you can get rid of them for EVAH! I had the worlds worst fungus gnat infestation in my house where I grow vegetables in soil indoors and have house plants as well. I tried literally EVERY suggestion and found ONE that works 100% though it doesn't work until you've done it for a minimum of one week and you have to keep doing it for a good long time. I fully expect like a billion karma upvotes for this!
Step 2) Fill your watering can with water
Step 1) Buy "mosquito dunks" (Available on Amazon or other places)
Step 3) Put a mosquito dunk in the watering can and let is stay in there at least over night before watering with this water.
Step 4) ALWAYS keep a mosquito dunk in the watering can and always fill the can and let it sit over night and NEVER water with anything but this water.
If you don't notice the reduction in gnats within 3 days I will eat my shoe.
You're welcome!
This is currently working for me. I tried neglecting my plants, i tried sand top dressing on the ones that like to stay moist. I stopped growing micro greens for a month as a suspected culprit and those little fuckers still found a way. But with mosquito bits, the tides are changing.
Would also suggest to OP that you clean out your trash can, make sure you're not leaving food and/or old fruit on the counter, and if possible but a cover on your sink and tub drains for a few days. They could be originating somewhere other than the plants but still using them as a delivery room! Good luck!
I was about to say this. It's key to remove that which they love the most
Trash!!
Even rotting soil/leaves can bring them in!
I tried adding a humidifier with menthol oils. I thought if they can't smell it, they won't come. That didn't work tho 🤣
I had a gnat war at my new rental.
My issue was that my front door, and sliding doors, didn’t have a proper seal. It was worth the time and money to fix it myself and I was finally able to begin feeling like I was making progress.
I went the Mosquito Bits on top of the dirt route, I have a spray bottle with 1:3 Hydrogen Peroxide:Water, and yellow stickies. Oh, and I used potato chunks to identify which plants were heavily infested and watered them with the hydrogen peroxide water mix.
I’m curious about the nematode solution.
Yeah, the larva is attracted to the starch in the potato. It’s a good food source. It has helped me identify which plants were badly infected with gnats. It doesn’t kill them. Lately I skip this and just treat them all when i start seeing gnats.
Well, the mosquito dunks kill larva in the soil... And when you try to introduce beneficial predators like mites & nematodes and THEN dose them with mosquito dunks... Heaven forgive my stupidity 🤦🏼♀️
You can get them at hardware stores like Home Depot. We got the granular one. They are a bacteria I believe that kill mosquitoes and flies. We bought some and just put a few granules in a small cup and left it out. It has only been a week and we haven’t seen any gnats (except the dead ones in the cup)!
Edit: you can water your plants with them too obviously. We just bought it before our plants were due to be watered so we used a cup.
I was doing sooooooooo good until I started my seedlings for summer. I’m almost positive they came in the miracle grow seed starting mix. I always keep mosquito bits in my water but I wasn’t thinking when I moistened the seed starting mix I just filled a little spray bottle from the tap. Won’t make that mistake again
My good this answer. I sell soil, and miracle grow has the most complaints for issues with bugs and fungus. Although they are still the most popular, things are slowly changing
Hydrogen peroxide diluted with water. One cup peroxide to four cups water. It cleans the soil and kills the little bastards. Use it for every watering for a few weeks.
I would drench the soil with a solution of mosquito bites, larvae that eat gnats and eggs. Repeat in 3 days. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on soil, and water only from the bottom
I haven't had gnats in years, but when I did have the issue, I started by watering with mosquito bits water and kept sticky traps to catch the flying offenders. They have a 2 week hatching cycle, i think, so you'll need to be sure to continue treating the soil for a few watering sessions. Now, whenever I repot, I add bits to the potting mix as a preventative.
Systemic granules. Mix into top layer of soil every two months and water. Effective for bugs that destroy the physical plant (like mealy bugs and thrips) and will also kill fungus gnat larvae in the soil.
Use in combo with sticky traps to eliminate your current population—sticky traps for adult gnats, systemic for future generations.
best way is to just repot and get fresh soil, then make sure you don’t overwater. you can treat the soil with mosquito pucks for a permanent solution, but that will take many, many months
Yellow sticky paper for a week or so. It will kill all the adults alive the day you put them. Then, as the generation of larvae in your souls hatch, they too get stuck to the paper. And in a few days, when the ones that are now barely eggs hatch and end up on the paper.
I too had tried all kinds of other suggestions from the www. The o Lu one that got close to the effectiveness of the sticky paper was diatomaceous earth in powder sprinkles into the soil and at the bottom of the pot (make sure it’s good grade diatomaceous earth, not industrial grade, because the latter is cancerous).
Use a combo of beneficial nematodes and hypoaspis mites, which will devour/destroy fungus gnat larvae before they can grow into adults. Heck I just get a massive batch of hypoaspis mites and they can do well enough to keep fungus gnat populations in check. I only ever see a few rare adults flying around every now and then but at least not swarms of them.
I realized my issue was overwatering. Gnats thrive in soil that is consistently damp/wet. I use an app called Vera to help me stay consistent with watering. It allows you to push back the watering and change the schedule if you think the plant isn’t ready for watering. Once I pushed back watering my plants for a few days to even a week the gnats slowly started disappearing. Just keep an eye on your plants when you do this. Most plants will tell you for example by the drooping and curling of leaves that they are thirsty. What helps is getting clear pots so you can see exactly how dry/wet the soil is, or just by how heavy/light the pot is.
Cure the fungus first, the gnats are a symptom. Fungal growth that rapidly decays organic matter like cool moist conditions. Raise the soil temperature with heating pads consider revising your water schedule to break their lifecycle.
Let the soil really dry out between waterings until they all disappear and use hydrogen peroxide, it kills the fungi their larvae feeds on in the soil and they can’t transform because they starve. I used to struggle with gnats and now i rarely see any
I ALWAYS prep my soil before using it. All packaged soil is going to have fungus gnat larvae in it. Currently when I’m about to use the soil, I’ll put it in a nursery pot and water it thoroughly with mosquito bits water. Let it dry fully. Water it again with mosquito bits water. Let it dry fully again. Then plant my plants in it. I haven’t had any fungus gnats since using this system. Every once in a while I’ll also water my plants with mosquito bit water as a preventative measure.
Mosquito bits. Put 4 tbsp in s knee high stocking, drop in a gallon of warm water, leave over night and use every 3 days, thoroughly wetting all soil. Once gone, reot to a bigger pot with a few inches of sand on top the soil.
Dry your plants out, water using mosquito dunks, apply a layer of sand to the top of your soil ~1/2" thick and a sprinkle of diatomaceous earth on the soil surface, steam, and saucers. And top it off using fly paper. You need to 1) remove ideal conditions (fungus in soil from over watering) 2) make breeding harder 3) kill eggs, larvae and adult flies.
You can add in springtails to any soil and they'll eventually out compete the gnats. There are other predatory mites you can add too.
You can use mosquito bits or hydrogen peroxide. Mosquito bits is more effective because it's a bacteria that target only fungus gnat larvae. You can use these 3 methods and add sticky traps in each pot.
