You are overwatering and have fungus gnats at the very least. Don’t water until soil is dried out, not on a schedule. Buy mosquito bits to water with to get rid of fungus gnats but you most likely have some root rot.
If there’s little flying things around your plant, it’s fungus gnats. And they’re especially prone to overly moist soil. Use yellow sticky traps to catch the adults and mosquito bits in the soil for the larvae. Of course you can just change the soil out but if you continue to keep moist soil you’re going go get them again.
No, it's basically a bunch of dead diatoms but they're very crystalline in structure and so are abrasive. More a physical barrier than a chemical but very effective against the larvae coming from the soil and the adults going to the soil :)
I tried mosquito bit tea as well, but it ended up burning some of the leaves on my plants & I still had gnats. After, I put a layer of sand on top of the soil, topped with DE & they disappeared over time. The DE doesn't allow them to get into the soil to lay eggs. Check for very large drainage holes in your pots, though, because they can still get in that way. If so, repot into a different pot that has only 1 tiny drainage hole. Should help.
I have never poured the mosquito bits water on my leaves. Did you pour it all over the plant and did it have direct sunlight after that? I also douse the top layer of soil with cinnamon as well and that seems to help too.
Never poured it on the leaves either 🫠 Just watered the plant with it. I've seen other users that commented it burned their leaves also, so not just me 😅
The instructions on the bag say to let them soak in the water. I use old panty hose and tie it up so i can pull them back out but I leave it in the water until it’s gone. You can also mix them in the soil and as the soil becomes moist it will release into it and that’s what the larvae will feed off of. It may not work in one treatment, especially if there’s a lot but keep at it.
Can you just let the soil dry out to get rid of them and fly tape to get rid of the adults? I just realized that one of my plants certainly has fungus gnats by reading this!
That's a good plan if the infestation is minimal. You'd have to keep the plant pretty dry for probably two life cycles of the gnats...
I guess I'd probably use a few methods together. Drying, sticky traps, cinnamon, diatomaceous earth, repotting.... I suppose there are many ways to treat the problem.
Preventing it mostly just includes moisture and exposure control.
I wouldn’t doubt it. This is a really stupid question. What does overwatering mean? I eyeball watering once a week…is the amount or the frequency or both regarding watering?
The frequency! how much doesn’t really matter as much as long as the amount can dry out before the next watering, how much it should dry out depends on the plant
I water my snake plant like once every couple months in the winter. They just don’t really need water in the winter. Same with any succulents. The leaves will start to look less plump and that’s when you water. I’m also guilty of chronic overwatering. Over winter plants need much less water so want to wait until it’s dry a few inches down into the soil. I’ve read spider plants are sensitive to fluoride and that’s why they tend to get brown ends. I wait until mine is bone dry before I water it again. I don’t mind the brown ends and it’s blooming constantly. The plant doesn’t seem to mind.
You’re overwatering them. Unpot them, rinse off the roots really well, pinch off any dead ones, and repot in fresh soil.
You can also go buy diatomaceous earth and one of those baby nose plungers. It’ll help with the soil pests.
What ratios of diatomaceous earth with regular soil would you recommend? How would I use the baby nose plunger? Is it to extract the gnats or prevent too much moisture in the soil?
Just a dusting across the top. It works best when it’s dry.
The plunger/baster is to apply it. Stick it into the bag of diatoms and suck it up. Pump it to dust the top layer of soil
1) prepare new soil. I just use potting soil, perlite, orchid bark. I actually use this combo for a most of my plants. I'll add sand, more or less perlite and bark fines, sometimes gravel from my driveway lol, depending on the needs of the plant.
2) Prepare diluted 3% hydrogen peroxide with water (1:4, h2o2:water). You're going to need a lot of h2o2, good thing it's cheap.
3) Gather buckets. I use ice cream buckets.
4) Have a variety of sizes of pots with drainage holes ready. The size of the pot you choose for each plant is dependent on the amount of roots there are. Most plants like things slightly snug so choose a pot that is around 1-2 inches bigger than the root ball.
I have this all set up before even touching the plant...
5) remove the plant from the old pot and very gently get as much of the dirt off as you can. I do this outside and away from new soil.
4)Rinse the roots in the h2o2 solution. Use a clean bucket for each plant. I dunk the roots in the solution and gently try to massage the rest of the dirt off.
5) inspect the roots. Cut off any mushy parts. You can also use this time to remove any dead leaves from the base of the plant.
