No surprise your prior action did not help:

• Garden safe 3-in-1 is for killing actual fungus... not fungus gnats.
• Neem oil may cause problems with your soil and roots.

Here are the instructions for mosquito dunks. Should be on the package too:

http://www.owlpest.com/images/Mosquito_Dunks_label.pdf

Gnatrol is the same thing as mosquito dunks, essentially. They both use BTi, a bacteria that kills the larvae of the fungus gnats.

Mosquito Bits. Pellets. 100% effective. Easy to use...just sprinkle on top of soil and water. Repeat in a week. Problem gone. Contains BTi. Amazon sells it.

Here's one version.

Mosquito bits

Thank you everyone! I'll be trying the mosquito bits as well. I'm new to gardening & houseplants and appreciate the help :)

Now I'll share my gross situation: a few years ago I brought fungus gnats home in a new plant after years of being free of them, and I could not get rid of them despite letting soil dry before watering and all that stuff. Too bad I didn't do something right away, because turns out they were also breeding in the litter box and in crevices or something that stays wet in kitchen and bathroom drains, because although my (very) old cat died three months ago I still have just a few that get in my face and keep trying to get going in my 5:1:1 pots. I keep putting off getting a new cat, hoping the bugs will die our, but I think it's going to take drastic measures like treating the plants and all the sinks and drains overnight at the same time in the hope that they all croak at once. Yecch!

Litterbuggy I'm sorry to hear about your cat first of all :( I got a plant from Bachman's that had the gnats, and same problem having them LOVE 5-1-1 mix. What a nightmare when they take over every plant and the drains, damp areas, kitty boxes... So far I've crushed mosquito dunks and sprinkled on every plant, and will be ordering the bits as well. Going forward from what I've read it might be a good idea to just go ahead and use the bits product if using 5-1-1? All of my houseplants are in need of new soil so I'm also repotting what I can into the gritty mix- a few plants that I have that seem gnat free are in the gritty. Good luck to you, & keep me updated!

Keep a vacuum handy and suck up those flying adults! Really helps.

Letting things dry out is very difficult... usually the plant really suffers before the soil is dry enough to kill off the larvae.

Thanks for the kind thoughts, Emily. My old girl was 24 when it became clear she just wasn't enjoying her life anymore. She was hyperthyroid and she had high blood pressure and kidney disease the last six or seven years, but medication and subcutaneous fluids kept her in good shape for a long time. Good genes and lots of love, I guess.

You know, i was just thinking maybe they're not fungus gnats, because the only pot that still has bugs has rooted ficus cuttings in 5:1: 1, and they come scurrying out when I water even when the mix was really bone dry, but they don't bother any other plants. Maybe I'll get my magnifying glass next time I water.

Ewwmayo I have gone through two sticky fly strips & am going to hang two more tomorrow- unbelievable how both of them are covered! I have poured my heart (and what small amount of free time I have) into starting some plants from seed and don't want to lose them.

I bought a 1 gallon pump sprayer on amazon for $8 bucks and would throw half a dunk into it. Worked excellent to get rid of all the gnats I had. Bits worked well for me too. I actually used both dunks and bits at the same time.

Thank you for the suggestion - I'm still battling these gnats & am going to try doing both dunks and bits. It's getting pretty frustrating!

Ohh yeah, they were extremely frustrating for me at first. I did all the suggested methods and nothing worked until BTI. I just use it occasionally now on seedlings so I dont invite another infestation of them. I got dunks and bits at walmart for a much cheaper price than it was on amazon by the way.

The closest Walmart sold out of bits and they're taking their sweet time getting more in but hopefully this weekend I can treat all of my plants. I lost all of the dwarf moringa I started from seed and I'm worried about my other house plants. I read that mature plants aren't hurt by the gnats but I'm not sure that's true. I hope it is, but maybe wishful thinking?

They are annoying and mature plants are not immune. Maybe you have a soil or airflow issue too?