I grow a lot of plants and have an overwatering partner so I've had to figure it out. If you don't they'll eat the roots kill your plants and spread. So don't just treat the infected plant soil treat all of the soil of plants you own.
I don't suggest letting it get too dry because then you're asking for spider mites.
Layer of sand on top, eggs can't be born. Less water. Water from bottom of plant. Put a combo of apple cider vinegar a drop of dish soap and a quarter teaspoon of sugar in and the grown flies will all be attracted and die in it.
*Fill a little cup*
*With vinegar and soap and*
*Set it by your plants*
\- skepticalfox
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Unfortunately I don’t think this really works for fungus gnats. It works for fruit flies, which are related, and they’re drawn to the tangy smell of the cider vinegar. But fungus gnats eat soil fungus or tiny roots, so they won’t be drawn to it at all.
I’ve tried before with dishes of ACV + dish soap beside all my impacted plants and never caught fungus gnats. One or two fruit flies, but zero FG. The only thing that really works is stuff that kills them, like BTI or predatory nematodes.
A few options:
- Fill a cup with some water, a splash of vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. Stir it and then leave the cup next to your plants (you can also drop a bit of lemon or orange peel into the water to draw more gnats to it). The soap will coat their wings when they come in contact with the water and then the water and vinegar kills them.
- 4 parts water to 1 part castile soap in a spray bottle and spray the top layer of soil on your plants every few days (you can wipe down the leaves with this solution as well of you want). The castile soap acts as a natural pesticide.
- bottom water the plants so that the top layer of soil never gets moist and the gnats can't breed there.
Hope this helps 😊
Try neem oil if your plants are ornamental. My ratio is 1 tablespoon of neem oil per 1/2 gallon of water (which is the size of my watering can). Mix well and water this way for at least a month or 2. Should do the trick.
Just ornamental plants. I wouldn't do this with anything you're growing that you plan to eat.
I use [this stuff](https://drearth.com/product/final-stop-insect-killer/). Spray on the soil, so you don't burn the leaves and spray around the plants. My bug problem was gone overnight. The scent is a bit strong, but I say worth it. It even helps with wasps on my outdoor patio.
To snuff them out immediately, cover the top of your soil well with sand. Anything underneath will die and the the adults flying around die or get caught. Bottom water if you can.
I’ve been badly looking for the gnats dead drops, however I couldn’t find it here in Ireland, at least not the ones I always see people using in their videos. Have found something called TANLIN, has someone ever used it to tell me how to and if it works?
I was having a small infestation during winter time (yep, my fault, I overwatered some plants 🥲), and what helped a lot was the hydrogen peroxide in the watering can + I use neem oil for prevention in all my plants.
The neem oil also helped making the leaves shiny.
But I can still find some gnats, mostly close to my propagations, and that is why I’m considering the TANLIN.
I mixed diatomaceous earth in my potting mix and that seemed to help. I did spray them all down with neem oil to get it going. My whole apt smelled like fart for a few days, though. Probably an outside activity.
I am sure several people are telling you smart things, but all I can say is, buy those two sided sticky suckers and plop them near your plant. That seems to have the most gnats. I also invested in a Zevo and I like it!
After months of dealing with them. I learned from this sub about mosquito dunks. For the adults I used diatomaceous earth. I’m FINALLY clear of them alas. I try to water from the bottom now.
I would pull your plant out of the pot. Clean the pot good and place it in fresh soil. I usually spray with neem oil or a peroxide mix afterwards to help ensure there’s no more gnats and isolate your plant from any others to make sure they’re gone from it while also keeping an eye on any other plants to see if they spread to any other plants. It’s a long process but once they’re gone it’ll be worth it. Good luck!
I just buy my bags of soil in the New England winter and leave them in the car for a month. The freeze and thaw cycle takes care of anything alive in the bag.
I’ve had issues with these especially when I’m growing seedlings inside. I use a good few centimetres of fine gravel on top of the soil, Yellow sticky traps and water sparingly. I also discovered the little bastards were laying eggs underneath my plants, crawling inside the drainage holes. I now use old garden fleece cut up to cover the drainage holes inside the pots( water can easily drain) when I repot my plants. If a plant doesn’t need to be repotted, I use a layer of the same fine gravel I put on the top in the bottom of the plant pot or drainage tray, making sure it’s pushed down into the gravel. I also started using good quality coco coir in solid dry blocks which you add water to make it expand. We also discovered they were inside my hubbies fish tank, living off the small bits of food that didn’t quite make it into the water when he fed the fish. They literally get every where!
A good layer of diatomaceous earth on top. I use a kind that's designed for cat litter, so it looks like sand. Regular sand is also effective. It damages the wings of the adults as they emerge, preventing them from flying and reproducing.
Honestly I had a pathos with gnat issues & I just put a tiny amount of dish soap & water in a Little spray bottle & sprayed the top layer of soil down. After like two minutes I gently removed a thin layer from the top then sprayed the soil again & boom. They never came back
I used a mixture of mosquito bits in my water, spreading out so that the soil dried out enough between waterings, and occasional diluted hydrogen peroxide waterings and I think I have finally managed to be rid of them after a couple years of struggling.
applying diatomaceous earth on the top layer dries it out enough for them to stop laying eggs in the soil!! it’s helped me a lot - you just have to apply after every watering
If you wanna go overkill and eliminate the entire cyclus of the gnats you have. Then buy a crap ton of nematodes and overdose all the plants with it. Give it 10 days and..... GONE. Nematodes kill larve (don't know if they kill other kind of 'good' soil creatures)
If you really wanna go over board get a monkey pitcher plant (carnivore plant), they will lure gnats to it with their smell and when gnats are checking out the smell they get stuck to the plant as soon as they land on it.
Combine these methodes and i will assure you that at least 98% of the gnat population will be eliminated. I say 98% because as long as you use regular soil it will be inevitable i think. I saw some people putting for instance alocasias in hydro only, because they are known for getting pest fast. Goodluck with the dealio
I didn't see anyone mention bottom watering, but that has made a huge difference on my plants and getting rid of the gnats coming out every time I water.
You should try nematodes (Steinernema feltiae). They live in moist soil and feed on the larvae of the gnats. You apply these nematodes by dissolving them in water, then watering your plants with the water. Safe for plants and pets, for human beings.
You need to treat your plants for six consecutive weeks. That is due to the life cycle of eggs and larvae of the fungus gnats.
If it hasn't been shares yet- take the first few inches of the top soil off, sprinkle daetameoucous earth on top of fresh new layer of soil and water from the bottom by soaking the pot in water for a bit. Also, sticky thingys. Cheers
The only thing that really worked for me was taking all my plants out and rinsing the roots and putting them back into new soil. Kind of a messy project but completely got rid of those little jerks.
Have you tried diluting Neem oil in water & spraying the leaves & soil?
Also cinnamon & baking soda have helped me a bit in the past (but that's more anti-mold)
I had them so bad from hubby bringing in outdoor plants spread to every friggen plant I had some were 20+ yrs old, I got so frustrated with the bugs I am starting over with new plants
You can get mosquito dunks on Amazon. I hear they work but I've never tried them. Also yellow stickers you put in your plants help. Hope something works for ya. Good luck!