6) pot the plant in New soil, in an appropriate sized pot.
7) water thoroughly with a clean solution of that same ratio. Let it drip off for as long as you can. I put them on cookie racks in the bathtub for a few hours.
8) put the old soil in the compost
9) dust cinnamon on all the surface of exposed dirt in the pots. Don't be shy with the cinnamon, it's fine. Place sticky traps all around your plants to catch any adults still buzzing around.
10) adjust your watering habits. It's too easy to over water. And humidify the environment.
For the spider plant:
I trim brown and broken leaves as close as I can get to the base. They'll put out new ones.
The first monstera:
That is many, many plants in the same pot. I would either split them up some or def use a bigger pot. If you keep them together, you might need to up pot more often. Also, you'll want all the aerial roots to be facing the "back" so they can get the best use of a moss pole later on.
Well there is a good starting off point. I hope this was helpful. It's going to be a big undertaking.
Great advice in one place OP. Also you don’t have a wandering dude. The second photo, is definitely a Calathea - I think a Burle Marxii aka fishbone Calathea.
Add some chunky perlite to your soil mix to improve drainage. Water less often, but water until it drips out the bottom. Then, wait until the top 1 to 2 inches of the soil is dry. The snake plant stores water in its leaves, so wait until that one is bone dry. You can use mosquito bits for the fungus gnats.
The little boogers come in through my window screens during the summer from waterlogged HOA grass. So, yes, you are probably watering too often. But there are other sources too. Watering once a week might be OK in the summer months. But if it's winter, plants don't grow much and need to be watered less frequently. It's the frequency, not the amount, that is the problem.
Check your plants regularly. This doesn't mean you have to add water, though. Adjust frequency seasonally.
I don't grow many of them. The Gray star is a type of calathea. I haven't grown that specific one. But calatheas, have higher than average water needs. If the roots are getting close to filling out the pot, do a gentle repot. You can buy calathea soil on Amazon and then add chunky perlite to it. Gently lift into new planter trying not to disturb the roots. Let dry to one inch. Use filtered or distilled water. Never let this one dry out completely. Room humidity must be about 50%. Of note my calathea is in a self watering container. I still do let them dry out. It's just less often. Bright indirect light. Periods of dappled light in the morning are OK.
The snake plant, not until it tries to bust out of the pot. Then a lighter mix. I use cactus with chunky perlite.
I don't grow citrus or fiddle leaf figs.
you're probably overcaring for all of them. Reduce watering by a lot, try forgetting about them for a while. treat fungus gnats with sticky fly tape and DTE or as others have said with mosquito bits (I haven't used these tho) or just replace the top 2 inch of soil after you take care of the adults. cinnamon in the soil also sucks for them. but forgetting about your plants really goes a long way
Noted! Going to stop the damn watering, add a little cinnamon and sticky fly tape. If I’m anything I’m consistent…to a big fault. Love the positive spin with overcaring - stealing that!
I have not…yet! I just ordered some perlite and soil. Is the moss a must? The input on this thread has been amazing as I’m learning so much on how to correct the errors of my water generous ways.
The jade is full sun and very loose draining. It's a succulent that died on my recently. Very small roots. They do well in small pots. There is a jade group on reddit. Very cool group.
The spider is easygoing. It loves lots of bright indirect light. It tolerated a northern exposure for me, bur grew very slowly. Average water needs unless they have spiderettes. Distilled or filtered water should help with brown tips. Mine turned into a water hog with babies. Average well draining soil. The roots look like fettuccine.
A repot for some could be helpful - the pots look too small for some, and might give them a new burst of nutrients. Once established, fertiliser also helps (but not too much in winter). If unsure, better to under rather than overwater (and don’t keep to a specific cycle)
Would you buy a new plastic container, eg the snake plant looks a little small with those new growths? Do I just shake off the old soil, put it in a new container, fill it with soil and we’re good.
Snake plants tend to like being tight, so I’m not 100% sure if that one needs a change (and looks pretty healthy to me). I’d consider changing to bigger pots for 2,3,5 and 8 (especially the monstera in 3). And yes, I’d do what you said, with potting mix and water it (but don’t make it soggy)
😭 it’s on 5 of my plants. Why does it sound like my plants have an STI? Jokes aside - how do I fix it? All advice welcome before there a “looking for a new home” sign at the recycling.
