Do you have plants in your house? If the answer is yes, then you have to check out this article. Since most people don’t know how to get rid of gnats in houseplants, it can be very frustrating for them. Gnats are tiny flies which make them common houseplant pests. The gnats will prey on the roots of your plants and can cause extensive damage that might even be fatal to certain types of houseplants.
The fungus gnats will often appear in large numbers. They’re attracted to light and can be found anywhere from the kitchen to the bathroom. Gnats seek out places where they can feed, reproduce and lay eggs. In your home, they will look for cobwebs or other sources of food. The fungus gnats are usually most active during the day, but they may fly at night when they sense movement in your home or when you open a window or door to let in the fresh air.
Gnats love to feed on sweet, sugary foods such as fruit juice, sugar water, or even honey! The problem with this is that gnats can be very damaging to houseplants if left unchecked.
What Causes Gnats to Appear in Houseplants?
Before seeing solutions, let’s find out what causes them to appear in houseplants.
Gnats are pesky bugs that are attracted to plants and often appear in indoor plants. They are most often seen around the soil surface and near the base of the leaves. Gnats may also be found on houseplants that have been watered with improperly treated water.
There are many reasons why gnats appear in houseplants, but they can be easily avoided by keeping your plant clean and healthy, using only water filtered through a reverse osmosis system, and not overwatering your plant.
Here are a few tips, on how to get rid of gnats in houseplants: –
8 Proven Methods
If you are tired of the annoying buzzing and biting, then it is time learn ways, how to get rid of gnats in houseplants for good!
1. Clean up your house:
Gnats like to live in damp areas such as bird baths, water gardens, and other plants. They also want to feed on potted plants such as seeds and fruit. Gnats are attracted to lights that contain ultraviolet light which is why they are often seen flying around window lights at night. So, you must keep your house clean and tidy by removing all trash, food particles, drainage holes, and garbage from around the house.
2. Fungus Gnat Infestation (aka fungus gnat larvae)
Fungus gnat infestations mainly occur in a moist environment. Fungus gnats are a type of fly that lives on the roots of houseplants. They are a common problem in homes with indoor plants, especially if your houseplants grow close to the window or have very moist soil.
There are two types of fungus gnats: fungus and mosquito. The fungus larvae are white or grayish and live in the roots of your houseplant. The adult fungus gnats will lay eggs on the soil surface, which hatch into mosquito larvae after about one week. These larvae will then proceed to feed on plant roots and cause root rot.
The larvae fungus gnat causes damage by feeding on the roots of plants causing rotting spots on the leaves. This fungus gnat problem occurs when there is an imbalance in the moisture content of the soil or when there are excess nutrients available for the larvae to feed on.
Gnat larvae are the second, larval stage in the life cycle of fungus gnats. They are smaller than adult gnats, and they can be seen with the naked eye. They are usually yellow or white, but they may also be light brown or green. The larvae can be found near the roots of plants, especially on houseplants that fungus gnats have infected.
Fungus gnats lay eggs on the surface of the soil where their larvae will feed upon decaying organic matter from dead plant material or excrement from other insects such as roaches or ants. These eggs hatch into larvae after about 30 days and can live for several months, depending on temperature and humidity levels in the area where they were born.
By KajaNi | unlimphotos |
Fungus gnats can be difficult to see because they are so small. You may notice some small white spots on your plant’s leaves, but they won’t be easily visible unless you have a magnifying glass handy! You may also notice a whitish trail behind them as they move around your plant’s foliage.
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Prevent Fungus Gnats:
There are several ways you can get rid of fungus gnats. You can use insecticidal sprays or traps to eliminate them from your home or garden. You can also try natural repellents and other methods for getting rid of fungus gnats in your home or garden.
Pest control products are available for sale at garden centers and online. They contain insecticides that kill the adult gnats, but not the larvae or fungus gnat eggs. These products should be used sparingly because they can harm both beneficial insects and predators like ladybugs and lacewings. Also, make sure you read labels carefully as some of these products can be harmful to pets or children if ingested.
How to get rid of gnats in houseplants, and also be safe? The safest way is to use natural homemade repellents. You can try creating your spray bottle using natural repellents such as lemon juice or cayenne pepper on your plants to deter gnats from landing on them and prevent root rot. Some people also recommend spraying their plants with water after applying any type of repellent so that wet areas don’t act as landing pads for gnats looking for water sources.
By YuriArcurs | unlimphotos |
3. Potting Soil
Gnats are a common houseplant pest that can be difficult to get rid of. They live in the soil and emerge at night to feed on the plant’s juices. Before getting on, ‘how to get rid of gnats in houseplants, here are several ways to control gnats in your home:
Potting soil. Gnats like the moist environment around houseplants, so if you have one, keep the soil moist but not soggy. If you need to water your plant, use room temperature water instead of cold water to prevent damage from freeze burn or root rot.
