Houseplant "GNATS" - Need remedy.......

[DouglasPeeps]

OK, I truly don't know what they are called, but we are calling them "gnat bugs". I have an infestation of them in my house plants. I re-potted all of my house plants about 2 months ago. The "gnats" were in the new dirt that I bought. They are driving me crazy! I have tried a couple of things to get rid of them to no avail. Please help me. If you have any successful personal examples that you have used to rid your houseplants of these "pests", I am all ears............


Thanks

 

[Queen Scoot]

a spray bottle withwater and a lil bit of dawn dishsoap added to it..... spray it on them...

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Quote:
on the plants? I will try it.

I have been watering them with dawn dishsoap added to the water, but will try spraying

 

[patandchickens]

Chances are they're fungus gnats, and they breed in soggy soil. I'd suggest repotting the plants (again, sorry

) with a better drainage layer under the soil and/or larger drainage holes, and/or not letting the plants sit with the bottom of the pot in a saucer full of drained water.

I would not spray the plants with soap myself -- that will only work for aphids or whiteflies and I would doubt this is them -- but if you're going to do it, please test the spray on a small part of the plant (leaf or two) FIRST and wait a few days to see what happens, as some plants are sensitive to soap sprays and can be damaged. Ferns come to mind but I know there are others too.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Quote:
Pat,

That is the confusing part for me, I haven't had any water in the saucers under the pots. When I repotted them, I moved my smaller plants up to pots that I was already using and bought a couple of new ones. ARRHHH! It is just frustrating.

I guess it doesn't matter how I got them (even though I think there were eggs in the new dirt I bought) I just need to get rid of them.

I have 7 houseplants in all and 4 of them are "HUGE", so the thought of repotting is enhausting.

 

[dlhunicorn]

I dont buy cheap potting soil anymore... just isnt worth the hassle... if the bugs are sourcing from the soil then buy a new bag of good quality potting soil and wash all the old soil off (I would shake off all the dirt and dip i a bucket of water and gently repot)... in addition to this there are some of those stick thingys that you push into the soil for feeding but also for against bugs...put one of those along with the plant into the new soil.

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Quote:
I ALWAYS buy "good" potting soil, but thought this time since I had to buy 120 lbs of it that I would go "cheap". Boy am I sorry! Won't do that again just to save a couple of dollars. Thank you for this advice.........I guess I know what I will be doing this weekend.

 

[Fudgie]

I don't know how to actually get rid of them with pesticides HOWEVER, I get a few of those fly strips that are sticky paper that unrolls from the tube about the size of a large tootsie roll. You can get it at Walmart or the lawn and garden store. I hang them from something available like put a metal pot hanger that you can stick in the ground with a hook out, in the pot and hang it from that, then put a night light near that pot and watch and see what happens the next morning. It will be covered with the little buggers.

It does not KILL them but it will sure trap them.

Good luck!

 

[Javamama]

I haven't tried this yet, but would sprinkling DE on the soil help? I get gnats every year when I bring my plants in and have tried everything else. I figure if DE works in the chicken coop, then why not in the houseplants?

 

[DouglasPeeps]

Quote:
Sounds like a great place to start! I will get them today.