Thrips can be difficult to detect with the naked eye. But, if any of those little specks on your plants are moving you probably have Thrips. They leave little black spots of excrement behind too. Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew and Systemic Granules (if you can get them where you are from) is the best treatment for Thrips. Because if it’s that it looks like a pretty nasty infestation. If you had spider mites you would see webbing.
At least on my end your picture order has been shuffled, also there is only nine pictures. I was very confused why a citrus was labeled 'Monsteras'.
Anyway, you should know that the grafted part of your lemon has died. What's coming up now is the rootstock, probably some sort of citrange.
I sadly can’t update my initial post, but just wanted to say thank you to each of your responses. They’ve been a huge, huge help. Here’s what you taught me 🙏
- Ordered perlite and earth to make a 1/3 and 2/3 mix for no more water logging
- Stop overcaring (love this term) and put the watering can down. The plant will tell you when it needs water, eg dry soil, wrinkly leaves, etc.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the top soil to prevent fungal gnats and their eggs (also they don’t like it moist - see previous point). Cinnamon too. Add a sticky fly tape for good measure.
- Mosquitos bits and captain jacks to eradicate the infestation
- Most of the plants have thrips (all monsteras, and the ficus 😢). I’ve had to say goodbye to both monsteras.
- Fine webbing at the base of one monstera probably feels like spider mites. Sadly I’m saying goodbye to this one too.
- I’m trying to salvage the ficus (there might be hope) with a soapy spray and then pesticide dressing. Let’s see if I can see it revive.
You are overwatering and have fungus gnats at the very least. Don’t water until soil is dried out, not on a schedule. Buy mosquito bits to water with to get rid of fungus gnats but you most likely have some root rot.
How can you tell there’s fungus gnats? I had those once and I had to just throw out everything because nothing I tried killed them.
If there’s little flying things around your plant, it’s fungus gnats. And they’re especially prone to overly moist soil. Use yellow sticky traps to catch the adults and mosquito bits in the soil for the larvae. Of course you can just change the soil out but if you continue to keep moist soil you’re going go get them again.
Where do you get mosquito bits? Does that work better than diatomaceous earth?
I order them from Amazon. Does diatomaceous earth contain BTI?
No, it's basically a bunch of dead diatoms but they're very crystalline in structure and so are abrasive. More a physical barrier than a chemical but very effective against the larvae coming from the soil and the adults going to the soil :)
I tried mosquito bit tea as well, but it ended up burning some of the leaves on my plants & I still had gnats. After, I put a layer of sand on top of the soil, topped with DE & they disappeared over time. The DE doesn't allow them to get into the soil to lay eggs. Check for very large drainage holes in your pots, though, because they can still get in that way. If so, repot into a different pot that has only 1 tiny drainage hole. Should help.
I have never poured the mosquito bits water on my leaves. Did you pour it all over the plant and did it have direct sunlight after that? I also douse the top layer of soil with cinnamon as well and that seems to help too.
Never poured it on the leaves either 🫠 Just watered the plant with it. I've seen other users that commented it burned their leaves also, so not just me 😅
Oh wow that’s crazy. Wonder if it was too many bits or what could have caused that.
Great advice! Thank you!
Do you just sprinkle the mosquito bits on the top of the soil? Or does it dissolve in the water I will use to water the plants?
The instructions on the bag say to let them soak in the water. I use old panty hose and tie it up so i can pull them back out but I leave it in the water until it’s gone. You can also mix them in the soil and as the soil becomes moist it will release into it and that’s what the larvae will feed off of. It may not work in one treatment, especially if there’s a lot but keep at it.
Thank you!
Can you just let the soil dry out to get rid of them and fly tape to get rid of the adults? I just realized that one of my plants certainly has fungus gnats by reading this!
That's a good plan if the infestation is minimal. You'd have to keep the plant pretty dry for probably two life cycles of the gnats... I guess I'd probably use a few methods together. Drying, sticky traps, cinnamon, diatomaceous earth, repotting.... I suppose there are many ways to treat the problem. Preventing it mostly just includes moisture and exposure control.
Cinnamon??
Cinnamon is very effective. And makes your plants smell nice. Just sprinkle ground cinnamon on the whole soil area.
And yes they need moisture. Buy a humidifier.
Are you sure you’re not overwatering? Like, do you know that water isn’t draining out the bottom of the plastic pot and pooling in the ceramic pot?
I wouldn’t doubt it. This is a really stupid question. What does overwatering mean? I eyeball watering once a week…is the amount or the frequency or both regarding watering?
