Gnats On Indoor Plants
Gnats in houseplants are annoying. Known as fungus gnats theyre actually small flies about 18-inch long that are drawn to moist potting soil and decaying plant material at the base of indoor plants.
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Gnats may also live in sink drains where food residue can collect.
Gnats on indoor plants. Dirty kitchen sink drains can provide food water shelter and breeding sites to many fly species. When the gnat eggs hatch the fungus gnat larvae will feed on the plant roots and decaying organic matter until they enter the pupae stage before becoming adults. The second way is by introduction.
Avoid overwatering your houseplants and make sure they have good drainage. Like fruit flies the adult fungus gnats only live for a few days. The adults can easily fly or jump from one plant to the next laying eggs wherever they find moist soil.
Fungus gnats are difficult to eliminate if you have a large number of indoor plants. Not to the point that your plant begins wilting but enough that the soil isnt always moist. Fungus gnats are attracted to moist soil while fruit flies are attracted to anything fermenting.
Fungus gnats are attracted to the moist soil of your houseplants. The tiny flying adults are mostly just annoying but its the larvae under the soil that do the real damage. There are two ways by which your indoor plants can get infested by fungus gnats.
The eggs and larvae usually die in dry soil. If you dont have window screens fungus gnats fly through open doors and windows and infest your plants. Place the potato pieces flesh side.
Baby larvae feast on fungus algae and even the roots of your plants. The adult female gnats will lay eggs on the top of the ground. One way is adult fungus gnats flying into your home and laying eggs in the soil of your plants.
Its OK for them to be there in small numbers but its not OK when they become unmanageable says indoor plant expert Jason Chongu. Fungus gnats can also spread a pathogen that causes damping-off a condition that kills seeds before they sprout and weakens or kills seedlings just after sprouting. While they look similar to mosquitoes they dont bite.
Allow the soil to dry between regular watering. Adult gnats are simply annoying but their larvae can feed on plant roots causing the plants leaves to turn yellow and drop or the entire plant to wilt and die. Inside the home gnats can be attracted to unsealed produce fresh flowers houseplants food spillage and open or overflowing garbage cans.
The easiest first step is to allow the soil to remain dry for several days before watering again. Check the soil with your finger every few days and once you feel it starting to get dry leave it like that for about a week to keep gnats away. Because gnats lay their eggs in the moist soil around houseplants reducing excess moisture is key to getting rid of them.
The gnats in plants kept indoors are fungus gnats sometimes referred to as soil gnats. Existing fungus gnat larvae can be trapped using pieces of raw potato. They arent the same as fruit flies although they do resemble them a lot.
So once all the larvae are dead your fungus gnat problem will go away. The most common cause of fungus gnats in plants is overwatering so be sure to let your soil dry out in between waterings as often as possible. Youll see fruit flies.
3 Ways to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats Let the Soil Dry.
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