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African Violets

Fungus Nats HELP Please!!

17 years ago

Hello Group,

I need your help. I have fungus nats EVERYWHERE!! I have about 50 house plants and 5 in my office...all have fungus nats. I have bought two bottles of spray...nothing....used the cedar bark...nothing...cinanmon...nothing...burned candles...nothing...the soil is dry...still there!!! I do not want to lose ALL of my plants, throw them all away. 15 of which are AV's!!! :( I am to the point that I will do just about anything to get rid of them. I thought about re-potting all of them this weekend, but all it would take is one little nat to infect the new dirt. I would do all of the re-potting outside, but what can I do to totally rid my life of the pest! The people at work are wondering where the nats are coming from...they don't even think about my plants...so I have to do something soon. Any and all suggestions are much appreciated!!!! Thank you all and have a wonderful weekend.

Thanks,

Diane in Virginia

Comments (4)

dustin_nevadanorth
17 years ago
Horticulture sand is a chemical free way to go. Buy it at a garden center donÂt use beach sand. The salt will kill plants even when rinsed. Put a layer on the surface of the soil. The babies die tiring to get out and the adults canÂt dig in to lay their eggs. In about ten days the adults die and no more gnats. I use it on my larger potted house plants and it works great. It is a little tricky to use on the AVs though but it will work. Others here can recommend chemicals that may be easier to use.
diane56
Original Author
17 years ago
Dustin,

Thank you for your advise. Do you think I need to re-pot everything or just go with the sand?

Thanks, Diane
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luisranza, Yep, fungus gnats are extremely annoying. As shelbyguy said, lower the humidity. You are probably keeping the soil too moist. I inevitably do it to myself each season. I use three relatively easy methods to control / eliminate them. 1) Let the soil dry out (not enough to kill the plants though!). When the top quarter inch or so is dry, rough up the soil to disturb any eggs. 2) Set a shallow bowl of cider vinegar covered with saran wrap by the plants. Cut a hole in the center of wrap just large enough to let them get in. TheyÂre stupid to figure their way out and die. 3) I use a type of fly tape in the plant trays (photos below). Not sure if you can find them on your area but they do a great job of reducing the population. In addition, they allow you to monitor what flying pests are growing. Just check the stuck bugs to identify what they are. Good luck, Bill
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Some past tips have been to let the plants dry out (larvae live in the damp soil), putting a layer of sand on top of the soil to discourage the egg laying, sprinkling cinnamon...none of them worked for me when I brought home gnats in a new prayer plant and they invaded every plant in my home. What did work was buying a package of mosquite dunks, floating a piece of the dunk in a container of water overnight, then using it to water my plants. The BT in the mosquito dunk kills the gnat larvae and stops the cycle...it may take more than one treatment if the infestation is heavy. The same BT (bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis) is in Gnatrol, & Knock Out Gnats, probably others...I just found the dunks better priced locally (and passed the rest of the package on to a friend with a water feature in their garden)
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Thanks for the additional pix. Is the rootball hard to the touch? If so, that means it's potted in mostly peat which when totally dry, actually repels water & prevents the roots from getting any water. I don't grow this plant, but recognize possible rootball problems. If it's as I suspect, someone else will have to guide you to changing the mix. I'd be likely to just crumble the mix off w/ my fingers. Am guessing once you change the soil to whatever mix is good for them which others here may suggest (after washing & drying out the same pot) you may be able to keep the same pot.
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dustin_nevadanorth
17 years ago
No need to repot if you use sand or a chemical. The bugs will die either way. Only repot if you need to for some other reason.
The sand will add weight to the pot so you will have to relearn what dry and wet pots feel like. Also the sand makes a mess if the pot spills. Sand will last forever and does not need to redone unless it is spilled or repotted. I use sand in my big pots and chemicals (something I got from our local club. I will let you know) in my violets because sanding small pots is hard for me and AVs got repotted periodically any way. It is easier. I do have to do my violets several times a year because the gnats come in from outside.
robitaillenancy1
17 years ago
Water with one teaspoon bleach to one pint warm water

Or, water with one teaspoon ammonia to one quart warm water.

Or, water with one teaspoon Lysol to one quart warm water.

Do not mix these.

Buy no pest strips. Put one in a garbage bag with one tray of plants and leave overnight.

Nancy

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