fungus gnats and how to be rid of them
Heyas. I have a bunch of houseplants, each with their own watering needs. First among them are the dracaena-- lucky bamboo gone crazy. They like water.
I have fungus gnats, lots of them. Any ideas for getting rid of them?
Drying the plants out: actually caused more gnats. I think that my tendency to overwater waterlogged the soil enough that gnat larvae couldn't survive. The problem has only gotten worse since I started drying them out. Once they're dry, the gnats are more scarce though not absent-- and the plants are suffering a little. My Christmas cactus is wilting, and I don't think the lemon balm is ever going to forgive me. When I water them, I get gnat blooms as they go crazy in the sudden moisture.
Sticky traps: more useful as a measure of gnat density than anything. Satisfying, though.
Hydrogen peroxide: a friend told me to water the plants with a 1:4 mixture of H2O2 and water. I did so, and it didn't do anything... but the plants didn't die. Next up: H2O2 straight out of the bottle. Plants don't mind-- I think they like any moisture at this point-- but I had a gnat bloom just then. When I watered with peroxide, I put sticky traps down. Within five days, i had several hundred gnats on one trap, and the second is still filling up.
I think that what's happening here is that the peroxide is only toxic for a short time, and the water stays around for a while, letting the gnats bloom.
Soap and water spray: I did this for a while, but then forgot. I'm not sure if it did anything.
I can't find anything at the garden shop that says it'll kill gnats with Bt toxin or anything, and I'm not sure if it would be useful anyway. I'm really looking for a way to kill the gnats that will last longer than the moisture used applying it-- the peroxide problem. I'd also like something that won't kill me or the cat. My next idea is to cover the big pots with sand and hope that the gnats are fooled, but that won't work for the smaller pots-- I move the plants around too often for it to be economical.
Any help?
I have fungus gnats, lots of them. Any ideas for getting rid of them?
Drying the plants out: actually caused more gnats. I think that my tendency to overwater waterlogged the soil enough that gnat larvae couldn't survive. The problem has only gotten worse since I started drying them out. Once they're dry, the gnats are more scarce though not absent-- and the plants are suffering a little. My Christmas cactus is wilting, and I don't think the lemon balm is ever going to forgive me. When I water them, I get gnat blooms as they go crazy in the sudden moisture.
Sticky traps: more useful as a measure of gnat density than anything. Satisfying, though.
Hydrogen peroxide: a friend told me to water the plants with a 1:4 mixture of H2O2 and water. I did so, and it didn't do anything... but the plants didn't die. Next up: H2O2 straight out of the bottle. Plants don't mind-- I think they like any moisture at this point-- but I had a gnat bloom just then. When I watered with peroxide, I put sticky traps down. Within five days, i had several hundred gnats on one trap, and the second is still filling up.
I think that what's happening here is that the peroxide is only toxic for a short time, and the water stays around for a while, letting the gnats bloom.
Soap and water spray: I did this for a while, but then forgot. I'm not sure if it did anything.
I can't find anything at the garden shop that says it'll kill gnats with Bt toxin or anything, and I'm not sure if it would be useful anyway. I'm really looking for a way to kill the gnats that will last longer than the moisture used applying it-- the peroxide problem. I'd also like something that won't kill me or the cat. My next idea is to cover the big pots with sand and hope that the gnats are fooled, but that won't work for the smaller pots-- I move the plants around too often for it to be economical.
Any help?