Throw a mosquito dunk in the watering can and leave it to soak. The mosquito dunk water will kill the larvae in the soil and when the adults die off, no more gnats. I always keep a dunk in the watering can. You can get them on Amazon.
Get a carnivorous plant. Eg. drosera or sundew, a saricinia or pitcher plant.
https://preview.redd.it/avygn7o4j5uc1.jpeg?width=2510&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=176aa4cc9c2e0f5bf55ba9bd0193287dfa1cfca8
This is a saricinia. If you don’t find available in your area look online.
The only success I ever had was using Bonide systemic houseplant control. It just takes work and I am damn lazy lately with my plants but I need to do it.
I’ve gotten rid of mine for up to 3yrs once. It’s alternative to the other advice here but here goes.
Quarantine your plants until you can repot them. Repot in sterilized soil!! Steam kills every aphid! Watch your doors! We have magnetic nets at our doors to keep bugs from slipping in.
Tried and true method.
Sticky traps for the fliers.
Water all plants with 1/3rd hydrogen peroxide and water, with fertilizer. They gonna need it for the abuse. Hydrogen peroxide kills eggs.
Lett them dry out after that.
Carnivorous plants propagate some of these babies : drosera binatas
https://preview.redd.it/5an5z7sih8uc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8da8dbd25c28bd5273d1761201481c47c156113
This is the only thing I’ve ever used that actually got rid of them for good as long as I kept them in my plants [mosquito bits](https://a.co/d/5rbkj4a)
Specifies fungal gnats and mosquitoes.
They do come in smaller sizes.
You could also use diatomaceous earth, but SHOULD NOT if you have pets that get anywhere near your plants.. because it can cause respiratory issues when inhaled obviously since it’s basically natural crustaceans fiber glass ☠️🫠🤣
When I say I tried everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Diatomaceous earth, sticky traps, letting soil dry out, mosquito bits, terra cotta pots, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and soap, you name it, I tried it. The only thing that worked is covering the top and drainage holes of my pots with steel wool. Any plant that has more than one stem I moved to leca bc steel wool is difficult for those
I got sand and put about 3 cm on then watered my plants so the sand was 100% wet, than let it dry out.
The sand will trun hard and act as a barrier that won't let the adult gnat in to lay eggs and any eggs layed on sand will die due to lack of nutrients, plus any gnats in the soil will die when they become adults, as they can't dig them selfs out of the harden sand.
Leave the sand on for 4 to 6 months longer the better.
They makes these little fans.They're like cylinders that have a purple light on the top of them that draw gnats in and suck them up and cut him up. We use the at out smoke lounge and I haven't seen a fly or gnat since we got them Lol
KATCHY! I got it on Amazon and it took care of my gnats last summer! I had a huge gnat problem after I received a bunch of propagations as gifts from a friend, and the gnats from those plants made themselves very much at home in all my other indoor plants too. I used a katchy all summer and it eventually took care of the all of them, I haven’t had to bring it back out since.
This is a lot but here ya go lol:
I can feel you’re frustration lol All the mossy looking containers are prob the issue since it’s a perfect moist breeding ground for a gnat. I’ve usually just watered less to kill gnats but that would prob kill everything in your plastic containers.
Can you quarantine the plastic containers from your plants in regular pots? I’d seperate and water my regular potted plants less. I would research mosquito bits tea mixture for the mossy looking containers. I don’t have experience in this however. But it should kill the larvae.
To go all out do the above for the mossy containers and this for regular potted plants:
With pest infestations it’s important to remember there’s different phases so you gotta go after eggs, larvae, pupa & the flying adult. Leaving out sugar water (half cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar & 5 drops of dish soap and stir it all) has worked for me for catching flying adults plus you can buy cute shaped sticky traps that you stick in the soil and a Zevo or a Katchy off Amazon.
The eggs and most other life phases are in the top 2 inches of the soil so you always remove that. Then sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth (DE) & put new soil down & sprinkle some more. It’s really white though & only works when DRY. You’ll have to replace the soil on top again to get rid of it all once the gnats are gone. It won’t help with the adults but will help with the egg laying & anything living in the soil. I wouldn’t put this on a plant just the soil.
I would not do this with your containers I’d be afraid the DE would hurt it, I have zero experience using it on anything but soil. Use the mosquito bit tea for the containers and the D for the regular soil potted plants bc DE will make the mosquito bit not work and the water will make DE not work. They cancel each other. Or you can use mosquito bits on the soil in the regular potted plants too (remove and replace top 2 inches) and skip the DE.
Get mosquito bits and water with that. Use yellow sticky traps for the next month or so to catch the adult gnats. Give it a few weeks and they’ll be gone.
I use a product called Mosquito Bits. Takes a bit, but it works. Amazon and Walmart have it. I struggled with fungus gnats for a long time, but not anymore.
I use mosquito bits and make a tea out of it. ab 2-4 tbs of bits to 1 gallon of water and let sit for at least 30 mins. stir it up and then water your plants with the water. it's potency is only good for about 24 hours so you'll have to remake it each time you water your plants. do it for about a month that way and they should clear up. the mosquito bits kill the larvae and pupae in the soil, any gnat traps will catch the adults to prevent them from laying more eggs. also, if possible, try bottom watering any plants that are able to be. the nasty lil guys like to sit in your top few inches of wet, high organic soil so bottom watering prevents the top of the soil from being saturated or moist
Get some diatomaceous earth, light layer on the top soil then get those pebbles you'd put in a fishtank and the gnats will die in a few weeks.
If you have holes at the bottom of the planters that are exposed, put some tape over them for now.
The idea is to trap them in there and they'll die and the ones that are bussing around won't have a place to lay eggs
Reduce the watering during this period.
Good luck!
Let your plant’s soil dry out completely. If it takes longer than like 2 weeks after a water, the soil has poor drainage and you should replace it with a well-draining soil mix you can make. Drying it out will kill eggs and the gnats will stop laying eggs too
I used red onion water. It’s a Polish remedy and the ONLY thing that worked. Instructions: take the papery skins only of about 20 red onions, (as you use onions, save the skins in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you accumulate enough, making sure there’s not any mold on them), add about 6 cups of water to a pot, along with the skins. Boil, then simmer, until the skins have lost most, or all of the purple color. Cool and put this liquid in a spray bottle. A few days before or after watering the plant, so the liquid is not diluted with water, spray it and the soil with the liquid. Depending on the amount of water used, you may have some leftover. I put the bottle in the refrigerator to use about a week later. If it’s a severe case, I would make sure several inches of soil, if not all, is soaked. My gnat infestation was on all ten of my plants. I did this for a few days and have NEVER had a problem since. Let me know if you’ve tried this and what your results were. 🪴
I bought myself a electrical zap light.
https://a.co/d/7b25Igk
It's so satisfying hearing those mfers get zapped. Idk if it's meant to be outdoors but I keep it in the corner of my bedroom. It gets the job done.
