In this post, you are going to learn how to get rid of fungus gnats in your indoor plants.
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Gnats may be the most frustrating houseplant pests and the speed in which they multiply is downright ridiculous. If you are struggling with a gnat infestation here is what has worked for me.
How To Get Rid of Fungus Gnats in Your Houseplants
1. Isolate the affected plant
Find the plant or plants with fungus gnats and isolate them from your other plants. For this instance, it was my alocasia Frydek
2. Stop watering the infested plants
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, fungus gnats prefer moist soil. So. Whenever I notice any gnats, I immediately stop watering the plant in question. Don’t worry. I haven’t lost any plants by doing this. Letting the soil dry out completely helps with the process of getting rid of the eggs in the soil.
3. Add cinnamon or diatomaceous earth
Adding cinnamon or diatomaceous earth tends to kill eggs that are living in the soil. I add either to the top few centimeters of the soil and mix it in. Then I apply a layer over the surface of the soil.
Both are natural products. Cinnamon can be found in your kitchen spice rack and diatomaceous earth can be found at a local garden center or online. I purchased my bag from Amazon – find it here.
If you choose to use diatomaceous earth be cautious not to breathe it in when you apply and keep children and pets away from the loose powder. This is a great product to have for outdoor gardening too.
4. Get some yellow sticky paper
Finally, you’ll need to eliminate the live fungus gnats. The best natural (non-chemical) method I’ve found for this process is buying the yellow sticky traps. It’s not a fancy thing at all. I use the Safer Brand but any brand may work.
It’s a green piece of plastic and a piece of what looks like a laminated strip of yellow paper. But, it works. Check out the gross picture I took from a problem I had with an Alocasia Frydek plant.
5. Be preventative
Over loving our plants is often (not always) the cause of fungus gnats. Getting your plant on a watering routine that promotes growth but not too much lasting moisture is an art. If you are struggling to find this balance consider using a plant journal to track your plant care or invest in my printable plant binder.
I rarely get houseplant gnats but when I do these steps have been my go-to procedure.
FAQs
- How long does it take to see results? If you kill the eggs you are only left with the adults. In my experience, it takes a week or two to eradicate the problem completely.
- Do you use neem oil? No. I’ve heard good things about neem oil but I haven’t ever used it on any of my plants.
- How many houseplants do you have? Currently, I have around 60 houseplants.
If you are having problems with gnats, I hope this solves your problem. Let me know how it goes in the comments.
Good luck!