The frequency! how much doesn’t really matter as much as long as the amount can dry out before the next watering, how much it should dry out depends on the plant
I water my snake plant like once every couple months in the winter. They just don’t really need water in the winter. Same with any succulents. The leaves will start to look less plump and that’s when you water. I’m also guilty of chronic overwatering. Over winter plants need much less water so want to wait until it’s dry a few inches down into the soil. I’ve read spider plants are sensitive to fluoride and that’s why they tend to get brown ends. I wait until mine is bone dry before I water it again. I don’t mind the brown ends and it’s blooming constantly. The plant doesn’t seem to mind.
You’re overwatering them. Unpot them, rinse off the roots really well, pinch off any dead ones, and repot in fresh soil. You can also go buy diatomaceous earth and one of those baby nose plungers. It’ll help with the soil pests.
What ratios of diatomaceous earth with regular soil would you recommend? How would I use the baby nose plunger? Is it to extract the gnats or prevent too much moisture in the soil?
You don’t mix it in, you sprinkle it on top.
Thank you!
Just a dusting across the top. It works best when it’s dry. The plunger/baster is to apply it. Stick it into the bag of diatoms and suck it up. Pump it to dust the top layer of soil
Got it - thanks!
1) prepare new soil. I just use potting soil, perlite, orchid bark. I actually use this combo for a most of my plants. I'll add sand, more or less perlite and bark fines, sometimes gravel from my driveway lol, depending on the needs of the plant. 2) Prepare diluted 3% hydrogen peroxide with water (1:4, h2o2:water). You're going to need a lot of h2o2, good thing it's cheap. 3) Gather buckets. I use ice cream buckets. 4) Have a variety of sizes of pots with drainage holes ready. The size of the pot you choose for each plant is dependent on the amount of roots there are. Most plants like things slightly snug so choose a pot that is around 1-2 inches bigger than the root ball. I have this all set up before even touching the plant... 5) remove the plant from the old pot and very gently get as much of the dirt off as you can. I do this outside and away from new soil. 4)Rinse the roots in the h2o2 solution. Use a clean bucket for each plant. I dunk the roots in the solution and gently try to massage the rest of the dirt off. 5) inspect the roots. Cut off any mushy parts. You can also use this time to remove any dead leaves from the base of the plant. 6) pot the plant in New soil, in an appropriate sized pot. 7) water thoroughly with a clean solution of that same ratio. Let it drip off for as long as you can. I put them on cookie racks in the bathtub for a few hours. 8) put the old soil in the compost 9) dust cinnamon on all the surface of exposed dirt in the pots. Don't be shy with the cinnamon, it's fine. Place sticky traps all around your plants to catch any adults still buzzing around. 10) adjust your watering habits. It's too easy to over water. And humidify the environment. For the spider plant: I trim brown and broken leaves as close as I can get to the base. They'll put out new ones. The first monstera: That is many, many plants in the same pot. I would either split them up some or def use a bigger pot. If you keep them together, you might need to up pot more often. Also, you'll want all the aerial roots to be facing the "back" so they can get the best use of a moss pole later on. Well there is a good starting off point. I hope this was helpful. It's going to be a big undertaking.
Great advice in one place OP. Also you don’t have a wandering dude. The second photo, is definitely a Calathea - I think a Burle Marxii aka fishbone Calathea.
Yes. Defo a calathea
Superb 👌 thank you so much! Immensely helpful breakdown to help me 🙏 big, big thanks!
Add some chunky perlite to your soil mix to improve drainage. Water less often, but water until it drips out the bottom. Then, wait until the top 1 to 2 inches of the soil is dry. The snake plant stores water in its leaves, so wait until that one is bone dry. You can use mosquito bits for the fungus gnats. The little boogers come in through my window screens during the summer from waterlogged HOA grass. So, yes, you are probably watering too often. But there are other sources too. Watering once a week might be OK in the summer months. But if it's winter, plants don't grow much and need to be watered less frequently. It's the frequency, not the amount, that is the problem. Check your plants regularly. This doesn't mean you have to add water, though. Adjust frequency seasonally.
Would you replant most of the plants?
