I have no experience with the plant you have nor the Bayer stuff but I have (like everyone else) delt with Fungus gnats.

For me, fungus gnats only appear in the Middle of winter and last for a week or so before they vanish.

They come about from the soil retaining to much moisture, so pots where the soil is always moist or moist for extended periods attract them and allow them to breed. It happens in winter for me as since the light levels, temperature, and all the other 'great' things about winter make the soil retain water for longer than it normally woukd the rest if the year. I have some now actually but I'm blaming that on the pet sitter as she always over waters my plants a but too much, but it should be a quick fix. ;)

Since the young need the soil to stay moist to allow the fungus and stuff they eat to grow, allowing the plant to dry out a bit more than you usually would helps rid the problem. Once you find the correct method on how to water your plant they really shouldn't become an issue for you. As they're only brought upon by overwatering or moisture retaining soil (How many times have I said that? Sounds fancy)

I've read online a while ago that sprinkling cinnamon over the top of the soil helps get rid of them as cinnamon is a natural fungicide. That being said, it also kills some of the good fungus in your plant pot. I tried it and it didn't really do anything for me, but it did make my room smell really nice!

Another method which is by far the most popular and effective is to buy a product called Mosquito Dunks. It's a natural product which contains BTI which is a parasite (or something) that only attacks and effects Mosquito larvae. It also works with fungus gnats as Mosquitoes are gnats. It's environmentally friendly and many people use it in their ponds with fish. To use it break it into a little chunk (Full recipe is online) and allow it to sit in your watering can overnight. Then drench the plant with the water and as the larvae come in contact with the BTI they get 'infected' and die.

Ive never used the method myself as Mosquito Dunks don't seem to exist in Canada, but I've heard of lots of success stories.

To kill the adults, yellow sticky traps work wonders.

But to really get rid of them for good, you have to fix your watering method or get a new type of soil. I'll let Al help you with this as he's the soil expert, or one of the other lovely members.

I don't think Insecticidal soap works on gnats... As it needs to come into direct contact to be of any use. And I think the insects have to be soft shelled or something? Correct me if I'm wrong! It does work with spider mites and mealies however (with repetitive treatments) . Though I hope you never have to deal with these! Far worse than these annoying buggers...

Thank you for the info!!! That is GREAT to know!!! I will let it dry out, I do have a tendency to overwater, so I need to work on that! :) I'm going to re-pot the passion plant in cactus soil, heard the miracle gro one is perfect. :) Then, I will resist on watering so much! I had a thought... can I get pot with holes in the bottom and keep the plant in a saucer of water? Let it drink from botttom up, or that won't work here?? I thought if i could do that, eliminate my need to water the plant, maybe won't have any issues.

MrBlubs

Mosquito dunks exist in Canada - I bought them at Rona (and CT, Home Hardware, Lowe's, HomeDepot and so on).

Small pkg has 2, and you can find larger packaging. These are listed for $18+ at HH:

Dawn

MrB gave you very good advice, and this is best - to begin with:

..."But to really get rid of them for good, you have to fix your watering method or get a new type of soil"...

It will help to solve many other issues.

Rina

I've just never been able to find them anywhere... Only place I ever saw one was at Walmart. In Florida. Ha, oh well I don't really need them anyways, but would be nice to have them!

Dawn,

All pots and containers should have holes in the bottom so the water can drain our of the pot. Having constant water in the saucer below the pot allows the water to get sucked up into the soil and makes it wet. Soil should never stay wet, only moist. By doing that you would have definite signs of overwatering distress on your plant.

Wet soil doesn't allow air to come into contact with the roots and creates an anaerobic situation that eventually leads to root rot.

That's why when watering your plants it's best to take them to a sink or tub and water them throughly untill water starts pouring our the bottom. This not only ensures that the whole root ball got what it needed, but allows the pot to drain freely as much as it wishes.

I thought (not too long ago) that cactus mix would be the best solution for all plants as it drains easily. But others have advised me that the mixture isn't even good for cacti. If it has high levels of peat, I wouldn't get it. Peat gets compressed easily and stays wet in the mmiddle of the pot.

OK. Thank you for that advice. Can you help me a little more? I bought a watering bulb, would that work for thr plant or still be too moist? It's in there now, I still haven't replanted it, want more advice on that first. :) But I put the bulb in to see how it does. I have a little cactus soil, some regular soil and a package of sheet moss. Went to 3 stores, all out of cactus soil! And I just seen that you said its not that great anyhow. So, I was thinking I could mix my own batch of soil. Do you think it would be OK to mix the cactus soil, the moss and regular soil to replant the purple passion??? Thank you so very much for your help on this!!! I hope this time I can keep my plant alive!

