Comments on: Fungus gnats

By: admin

admin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:51:14 +0000

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.

HI Bill Are the flying buds white? Do they "swarm" when disturbed? If so, you could have white fly on your plants. Click here for white fly info. If the small flies are grayish, then you may have fungus gnats .

By: admin

admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 05:37:23 +0000

Thanks for the tip! Sometimes the best remedies are the simple ones combined with a little ingenuity. How did you water the plants?

By: baby-blue

baby-blue — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:25:14 +0000

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!

By: L. French

L. French — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:14:29 +0000

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!

By: Maria Kavouros

Maria Kavouros — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:32:22 +0000

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.

You may have fungus gnats-tiny black gnats that lay their eggs in moist soil. The eggs turn into small larvae 1/4" long that feed on soil fungi and decaying plant roots. Eventually they pupate and become flying gnats. They are an indication of overwatering. To treat them - reduce watering and try to keep the top 2" of the plant drier between waterings. Yellow sticky cards (purchased at garden centers) hanging just above the soil will capture some of the flying gnats and a soil drench of Gnatrol, Marathon a BT (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis solution) will take care of the larvae. Be warned that the BT solution smells bad.