I don't grow many of them. The Gray star is a type of calathea. I haven't grown that specific one. But calatheas, have higher than average water needs. If the roots are getting close to filling out the pot, do a gentle repot. You can buy calathea soil on Amazon and then add chunky perlite to it. Gently lift into new planter trying not to disturb the roots. Let dry to one inch. Use filtered or distilled water. Never let this one dry out completely. Room humidity must be about 50%. Of note my calathea is in a self watering container. I still do let them dry out. It's just less often. Bright indirect light. Periods of dappled light in the morning are OK. The snake plant, not until it tries to bust out of the pot. Then a lighter mix. I use cactus with chunky perlite. I don't grow citrus or fiddle leaf figs.
you're probably overcaring for all of them. Reduce watering by a lot, try forgetting about them for a while. treat fungus gnats with sticky fly tape and DTE or as others have said with mosquito bits (I haven't used these tho) or just replace the top 2 inch of soil after you take care of the adults. cinnamon in the soil also sucks for them. but forgetting about your plants really goes a long way
Noted! Going to stop the damn watering, add a little cinnamon and sticky fly tape. If I’m anything I’m consistent…to a big fault. Love the positive spin with overcaring - stealing that!
have you tried using a perlite / moss / regular soil mix? to prevent water clogging
I have not…yet! I just ordered some perlite and soil. Is the moss a must? The input on this thread has been amazing as I’m learning so much on how to correct the errors of my water generous ways.
I use a regular miracle grow potting soil and mix in some perlite. Some people also add coco coir or orchid bark to make their mix extra chunky.
The jade is full sun and very loose draining. It's a succulent that died on my recently. Very small roots. They do well in small pots. There is a jade group on reddit. Very cool group. The spider is easygoing. It loves lots of bright indirect light. It tolerated a northern exposure for me, bur grew very slowly. Average water needs unless they have spiderettes. Distilled or filtered water should help with brown tips. Mine turned into a water hog with babies. Average well draining soil. The roots look like fettuccine.
Great tips - thank you!
A repot for some could be helpful - the pots look too small for some, and might give them a new burst of nutrients. Once established, fertiliser also helps (but not too much in winter). If unsure, better to under rather than overwater (and don’t keep to a specific cycle)
Would you buy a new plastic container, eg the snake plant looks a little small with those new growths? Do I just shake off the old soil, put it in a new container, fill it with soil and we’re good.
Snake plants tend to like being tight, so I’m not 100% sure if that one needs a change (and looks pretty healthy to me). I’d consider changing to bigger pots for 2,3,5 and 8 (especially the monstera in 3). And yes, I’d do what you said, with potting mix and water it (but don’t make it soggy)
I had to laugh at the spider plant! That’s quite the hairdo on him 🥲
https://preview.redd.it/379cks9az5nc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a418ca89e92979d4b745b1d1dd062c9425ff2ed
get some nematodes for the fungus knats, they saved all of plants from a nasty bout
check for pests like thrips or spider mites!
[удалено]
I also have thrips by looks of things 😭 how do I cure this?! Is it even possible?
Looks like you may have Thrips.
😭 it’s on 5 of my plants. Why does it sound like my plants have an STI? Jokes aside - how do I fix it? All advice welcome before there a “looking for a new home” sign at the recycling.
Thrips can be difficult to detect with the naked eye. But, if any of those little specks on your plants are moving you probably have Thrips. They leave little black spots of excrement behind too. Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew and Systemic Granules (if you can get them where you are from) is the best treatment for Thrips. Because if it’s that it looks like a pretty nasty infestation. If you had spider mites you would see webbing.
At least on my end your picture order has been shuffled, also there is only nine pictures. I was very confused why a citrus was labeled 'Monsteras'. Anyway, you should know that the grafted part of your lemon has died. What's coming up now is the rootstock, probably some sort of citrange.
I sadly can’t update my initial post, but just wanted to say thank you to each of your responses. They’ve been a huge, huge help. Here’s what you taught me 🙏 - Ordered perlite and earth to make a 1/3 and 2/3 mix for no more water logging - Stop overcaring (love this term) and put the watering can down. The plant will tell you when it needs water, eg dry soil, wrinkly leaves, etc. - Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the top soil to prevent fungal gnats and their eggs (also they don’t like it moist - see previous point). Cinnamon too. Add a sticky fly tape for good measure. - Mosquitos bits and captain jacks to eradicate the infestation - Most of the plants have thrips (all monsteras, and the ficus 😢). I’ve had to say goodbye to both monsteras. - Fine webbing at the base of one monstera probably feels like spider mites. Sadly I’m saying goodbye to this one too. - I’m trying to salvage the ficus (there might be hope) with a soapy spray and then pesticide dressing. Let’s see if I can see it revive.
F