Screaming crazy with fungus gnats. About 4 -5 months ago I bought a mandarin orange that I found too late had them Now a horrible infestation of 6 citrus trees and 47 plumeria. I grow in an indoor greenhouse. I've used BTI (Gnatrol) now 4 times at 5 day intervals and not even a dent in the problem. I used the dose of the Gnatrol for "heavy" infestation and I'm an obsessive-compulsive so I know I did it correctly. I let everything get as dry as possible in between treatments to help.

My soil is 5:1:1. Have fans going and a dehumidifier keeps things about 38%. Temp at 85*.

Realize it's the same stuff but going to try the Mosquito bits that you sprinkle on the soil and water. Maybe I should scratch the Mosquito bits into the soil a little bit? If anyone has any other ideas would sure like to know.

Thanks for listening to my whine.

Nancy

My laughing crying emoji didn't make it into my last comment! I have three different soils going- I potted some plants into 5-1-1, and some into gritty mix, and two plants are still in traditional potting soil from purchase. All have gnats, and even with using mosquito dunks and the bits, these gnats aren't going away it seems. I'm not sure what to do next- how I can use the dunks/bits to work more effectively?... or what else I could do differently to remedy this.

I agree with Thomas to lift ALL your pots from their saucers/trays and get rid of all the adult fliers. I recommended a vacuum earlier - just suck them up every time you're around your plants and it will help significantly. Remove any and all dead leaves.

Having low ambient humidity is good but the soil mix holds enough moisture to keep them alive (5:1:1 and gritty).

Add some ventilation fans and keep them running constantly on your affected plants. It'll help the soil drying and limit the gnats until they all die off.

I have the mosquito dunks and also the mosquito bits- I did crush some of the dunks up and sprinkled them on top of each plant, and also added some to the water for a few waterings. A few weeks later I got the mosquito bits and sprinkled with those. I need to look out for other breeding areas as you've said- and stay on top of that too.

Yes that should help and the vacuum as well. I also used a spray bottle with natural soap. I would spray any I noticed in windows and around the house.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Unfortunately I use everything so far that has been mentioned- sticky traps, vacuum, fans, area around plants is clean, no standing water- I spray the drainage holes with BTI too. One thing to mention to everyone is, that if you did not know, mosquito bits are just another form of BTI. So by using mosquito bits I'm only going to use a different form of this same stuff I've been using for the last month. Gnatrol is BTI too. Thomas I don't have any around the house or in windows. I think if you have those they are really fruit flies as the fungus gnats stay very close to the plant itself.

I'm ready to just repot everything (54 plants!) and use gritty mix as I think that might help!

Nancy

Gritty mix helps! Still possible to get fungus gnats, but much easier to get rid of and keep away.

Maybe it's a good excuse to repot plants you may have been procrastinating on anyway! At least, I've got a bunch that I am delaying. =)

Thanks ewwmayo. It's so expensive tho- and for 54 plants. Used it once and didn't like it at all because it was so hard to know when to water. But desperate times.....

I'm almost there myself, petuniafish, with wanting to repot everything into gritty mix. Though I have nowhere near 54 plants! The plants I do have in the gritty mix aren't as bad it seems... I've rounded up my supplies- new yellow sticky tape up, Dr. Bronner's in a spray bottle, hand vacuum with extension cord ready :) tonight I'm going to clean and get all my plants up and sprinkled with another round of bits, get any damp or wet areas dry. Whew.

Actually they were fungus gnats. They made their way all around the house. With a pair of wings they can wind up anywhere. Of course they prefer soil, but that does not mean they will be bound there. Hope it works for you Emily!

Yowza Thomas! Glad mine at least stay on top of the plant. Thanks:)

Yeah... Gritty mix has a learning curve to it and the adjustment period where the roots need to reestablish themselves is the most challenging/confusing part. After that it gets much easier.

Shouldn't be terribly expensive? At least the components come in big bags of 25kg/50lbs. Of course much more expensive than $0.

Thanks Ewwmayo. Yeah learning curve is right. I lost two plants with gritty and decided that was enough. I'm too much of a worrier and know I was overwatering. But realize it's the very best stuff for plants. I may try a couple in it and see how it goes again.

The components for 54 plants really would kill me cost wise, and running that much through a sieve would be overwhelming. I'm not quite so dedicated.

Thanks so much for all your help.