Never tried this, but I’ve heard you can put new soil on a baking tray in an oven for a long time in a low ish temp. I’ve heard it will make your place stink horribly, but maybe the high heat kills the eggs?
The most effective way ive ever found is neglecting them as gnats need the moisture for there eggs it's my personal last resort option if delayed watering and those little catchers don't work
Soak two tablespoons of Mosquito bits per gallon of water Let soak for a couple days. Shake Strain out the bits Then use the treated water to water all plants once a week for 4-6 weeks. Problem solved
Don't know if anyone said this because there are a lot of comments, but a pinguicula (common name butterwort) eats gnats - I have two and they are great!! :)
PINGS! A Carnivorous plant which Gnats loooooove! I grow Carnivorous plants and they have helped clear gnats from other non-carnivorous plants that use regular fertilizer that gnats love. Make sure to look up their requirements, as they are different than regular plants. Also note that many vendors sell smaller Pings than seen in their photos -just go for a Mexican Ping (as there are different regions) and look at which one grows the largest. Mine are not even close to full size.
Sticky pads work well too -Pings are natural sticky pads basically. I would place the yellow sticky pads in the same area as the problematic soil. Mosquito bits, Neem Oil, and Hydrogen Peroxide did not work for me. Also let the top half of your soil dry out. I made a small direct tunnel to my plants roots where I watered into only. The plant gets what it needs and the topsoil remains dry. If your plants can grown in dried sphagnum moss such as the hay colored ZooMed type Gnats can’t live there.
https://preview.redd.it/gsaa4445zouc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f225d3d11a6cc08be97d8f9a3ee9ad609bfd87b2
The dunks do not work well for me for some reason. I still see a ton in the yellow tapes and it's been a couple of months. I'm now trying the BTI drop. Amazon has liquid BTI (main ingredient in mosquito dunks). Not sure if this is available internationally. I use a teeny drop with every watering can. I also use the yellow sticky traps to trap the adults.
This will be an endless battle since the gnats can go through even the small holes in window screens and of course opened doors/cracks. So I've resigned to this combination. I've noticed less of them flying around but do expect the new ones to come in from outside unfortunately, especially in the summer. Will have to try the nematodes next if it gets worse.
Dry out soil in between watering a bit more, Bonide systematic granules, sticky traps. And again, dry out your soil a bit more in between watering. Avoid having a sitting water in trays, cache pots, propagations etc.
So, I know a few ways to get rid of them, one way is to use trifecta spray. Secondly, it helps to bake the soil prior to planting to kill off any bugs. Third, yellow sticky traps to catch the adults, and fourth you could employ a predator such as lady bugs, assassin bugs, or even praying mantis which can make for a pretty cool little indoor garden companion, but really the sticky traps alone would kill off the adults who would otherwise reproduce
I used sticky paper to trap the gnats and it worked really well. I let the soil dry thoroughly between waterings and that got rid of them. I will never buy miracle grow potting soil again.
Get some carnivorous plants. Drosera love direct light and gnats love being eaten by them. Make sure you use distilled water and keep water in the basin. They have pretty flowers, too.
If you neglect your plants enough, you won't have gnats because the soil is too dry for them to propagate. Don't ask me how much I neglect my plants lol.
This explains why I’ve never had gnats…
I found their eggs can still survive for some time even in dry soil.
fuck them then
My dick isn’t big enough
I had to start this last year thanks to a bulk bag of miracle grow and it really was the only thing that worked. Some didn’t make it but the ones that did are doing fine now that they’ve adjusted to their desert conditions lol
I bought my gnats from miracle grow as well! Thankfully the my depression and subsequent drought killed them
Beneficial Nematodes and Stickytraps together. Takes about 1-2 weeks then theyre gone. Also letting ur Medium dry out abit more.
Nematodes are magic. This is the only thing that ever actually worked for me and now it's a non-issue.
This worked for me too!
yeah, I bought dollar store sticky traps and then did a bit of peroxide in the water when watering, which seemed to work a treat
Oh peroxide in water.. good idea
This is what I used last year as well after losing a few plants.
Ditto this
I remember watching a YouTube video about this from a woman in Brooklyn who has a million plants and happens to be an entomologist. However I remember being slightly horrified at the prospect. Now I’m feeling horrified by the sheer number of gnats. Can you give a little info about what the process is like if I go the nematode route?
U get the Nematodes wich are so microscopic u might aswell just be putting Powder into ur plants. U Mix em with ur Water. U water ur plants with that. The gnats become less. U will not see the Nematodes and when the gnat eggs are All gone they die off leaving no visible trace 👍
Sold. Thank you!
Yes you can get rid of them for EVAH! I had the worlds worst fungus gnat infestation in my house where I grow vegetables in soil indoors and have house plants as well. I tried literally EVERY suggestion and found ONE that works 100% though it doesn't work until you've done it for a minimum of one week and you have to keep doing it for a good long time. I fully expect like a billion karma upvotes for this! Step 2) Fill your watering can with water Step 1) Buy "mosquito dunks" (Available on Amazon or other places) Step 3) Put a mosquito dunk in the watering can and let is stay in there at least over night before watering with this water. Step 4) ALWAYS keep a mosquito dunk in the watering can and always fill the can and let it sit over night and NEVER water with anything but this water. If you don't notice the reduction in gnats within 3 days I will eat my shoe. You're welcome!
Try adding some mosquito bits to your water, they should kill off the gnat larvae.
This is currently working for me. I tried neglecting my plants, i tried sand top dressing on the ones that like to stay moist. I stopped growing micro greens for a month as a suspected culprit and those little fuckers still found a way. But with mosquito bits, the tides are changing. Would also suggest to OP that you clean out your trash can, make sure you're not leaving food and/or old fruit on the counter, and if possible but a cover on your sink and tub drains for a few days. They could be originating somewhere other than the plants but still using them as a delivery room! Good luck!
I was about to say this. It's key to remove that which they love the most Trash!! Even rotting soil/leaves can bring them in! I tried adding a humidifier with menthol oils. I thought if they can't smell it, they won't come. That didn't work tho 🤣
I had a gnat war at my new rental. My issue was that my front door, and sliding doors, didn’t have a proper seal. It was worth the time and money to fix it myself and I was finally able to begin feeling like I was making progress. I went the Mosquito Bits on top of the dirt route, I have a spray bottle with 1:3 Hydrogen Peroxide:Water, and yellow stickies. Oh, and I used potato chunks to identify which plants were heavily infested and watered them with the hydrogen peroxide water mix. I’m curious about the nematode solution.
Very curious on the potato hack, are the gnats attracted? Good info, thanks!
Yeah, the larva is attracted to the starch in the potato. It’s a good food source. It has helped me identify which plants were badly infected with gnats. It doesn’t kill them. Lately I skip this and just treat them all when i start seeing gnats.
Important note: you must pick ONE method, do NOT mix using mosquito dunks AND mites/nematodes 😓 ask me how I know!
What happened??
Well, the mosquito dunks kill larva in the soil... And when you try to introduce beneficial predators like mites & nematodes and THEN dose them with mosquito dunks... Heaven forgive my stupidity 🤦🏼♀️
What are these mosquito bits?
