The use of household hydrogen peroxide is very safe and by applying the solution directly to the soil you are targeting the eggs and larvae - in essence, getting to the heart of the matter. Some growers use straight household-grade hydrogen peroxide, which is fine but a more expensive approach. ![]() The most common recommendation is to mix 1 part regular household-grade H2O2 with 3 parts water (H2O - notice the chemical similarity between water and hydrogen peroxide), and then apply this directly to the soil. The second most popular intervention for fungus gnats in houseplants is the application of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in a diluted solution. As with all pest management strategies, reducing adult populations is part of the solution - so sticky cards are certainly worth while, but only as a partial solution. The problem is that these adults will have already laid fresh eggs in the soil, so there is a never ending cycle of catching adult gnats and new gnats emerging. which feels promising but is guaranteed to only partially manage the situation. In a matter of days, hundreds of flies can be found stuck to the cards. The yellow colour is very specifically chosen, as it attracts the gnats as well as other common pests, and they simply get stuck on the cards as they land. Perhaps the most classic counter measure is the use of yellow sticky traps, which do effectively trap many adult fungus gnats when set amongst indoor or greenhouse plants. As we'll see, two of the solutions listed below are much more effective at targeting these critical life stages. ![]() Although fungus gnats are much more likely to flourish in plants that are over watered or have poor drainage, they can occur in soil that dries out adequately, and it may be necessary to go beyond the basic (and definitely applicable) advice of, "water less and improve drainage and air circulation". So, let's dig into three popular solutions for mitigating fungus gnats when soil moisture management does not resolve the problem.Īs a quick note before getting into solutions that are likely to be successful, I will say that popular household insecticides such as pyrethrum and soap-based products are not very help for fungus gnat control simply because they do not adequately control the egg and larval life stages of the pest. The eggs and larvae do occur in home, greenhouse and outdoor settings, so new plants, fresh soil and summering outdoors can all be sources of new fungus gnat populations. If you see small, dark-coloured winged bugs coming from the soil of your potted plants, these are most definitely fungus gnats and not fruit flies.Īlmost all plant people will encounter fungus gnats at some point, particularly if you have any indoor plants. It is important to note that although the appearance of fungus gnats and fruit flies is similar, these are completely different pests fungus gnats do not feed on ripe fruit and fruit flies are indifferent to houseplants. Of all the pests that can occur indoor plants, the tiny, fruit fly-like fungus gnat is probably the most common.
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