I'm still trying to figure out a happy soil media too, so I'm not much help in that department. Though I do remember Al (tapla) saying that mixing different types of media together can result in parts of the pot being dry while others are moist and so on. I'm not sure why you would add moss in there... The easiest ooption here that I think woukd work is to buy some Potting soil and mix it with some perlite. The perlite allows the soil to drain faster and also keeps it airy. Though, don't do any rash repottings yet, as hopefully someone more experienced in the soil part can help you. (Al where are you?)

Like I said I've never owned a Purple passion plant so I'm unsure on what it's watering needs are. But general consensus on this forum is that the watering bulbs aren't worth the money. I've never owned one but the many posts about them all say they're not good as a soul method of watering. There's complaints of them getting clogged easily, simply not working by draining out completely or not draining at all and etc.

I'd only ever use one if I was going away and didn't have someone who could take care if my plants. Though, I wouldn't trust it and it would be my last resort.

All plants have different watering needs. Some like to stay moist, other like to dry out a bit, others completely so having a device that is a one size fits all kinda thing in the plant world rarely works out.

I don't find it that hard to water all my plants with a watering can. And I only have 20 some.. Others have over 200 and spend hours a day watering them all. Though, I don't water all my plants at the same time as like I said they all like differnt conditions nor do I water them on a schedule. What your suppose to do is monitor the soil conditions and that way it will tell you if it's time to water or not. As if you water ever Saturday per say the temperature, humidity, amount of light and others aren't always going to be consistent. So if you have 2 full weeks of rain, your soil isn't going to dry out as fast as if it was 2 full weeks of sun. Thus some weeks you may be overwatering and others underwatering.

Most people use their finger or you can use a wooden stick (like a skewer) to test soil conditions. By taking your finger and shoving it in the soil you can tell what it's like. Some plants like to dry out down to an inch, others 2 inches and so on. Once again I don't know what it is for your plant so hopefully someone with experience can tell you.

I hope that made sense.... Had to stay up late to watch the series finale of Hannibal so I hope it makes sense.

LOL Thank you, MrBlubs! Yes, you made perfect sense!!! I was thinking that, about the bulbs, how can they be good for every plant, every time??? I guess I was trying to find an easy way to water... also, these leaves do not like getting wet! So that was another reason I thought maybe it would be a good idea. The moss... no idea, thats what home depot told me to use!!! lol But you make sense, It may be uneven. I hope this Al you speak of will come online soon, I was planning on re-potting today since i have the day off. :0) I'll bring the moss back and get some perlite. Seems I keep getting things I don't need, but the bulbs only cost me $4, so thats not bad! :0) So, I have a small pot worth of cactus soil, I will get perlite and mix that in with some regular soil, unless I hear otherwise from someone. :0) I have been trying to look online, there isn't much on soil for the purple passion so I will have to wing it with the info you gave me. I will do my best not to water too much. Since it just got water from the bulb (which I took out BTW) I will wait a while, now. Seems very moist from the bulb, so you are right about those, I can't rely on that at all.

You definitely helped me out a bunch, tho, thank you so much for your assistance!!! I'm going to get going on bringing some stuff back to the store. God Bless!!!

Purple passion prefers to be on the more moist side. Long fiber sphagnum moss and perlite would be great additions to your cactus soil.

(Is that the kind of moss they pawned off on you?)

OK, laticauda, thank you so much!!! Yes, that is what Home Depot gave me, but I was eyeing the sphagnum moss, something was tellin me to get that one! :0) I took the moss back and got perlite, I should get the moss too, then???

I wouldn't worry about it, I was just trying to save you a trip not make an extra one for you lol.

Thank you! Well, I repotted it, and the one that is half dead, to at least give it the chance to come back! :0) I will pray and try not to water it too much!!! Thank you so much for all of your help, all of you!!! Any more advice I'll take, otherwise, thank you, I have learned a lot!!! God Bless!

If you see that water is standing inside the pot for a long time, that means the holes are clogged and I guess the solution is to add more perlite?

AND thank you, May God bless you and your family as well.

Hahaha, true dat.

I thought my dog had dragged a dead critter under the deck until I took a sniff of a flower on my PP. All buds were immediately pinched!

How is your Gynura doing, OP?

yes you can put water in the tray and it will suck it up i do 2 cups every 7 days and mine are great and i love purple passions and depending on size that is a good amount