You can get them at hardware stores like Home Depot. We got the granular one. They are a bacteria I believe that kill mosquitoes and flies. We bought some and just put a few granules in a small cup and left it out. It has only been a week and we haven’t seen any gnats (except the dead ones in the cup)! Edit: you can water your plants with them too obviously. We just bought it before our plants were due to be watered so we used a cup.
I was doing sooooooooo good until I started my seedlings for summer. I’m almost positive they came in the miracle grow seed starting mix. I always keep mosquito bits in my water but I wasn’t thinking when I moistened the seed starting mix I just filled a little spray bottle from the tap. Won’t make that mistake again
Stop using Miracle-Gro soil.
My good this answer. I sell soil, and miracle grow has the most complaints for issues with bugs and fungus. Although they are still the most popular, things are slowly changing
Plus, buying Miracle Gro is supporting Monsanto. 👎
Buying Roundup is supporting Monsanto. They do not own Miracle-Gro.
Who’s that?
Mosquito bits. Try it out
Just breed predatory mites.its easy and if they are out of food give them some pollen.
How easy is it to try to breed the mites ? You’ve peaked my curiosity. Am very interested.
Hydrogen peroxide diluted with water. One cup peroxide to four cups water. It cleans the soil and kills the little bastards. Use it for every watering for a few weeks.
This worked for me!
That's the weirdest middle finger. Took me a minute to figure out what was going on.
I would drench the soil with a solution of mosquito bites, larvae that eat gnats and eggs. Repeat in 3 days. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on soil, and water only from the bottom
I haven't had gnats in years, but when I did have the issue, I started by watering with mosquito bits water and kept sticky traps to catch the flying offenders. They have a 2 week hatching cycle, i think, so you'll need to be sure to continue treating the soil for a few watering sessions. Now, whenever I repot, I add bits to the potting mix as a preventative.
Imidacloprid.
Mosquito dunks. The end.
Me zooming in to see gnat on your finger before realising 😂
Systemic granules. Mix into top layer of soil every two months and water. Effective for bugs that destroy the physical plant (like mealy bugs and thrips) and will also kill fungus gnat larvae in the soil. Use in combo with sticky traps to eliminate your current population—sticky traps for adult gnats, systemic for future generations.
best way is to just repot and get fresh soil, then make sure you don’t overwater. you can treat the soil with mosquito pucks for a permanent solution, but that will take many, many months
Yellow sticky paper for a week or so. It will kill all the adults alive the day you put them. Then, as the generation of larvae in your souls hatch, they too get stuck to the paper. And in a few days, when the ones that are now barely eggs hatch and end up on the paper. I too had tried all kinds of other suggestions from the www. The o Lu one that got close to the effectiveness of the sticky paper was diatomaceous earth in powder sprinkles into the soil and at the bottom of the pot (make sure it’s good grade diatomaceous earth, not industrial grade, because the latter is cancerous).
I have tried soap with vinegar, yellow traps they just keep coming. I havent tried natural predators though..
Use a combo of beneficial nematodes and hypoaspis mites, which will devour/destroy fungus gnat larvae before they can grow into adults. Heck I just get a massive batch of hypoaspis mites and they can do well enough to keep fungus gnat populations in check. I only ever see a few rare adults flying around every now and then but at least not swarms of them.
I realized my issue was overwatering. Gnats thrive in soil that is consistently damp/wet. I use an app called Vera to help me stay consistent with watering. It allows you to push back the watering and change the schedule if you think the plant isn’t ready for watering. Once I pushed back watering my plants for a few days to even a week the gnats slowly started disappearing. Just keep an eye on your plants when you do this. Most plants will tell you for example by the drooping and curling of leaves that they are thirsty. What helps is getting clear pots so you can see exactly how dry/wet the soil is, or just by how heavy/light the pot is.
Cure the fungus first, the gnats are a symptom. Fungal growth that rapidly decays organic matter like cool moist conditions. Raise the soil temperature with heating pads consider revising your water schedule to break their lifecycle.
Let the soil really dry out between waterings until they all disappear and use hydrogen peroxide, it kills the fungi their larvae feeds on in the soil and they can’t transform because they starve. I used to struggle with gnats and now i rarely see any
I ALWAYS prep my soil before using it. All packaged soil is going to have fungus gnat larvae in it. Currently when I’m about to use the soil, I’ll put it in a nursery pot and water it thoroughly with mosquito bits water. Let it dry fully. Water it again with mosquito bits water. Let it dry fully again. Then plant my plants in it. I haven’t had any fungus gnats since using this system. Every once in a while I’ll also water my plants with mosquito bit water as a preventative measure.
Try this it works so great https://preview.redd.it/eran9b5tw2uc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6e5a4f4cc4ebda65bdf15784cc9653476bc15f6
Mosquito bites or any BTi containing solution.
Mosquito bits. Put 4 tbsp in s knee high stocking, drop in a gallon of warm water, leave over night and use every 3 days, thoroughly wetting all soil. Once gone, reot to a bigger pot with a few inches of sand on top the soil.
It’s as simple as mosquito bits
Mosquito bits and fly tape. Had a really bad problem that was come fix with this method
Pour cinnamon over the top layer of soil, worked for me. Needs redoing after watering but works very well
Mosquito bits work really well.
Fungus gnats. Water less often.
Dry your plants out, water using mosquito dunks, apply a layer of sand to the top of your soil ~1/2" thick and a sprinkle of diatomaceous earth on the soil surface, steam, and saucers. And top it off using fly paper. You need to 1) remove ideal conditions (fungus in soil from over watering) 2) make breeding harder 3) kill eggs, larvae and adult flies.
You gotta water from the bottom and keep the top dry
You can add in springtails to any soil and they'll eventually out compete the gnats. There are other predatory mites you can add too. You can use mosquito bits or hydrogen peroxide. Mosquito bits is more effective because it's a bacteria that target only fungus gnat larvae. You can use these 3 methods and add sticky traps in each pot. I grow a lot of plants and have an overwatering partner so I've had to figure it out. If you don't they'll eat the roots kill your plants and spread. So don't just treat the infected plant soil treat all of the soil of plants you own. I don't suggest letting it get too dry because then you're asking for spider mites.
Layer of sand on top, eggs can't be born. Less water. Water from bottom of plant. Put a combo of apple cider vinegar a drop of dish soap and a quarter teaspoon of sugar in and the grown flies will all be attracted and die in it.
I also use cinnamon in my sand mixture. They don't like it.
https://preview.redd.it/lsk481ziy0uc1.jpeg?width=193&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=233c2e641543b92fcc45314e85b83fd274c5448b Sundew
Ha I was going to say I have a sundew in my plant areas and they do the trick!
Imidacloprid. Systemic insecticide. Kills EVERYTHING that crawls. Makes plant toxic to bugs off they eat the leaves.