Potting mix. Fungus gnats prefer alkaline soils, so be sure to use an acidic potting mix for houseplants that are higher in potassium than phosphorous. You can also add Epsom salts or lime (1 tablespoon per gallon of water) for extra calcium or magnesium content, respectively.
Dry soil. Dry out the soil by removing a few inches from around each plant; this will reduce moisture levels and hopefully eliminate gnats as well as other pests like beetles and fungus gnats (which are related).
Re-potting plants. To keep your plants healthy, you must replace the deflated soil with fresh soil in 12 to 18 months. As it loses the ability to hold water and nutrients. And as you do it put the old potting soil in a plastic bag. You can add the leftover unused potting soil to your existing plants or a newly purchased plant. Re-potting soil, can be the short-term, but effective way to get rid gnats in houseplants.
Soil gnats aren’t limited just to houseplants! They can affect any indoor plant that has shallow roots.
4. Get Rid of the Breeding Ground:
The most obvious way to prevent gnat problems is to eliminate their breeding grounds. In most cases, when you eliminate the source of your problem, it disappears. For example, if you have a leaky faucet in your kitchen or bathroom, it will be much easier for the gnats to breed there than somewhere else in your home.
Check the damp soil. Avoid overwatering it. If it’s too wet, then water less often and use as much soil to help it dry out. Check the plant for insects like aphids or scale insects which may be feeding on the plant’s sap and causing it to produce excess sugar which attracts fungus gnats. Remove these insects by hand or use an insecticide spray if needed.
Plant your plants in a well-drained location, preferably one that gets plenty of sunlight for at least 6 hours per day.
5. Prevent Gnats by Using Yellow Sticky Traps
The best way to get rid of fungus gnats is by trapping them before they start breeding outside your home. The sticky fly traps can help attract gnats to a sticky surface where they will get stuck and die. Yellow sticky traps work great for catching fungus gnats because they stick well onto surfaces and remain active for a long period without losing their adhesive properties over time.
One example of a gnat trap is a simple jar with some apple cider vinegar in it that has been turned upside down on top of an upside-down mason jar with holes punched in the lid for air circulation.
By JackyBrown | unlimphotos |
6. Use an Insecticide:
What comes to the mind, when you think ‘how to get rid of gnats in houseplants? The easy way is to use a repellent at first. With repellents, you will be able to keep them away from your prized indoor plants for much longer. If you don’t want to waste time looking for the source of your problem — or if you just want a quicker solution — then consider using an insecticide that targets and prevent fungus gnats and other flying insects. These products are available online or at specialty retailers.
Use beneficial nematodes, or microscopic worms, to kill fungus gnats, and won’t harm people, pets, or other insects.
7. Gnat Pests and Their Soothing Solutions:
Gnats feed on decaying organic matter, so they will be attracted to any moist areas in your home or garden. So, how to get rid of gnats in houseplants?
There are several ways you can get rid of fungus gnats. You can use insecticidal sprays or traps to eliminate them from your home or garden. You can also try natural repellents and other methods for getting rid of fungus gnats in your home or garden.
The best way for you, how to get rid of gnats in houseplants is to use natural repellents. Most people don’t realize that they can use natural repellents on their plants as well! You can use these natural repellents right along with the chemical ones mentioned above.
Here are some natural ways, how to get rid of gnats in houseplants: –
Pour a small amount of liquid dish soap into the bottom of a spray bottle. Fill up the rest with water and shake vigorously before spraying onto your plant leaves and stems. This will help kill the fungus gnat larvae, as well as any other insect eggs or larvae that may be present on your plant’s leaves or stems.
Natural spray bottles like neem oil spray or neem oil mixture, apple cider vinegar, and vinegar traps. Hydrogen peroxide and liquid dish soap, kill fungus gnats.
Fungus Gnats are generally easier to control than other types of pests because they don’t feed on plants directly. This means that you don’t have to treat them as if they are insect pests like aphids or mealy bugs do. Using these methods are the best ways, how to get rid of gnats in houseplants.
Or you can use homemade bug sprays for indoor plants. Click here to find out more.
8. Floating Nets
Even after using a various methods on how to get rid gnats in houseplants, but still can’t slack off? Rest easy! Cause you can avoid gnats by using this method.
Use floating row covers to keep out large insects like gnats, fruit flies, and mosquitoes. These can be purchased at any garden store and need to be placed over the top of each plant individually so they will stay on their stems. They will usually last about one week before falling off due to rain or excessive watering from overwatering the plant itself – but they keep out most insects during that time!
By Farhad | unlimphotos |
Final Note
So, here were many different ways, how to get rid of gnats in houseplants and take care of them. It is important to know what the best way for you and your plants is.
Some people prefer a more hands-on approach, while others might like the convenience of an automatic watering system that waters the plants for them.
Some people might like a method involving minimal work, while others might prefer something more complex and interesting.
If you’re looking for some refreshing houseplants to decorate your home then click here.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
