Fungus gnats
All of my houseplants have turned brown on the tips. I also have little gnats flying around them. I have sprayed and no results. What could this be caused by?
Even though brown tips can indicate dry indoor air, it sounds as if you have been overwatering your plants and brown tips and fungus gnats are the result. Fungus gnats are tiny black flying insects that looks like mosquitoes and are more of an annoyance. They lay their eggs in the soil which turn into 1/4″ white larvae that thrive on fungi and decaying roots. After they pupate, they emerge from the soil as tiny flying gnats. They like consistent moist soil and are an indicator that the soil has been too wet. 
Control fungus gnats
Because the larvae need moist soil to reproduce, let the soil dry out between waterings. Household insecticide sprays can be applied to the soil surface. Products such as BT (israelensis) sold as Gnatrol, Knock-Out Gnats will also take care of the larval stage. Be aware the stuff smells bad. Use the mixture (BT & water) as a soil drench- or use insecticidal soap recipe – see below. You may have to apply more than once. To get rid of the adult flying insects, use yellow or blue sticky cards that fungus gnats are attracted to.
Here’s a recipe for a soil drench for fungus gnats.
1 qt of warm water
2 tBsp of insecticidal soap
soak the the soil -not the foliage. Apply once a month until problem is elliminated.
Another recipe is: mix is 1 qt of water to 1 tsp liquid houseshold bleach.
My Christmas cactus had fungus gnats, so I turned it on its side an sprayed with a dishsoap solution, gently rinsed with water and then sprayed with fungicidal soap. I also scraped out about 2″ of top soil and replaced with fresh soil. Now my plant is droopy, and several leaflets have fallen off. Do you think the droopiness will go away eventually? (fingers crossed). P.S. the fungus gnats came from a basil plant that I had earlier this fall (2014). Please help, this plant is like a 10 year old child to me.
I think I know the answer to this, but what exactly is meant by a “soil drench”?
I currently have a problem with fungus gnats on my peppers (also had the same problem last year.) I have also read that sand on the top of the soil makes a massive difference so I have been experimenting…so far after a few days of a couple of millimeters of sand on the surface of the soil combined with a few yellow fly sheets is working a treat…following that any stray flies get sucked up with the hoover! Also keeping the soil dry and watering from the bottom helps, although this may encourage roots to spread downwards beyond the pot. Thanks.
Spider mite tip
actually the spider mites can be killed with a solution of oil and soap… castille soap is the best…i tried all the pesticides listed for mites on roses and on juniper (bonsai) … none worked… but the soap and oil gets rid of them all in one to two applications… every month or so i try to spray them down for prevention…
don’t go to heavy on the oil… and if its too hot, make sure to apply at night and rinse off with soapy water, and then just plain water, before the noon sun
i just tried sand for fungus gnats/fruit flies… but im crossing my fingers… i don’t really think they can burrow into the sand, so a good 1/2 to 3/4 of sand ought to do it right?
Fungus gnat control
I had fungus gnats in my plant room. I got rid of them with wine. I placed a couple of small dishes of red wine near my plants. The adult gnats fly into the wine thinking it is rotting food. No adults no larva. vinegar can also be used. I usually keep a saucer of vinegar near my plants just for continued control. Now for those #%&^*@ spider mites.
Hi, I bought 12 hanging baskets with geraniums, blue moon, and verbena. They were brought up to my sons future wife’s grandmothers house in West Virginia to take care of them until July 25th the day of the wedding. There are flying bugs all over them, what can I tell her to do? I am in a panic.
i bought sprays and sticy traps. i soaked plants, dried out plants. i watered with chamomille tea, peppermint tea orange pekoe tea (almost any kind of tea!) i put cinnamon on the soil. i put sand on top of the soil. i put cinnamon/sand mix on the top of the soil.i bought new dirt, disinfected pots, transplanted (washing plant and roots). i bought new dirt, again! (this time, cooking in oven at 300c for two hours) following up with the clean plants and pots again! spent ALOT of money, ALOT of energy and lost plants from shock and bug sprays. anger, frustration and pure stubborness, drove me to an EASY, NO MESS, NO CHEMICAL, CHEAP gnat destroyer… PACKING TAPE!!! i taped over the top of every pot! as close to the stems of the plants, as i could. leaving sticky stuff to catch anything that moved, a cover so nothing could get out (and if something did get out… it wasn’t getting back in) after 60 days, to be sure to catch the cycle of adults and eggs…nothing!!!! i have since re-taped the pots again as i found that it really helped keep the plants from drying out as fast! long winded? yes! a working solution? was for me! good luck! 🙂
I had tried alot of these remidies but I couldn’t get rid of the gnats. I talked to another gardner and he told me to use sand and to cover the dirt completely, and that would stop the growth of the bugs. It’s been a month and a half now and so far they have decreased 90%. Hopefully they will disappear altogether. I’ve had them in my home since I brought my plants in for the winter.
Thanks for the tip!
I have a gardenia that is approximately 10 years old. I usually keep it outside during the summer months and bring indoors for the winter months. This fall, I replanted the gardenia into a larger pot, but have noticed that their are bugs all over it. They look like fruit flies. I used a the Miracle Grow Pot soil. How can I get rid of this bugs. They are getting out of control and I am finding them throughout my house. Any help would be greatly appreciated.