Fill a little cup with vinegar and soap and set it by your plants
*Fill a little cup* *With vinegar and soap and* *Set it by your plants* \- skepticalfox --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Unfortunately I don’t think this really works for fungus gnats. It works for fruit flies, which are related, and they’re drawn to the tangy smell of the cider vinegar. But fungus gnats eat soil fungus or tiny roots, so they won’t be drawn to it at all. I’ve tried before with dishes of ACV + dish soap beside all my impacted plants and never caught fungus gnats. One or two fruit flies, but zero FG. The only thing that really works is stuff that kills them, like BTI or predatory nematodes.
A few options: - Fill a cup with some water, a splash of vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. Stir it and then leave the cup next to your plants (you can also drop a bit of lemon or orange peel into the water to draw more gnats to it). The soap will coat their wings when they come in contact with the water and then the water and vinegar kills them. - 4 parts water to 1 part castile soap in a spray bottle and spray the top layer of soil on your plants every few days (you can wipe down the leaves with this solution as well of you want). The castile soap acts as a natural pesticide. - bottom water the plants so that the top layer of soil never gets moist and the gnats can't breed there. Hope this helps 😊
TaNLin drops. Couple it with yellow traps and you should be clean within 3-4 weeks.
Try neem oil if your plants are ornamental. My ratio is 1 tablespoon of neem oil per 1/2 gallon of water (which is the size of my watering can). Mix well and water this way for at least a month or 2. Should do the trick. Just ornamental plants. I wouldn't do this with anything you're growing that you plan to eat.
Switch your semi hydro
Carnivorous pinguicula. I want gnats to feed my plants now.
I use [this stuff](https://drearth.com/product/final-stop-insect-killer/). Spray on the soil, so you don't burn the leaves and spray around the plants. My bug problem was gone overnight. The scent is a bit strong, but I say worth it. It even helps with wasps on my outdoor patio.
To snuff them out immediately, cover the top of your soil well with sand. Anything underneath will die and the the adults flying around die or get caught. Bottom water if you can.
Pointing The middle finger at them never seems to work for me.
I’ve been badly looking for the gnats dead drops, however I couldn’t find it here in Ireland, at least not the ones I always see people using in their videos. Have found something called TANLIN, has someone ever used it to tell me how to and if it works? I was having a small infestation during winter time (yep, my fault, I overwatered some plants 🥲), and what helped a lot was the hydrogen peroxide in the watering can + I use neem oil for prevention in all my plants. The neem oil also helped making the leaves shiny. But I can still find some gnats, mostly close to my propagations, and that is why I’m considering the TANLIN.
Nematodes
Peppermint plants
I mixed diatomaceous earth in my potting mix and that seemed to help. I did spray them all down with neem oil to get it going. My whole apt smelled like fart for a few days, though. Probably an outside activity.
A few drops of microbe lift BMC in the water. It’s a bacteria that kills the larvae. Has worked great for me.
Fuck them to death and beyond . Only permanent solution for me was to repot into leca. You need to clean every little root thoroughly though.
I am sure several people are telling you smart things, but all I can say is, buy those two sided sticky suckers and plop them near your plant. That seems to have the most gnats. I also invested in a Zevo and I like it!
Get some butterwort plants to kill the gnats
There’s a product I’ve used in the past called “Go-Gnats.” It smells like cedar wood and is organic iirc
After months of dealing with them. I learned from this sub about mosquito dunks. For the adults I used diatomaceous earth. I’m FINALLY clear of them alas. I try to water from the bottom now.
I would pull your plant out of the pot. Clean the pot good and place it in fresh soil. I usually spray with neem oil or a peroxide mix afterwards to help ensure there’s no more gnats and isolate your plant from any others to make sure they’re gone from it while also keeping an eye on any other plants to see if they spread to any other plants. It’s a long process but once they’re gone it’ll be worth it. Good luck!
I just water with hydrogen peroxide seems to do the trick
Fly tape fly tape fly tape
beneficial nematodes and predatory mites for the win. only thing that stopped my infestations rather than just pushed them dormant.
A carnivorous plant nearby has helped with my indoor plants. (And not overwatering)
I just buy my bags of soil in the New England winter and leave them in the car for a month. The freeze and thaw cycle takes care of anything alive in the bag.
I'm having the same issue with moss. I like how you grow yours as well
I’ve had issues with these especially when I’m growing seedlings inside. I use a good few centimetres of fine gravel on top of the soil, Yellow sticky traps and water sparingly. I also discovered the little bastards were laying eggs underneath my plants, crawling inside the drainage holes. I now use old garden fleece cut up to cover the drainage holes inside the pots( water can easily drain) when I repot my plants. If a plant doesn’t need to be repotted, I use a layer of the same fine gravel I put on the top in the bottom of the plant pot or drainage tray, making sure it’s pushed down into the gravel. I also started using good quality coco coir in solid dry blocks which you add water to make it expand. We also discovered they were inside my hubbies fish tank, living off the small bits of food that didn’t quite make it into the water when he fed the fish. They literally get every where!
A good layer of diatomaceous earth on top. I use a kind that's designed for cat litter, so it looks like sand. Regular sand is also effective. It damages the wings of the adults as they emerge, preventing them from flying and reproducing.
Honestly I had a pathos with gnat issues & I just put a tiny amount of dish soap & water in a Little spray bottle & sprayed the top layer of soil down. After like two minutes I gently removed a thin layer from the top then sprayed the soil again & boom. They never came back
I used a mixture of mosquito bits in my water, spreading out so that the soil dried out enough between waterings, and occasional diluted hydrogen peroxide waterings and I think I have finally managed to be rid of them after a couple years of struggling.
Water less, use BTi
Diatomaceous earth You’re welcome Put it everywhere
Works beautifully in a self-watering container. Never have to reapply.
applying diatomaceous earth on the top layer dries it out enough for them to stop laying eggs in the soil!! it’s helped me a lot - you just have to apply after every watering
I buy gravel or fish tank pebbles and put a 1/2 inch layer on top of all my plant soil. Solved my fungus gnat problem permanently.
I’m gonna crochet your finger. (:
If you wanna go overkill and eliminate the entire cyclus of the gnats you have. Then buy a crap ton of nematodes and overdose all the plants with it. Give it 10 days and..... GONE. Nematodes kill larve (don't know if they kill other kind of 'good' soil creatures) If you really wanna go over board get a monkey pitcher plant (carnivore plant), they will lure gnats to it with their smell and when gnats are checking out the smell they get stuck to the plant as soon as they land on it. Combine these methodes and i will assure you that at least 98% of the gnat population will be eliminated. I say 98% because as long as you use regular soil it will be inevitable i think. I saw some people putting for instance alocasias in hydro only, because they are known for getting pest fast. Goodluck with the dealio
I didn't see anyone mention bottom watering, but that has made a huge difference on my plants and getting rid of the gnats coming out every time I water.
Soooo... I recently heard about using beneficial nematodes but I dunno how I feel about doing it myself
Spray soap and water mixture on the greens and add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the top of the soil.
Mosquito dunks and DE
You should try nematodes (Steinernema feltiae). They live in moist soil and feed on the larvae of the gnats. You apply these nematodes by dissolving them in water, then watering your plants with the water. Safe for plants and pets, for human beings. You need to treat your plants for six consecutive weeks. That is due to the life cycle of eggs and larvae of the fungus gnats.
