Keep an Eye Out for Fungus Gnats
Monday January 5, 2009
It's always puzzling how fast insects can find their way to houseplants, once the windows close. Fungus gnats just seem to appear out of nowhere and begin destroying our otherwise happy, healthy plants and seedlings. They're those tiny black flying insects that disperse in a cloud when you touch your plant. They may have hitched a free ride in on our potting soil, but we don't have to make them feel welcome. There are some safe and effective means of controlling this annoying garden pest.
Comments
I had fungus gnats on my TickleMe Plants. The plants still moved their branches and leaves when my kids and I tickled them but there were lots of gnats and we were concerned. What we did is put a plastic bag over the TickleMe Plants for a while and the gnats got stuck and drowned in the moisture that accumulated on the inside of the bag. NO POISONS NECESSSARY – Just the water cycle!
That’s brilliant. I’m almost looking forward to the next time I get fungus gnats.
I used a 1/4″-1/2″ layer of “play sand” on the surface of all of my indoor plants in the fall. This is the first year I have NOT HAD ANY fungus gnats – including near my compost pot in the kitchen! It breaks the life cycle of the gnats, plus I have no chemicals in my house.
Note: I place 2-3 small river rocks on the surface so I’ll not wash the sand when I water the top-watering plants.
I’m so excited to get these tips to try out. I get questions on fungus gnats all the time and I’ll be sure to pass them along. Thanks.
I put a little Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle & fill with water and spritz on plants every so often and I don’t seem to have a problem.