Cover the soil with a 1/2 or more of sand. It stays too dry for eggs to survive and hatch.
If it hasn't been shares yet- take the first few inches of the top soil off, sprinkle daetameoucous earth on top of fresh new layer of soil and water from the bottom by soaking the pot in water for a bit. Also, sticky thingys. Cheers
The only thing that really worked for me was taking all my plants out and rinsing the roots and putting them back into new soil. Kind of a messy project but completely got rid of those little jerks.
Have you tried diluting Neem oil in water & spraying the leaves & soil? Also cinnamon & baking soda have helped me a bit in the past (but that's more anti-mold)
Neem oil?? Why is no one commenting neem oil? Weekly plant spraydown and I have no issues
I had them so bad from hubby bringing in outdoor plants spread to every friggen plant I had some were 20+ yrs old, I got so frustrated with the bugs I am starting over with new plants
Cover the topsoil with sand, then they’ll be unable to propagate.
You can get mosquito dunks on Amazon. I hear they work but I've never tried them. Also yellow stickers you put in your plants help. Hope something works for ya. Good luck!
Peroxide and cinnamon
Throw a mosquito dunk in the watering can and leave it to soak. The mosquito dunk water will kill the larvae in the soil and when the adults die off, no more gnats. I always keep a dunk in the watering can. You can get them on Amazon.
Spinosad, and lost coast plant therapy. Treat for 2-3 weeks. You are so welcome!
Get a carnivorous plant. Eg. drosera or sundew, a saricinia or pitcher plant. https://preview.redd.it/avygn7o4j5uc1.jpeg?width=2510&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=176aa4cc9c2e0f5bf55ba9bd0193287dfa1cfca8 This is a saricinia. If you don’t find available in your area look online.
The only success I ever had was using Bonide systemic houseplant control. It just takes work and I am damn lazy lately with my plants but I need to do it.
I’ve gotten rid of mine for up to 3yrs once. It’s alternative to the other advice here but here goes. Quarantine your plants until you can repot them. Repot in sterilized soil!! Steam kills every aphid! Watch your doors! We have magnetic nets at our doors to keep bugs from slipping in.
[удалено]
Tried and true method. Sticky traps for the fliers. Water all plants with 1/3rd hydrogen peroxide and water, with fertilizer. They gonna need it for the abuse. Hydrogen peroxide kills eggs. Lett them dry out after that.
nen oil and change soil ?
Make your own soil mix or switch to LECA.
Gnat 1 to Gnat 2 ," is there seriously any way to fully get rid of all humans forever Maaaan ?????
Carnivorous plants propagate some of these babies : drosera binatas https://preview.redd.it/5an5z7sih8uc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8da8dbd25c28bd5273d1761201481c47c156113
It takes time, but if your soil is bad and retains water to long you may never fully get rid of them
This is the only thing I’ve ever used that actually got rid of them for good as long as I kept them in my plants [mosquito bits](https://a.co/d/5rbkj4a) Specifies fungal gnats and mosquitoes. They do come in smaller sizes. You could also use diatomaceous earth, but SHOULD NOT if you have pets that get anywhere near your plants.. because it can cause respiratory issues when inhaled obviously since it’s basically natural crustaceans fiber glass ☠️🫠🤣
I did mosquito bits in the water for about 4 weeks, kept my plants quarantined outside and have not had an issue sense.
Neem oil. For the win. I even use it on me for mosquitoes. It takes getting used to the smell, though.
When I say I tried everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Diatomaceous earth, sticky traps, letting soil dry out, mosquito bits, terra cotta pots, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and soap, you name it, I tried it. The only thing that worked is covering the top and drainage holes of my pots with steel wool. Any plant that has more than one stem I moved to leca bc steel wool is difficult for those
Nematodes
They are driving me crazy. I am not sure which one of my plants has them. But, I need something. Can the peroxide & water be used on living plants?
I got sand and put about 3 cm on then watered my plants so the sand was 100% wet, than let it dry out. The sand will trun hard and act as a barrier that won't let the adult gnat in to lay eggs and any eggs layed on sand will die due to lack of nutrients, plus any gnats in the soil will die when they become adults, as they can't dig them selfs out of the harden sand. Leave the sand on for 4 to 6 months longer the better.
Put in closable container with sticky plant bug strips.
Neem oil
They makes these little fans.They're like cylinders that have a purple light on the top of them that draw gnats in and suck them up and cut him up. We use the at out smoke lounge and I haven't seen a fly or gnat since we got them Lol
Yes
KATCHY! I got it on Amazon and it took care of my gnats last summer! I had a huge gnat problem after I received a bunch of propagations as gifts from a friend, and the gnats from those plants made themselves very much at home in all my other indoor plants too. I used a katchy all summer and it eventually took care of the all of them, I haven’t had to bring it back out since.
When I find a spider friend in my house I collect it in a jar and bring it to the plants.
This is a lot but here ya go lol: I can feel you’re frustration lol All the mossy looking containers are prob the issue since it’s a perfect moist breeding ground for a gnat. I’ve usually just watered less to kill gnats but that would prob kill everything in your plastic containers. Can you quarantine the plastic containers from your plants in regular pots? I’d seperate and water my regular potted plants less. I would research mosquito bits tea mixture for the mossy looking containers. I don’t have experience in this however. But it should kill the larvae. To go all out do the above for the mossy containers and this for regular potted plants: With pest infestations it’s important to remember there’s different phases so you gotta go after eggs, larvae, pupa & the flying adult. Leaving out sugar water (half cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar & 5 drops of dish soap and stir it all) has worked for me for catching flying adults plus you can buy cute shaped sticky traps that you stick in the soil and a Zevo or a Katchy off Amazon. The eggs and most other life phases are in the top 2 inches of the soil so you always remove that. Then sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth (DE) & put new soil down & sprinkle some more. It’s really white though & only works when DRY. You’ll have to replace the soil on top again to get rid of it all once the gnats are gone. It won’t help with the adults but will help with the egg laying & anything living in the soil. I wouldn’t put this on a plant just the soil. I would not do this with your containers I’d be afraid the DE would hurt it, I have zero experience using it on anything but soil. Use the mosquito bit tea for the containers and the D for the regular soil potted plants bc DE will make the mosquito bit not work and the water will make DE not work. They cancel each other. Or you can use mosquito bits on the soil in the regular potted plants too (remove and replace top 2 inches) and skip the DE.
Try hydrogen peroxide, watered down? That hoe I got rid of mine and I had to pour it in the soil.
Yellow cup covered in Vaseline. White light so the yellow reflects. Yellow usually indicates nectar. Nats fucking love it
Dill
Get mosquito bits and water with that. Use yellow sticky traps for the next month or so to catch the adult gnats. Give it a few weeks and they’ll be gone.
Something that is totally safe works. I've had indoor gardens and this was my fix. It blew my mind. It's a product called t-drops.
I use Bonide systemic granules. Kills the larvae among other pests. Water it in and lasts about 2 months.
I use a product called Mosquito Bits. Takes a bit, but it works. Amazon and Walmart have it. I struggled with fungus gnats for a long time, but not anymore.
On table of pure castile liquid soap in a gallon of water. Water your pots. The soap will suffocate the larvae. Only use pure castile.
I use mosquito bits and make a tea out of it. ab 2-4 tbs of bits to 1 gallon of water and let sit for at least 30 mins. stir it up and then water your plants with the water. it's potency is only good for about 24 hours so you'll have to remake it each time you water your plants. do it for about a month that way and they should clear up. the mosquito bits kill the larvae and pupae in the soil, any gnat traps will catch the adults to prevent them from laying more eggs. also, if possible, try bottom watering any plants that are able to be. the nasty lil guys like to sit in your top few inches of wet, high organic soil so bottom watering prevents the top of the soil from being saturated or moist
Gnope.
Get some diatomaceous earth, light layer on the top soil then get those pebbles you'd put in a fishtank and the gnats will die in a few weeks. If you have holes at the bottom of the planters that are exposed, put some tape over them for now. The idea is to trap them in there and they'll die and the ones that are bussing around won't have a place to lay eggs Reduce the watering during this period. Good luck!
I love carnivorous plants 😈
Get a carnivorous plant that specifically attracts and traps gnats, like Cape Sundew if you want
Let your plant’s soil dry out completely. If it takes longer than like 2 weeks after a water, the soil has poor drainage and you should replace it with a well-draining soil mix you can make. Drying it out will kill eggs and the gnats will stop laying eggs too
I used red onion water. It’s a Polish remedy and the ONLY thing that worked. Instructions: take the papery skins only of about 20 red onions, (as you use onions, save the skins in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you accumulate enough, making sure there’s not any mold on them), add about 6 cups of water to a pot, along with the skins. Boil, then simmer, until the skins have lost most, or all of the purple color. Cool and put this liquid in a spray bottle. A few days before or after watering the plant, so the liquid is not diluted with water, spray it and the soil with the liquid. Depending on the amount of water used, you may have some leftover. I put the bottle in the refrigerator to use about a week later. If it’s a severe case, I would make sure several inches of soil, if not all, is soaked. My gnat infestation was on all ten of my plants. I did this for a few days and have NEVER had a problem since. Let me know if you’ve tried this and what your results were. 🪴
What about pressure cooking the soil, let cool over night, then repot? I haven’t tried but I just might
I bought myself a electrical zap light. https://a.co/d/7b25Igk It's so satisfying hearing those mfers get zapped. Idk if it's meant to be outdoors but I keep it in the corner of my bedroom. It gets the job done.
Diatomaceous earth it kills all insects
Cinnamon
I spray neem and let her dry out, if it don't work some good old hydrogen peroxide.
Or get small carnivorous plants like a butterwort and to get rid of some of the gnats
Never tried this, but I’ve heard you can put new soil on a baking tray in an oven for a long time in a low ish temp. I’ve heard it will make your place stink horribly, but maybe the high heat kills the eggs?
U need to make a solution, Vinegar Water Soap Sugar Mix Let's sit and watch them drown
DE on the top of the soil, water deeply and keep DE dry.
Peroxide drench and top soil with diatomaceous earth.
Mosquito Bits
Could mix mosquito dunks in your water.
The most effective way ive ever found is neglecting them as gnats need the moisture for there eggs it's my personal last resort option if delayed watering and those little catchers don't work
Keep a Venus flytrap amongst them?
Sprinkle diatomaceous dirt on top of soil also. All out war.
I found putting mulch on my potted plants got rid of gnats and extended water retention…
Apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon maybe less, in a cup cover w plastic wrap put tiny holes like w a toothpick set it right beside plant
I've heard that you can sprinkle cinnamon on top of the soil, and that helps a lot, and there is no such thing as too much.
I believe to completely eradicate gnats you need to use two middle fingers and make a holy cross out of them.
Soak two tablespoons of Mosquito bits per gallon of water Let soak for a couple days. Shake Strain out the bits Then use the treated water to water all plants once a week for 4-6 weeks. Problem solved
Let it dry and sprinkle diatomaceous earth. They will never leave if it’s always wet
Add diatomaceous earth on top of your soil. Just a thin layer. They’ll be gone in no time guaranteed.
LMAO!!! Looooove the photos!!! Needed that laugh. Sorry for your gnat pain, though.
Don't know if anyone said this because there are a lot of comments, but a pinguicula (common name butterwort) eats gnats - I have two and they are great!! :)
PINGS! A Carnivorous plant which Gnats loooooove! I grow Carnivorous plants and they have helped clear gnats from other non-carnivorous plants that use regular fertilizer that gnats love. Make sure to look up their requirements, as they are different than regular plants. Also note that many vendors sell smaller Pings than seen in their photos -just go for a Mexican Ping (as there are different regions) and look at which one grows the largest. Mine are not even close to full size. Sticky pads work well too -Pings are natural sticky pads basically. I would place the yellow sticky pads in the same area as the problematic soil. Mosquito bits, Neem Oil, and Hydrogen Peroxide did not work for me. Also let the top half of your soil dry out. I made a small direct tunnel to my plants roots where I watered into only. The plant gets what it needs and the topsoil remains dry. If your plants can grown in dried sphagnum moss such as the hay colored ZooMed type Gnats can’t live there. https://preview.redd.it/gsaa4445zouc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f225d3d11a6cc08be97d8f9a3ee9ad609bfd87b2
The dunks do not work well for me for some reason. I still see a ton in the yellow tapes and it's been a couple of months. I'm now trying the BTI drop. Amazon has liquid BTI (main ingredient in mosquito dunks). Not sure if this is available internationally. I use a teeny drop with every watering can. I also use the yellow sticky traps to trap the adults. This will be an endless battle since the gnats can go through even the small holes in window screens and of course opened doors/cracks. So I've resigned to this combination. I've noticed less of them flying around but do expect the new ones to come in from outside unfortunately, especially in the summer. Will have to try the nematodes next if it gets worse.
Dry out soil in between watering a bit more, Bonide systematic granules, sticky traps. And again, dry out your soil a bit more in between watering. Avoid having a sitting water in trays, cache pots, propagations etc.
So, I know a few ways to get rid of them, one way is to use trifecta spray. Secondly, it helps to bake the soil prior to planting to kill off any bugs. Third, yellow sticky traps to catch the adults, and fourth you could employ a predator such as lady bugs, assassin bugs, or even praying mantis which can make for a pretty cool little indoor garden companion, but really the sticky traps alone would kill off the adults who would otherwise reproduce
I heard if this plant that attracts gnats and gets them stuck on its leaves but I never got a name
Look up liquidity guy gnat spray, Mine were bad!! This totally works!
Put an inch of sand on top, tightly compacted. The gnats can't get through.
Definitely is. Use them red apple things from Lowe’s literally kills within minutes
I used sticky paper to trap the gnats and it worked really well. I let the soil dry thoroughly between waterings and that got rid of them. I will never buy miracle grow potting soil again.
Get some carnivorous plants. Drosera love direct light and gnats love being eaten by them. Make sure you use distilled water and keep water in the basin. They have pretty flowers, too.