Gnats are quite irritating and that is why you are looking for the answer to how to get rid of gnats on plants. When you have plants to take care of, once or twice in a while, you come across various kinds of bugs and flies around or on the soil of the houseplant.
One common type of such bug is the gnats. Apparently, it is very much like a fruit fly, only it does not attack the fruits.
The gnats can fly but it lays its eggs on the topsoil of the houseplant. Then, the larvae feed on the nutrients for the soil, reducing it for the plant and causing a nuisance for the house. It does not cause any direct harm but nonetheless, In many ways and you do not even have to use the harsh chemicals.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
How To Get Rid of Gnats On Plants -3 Ways :
There is quite a natural and safe answer to how to get rid of gnats on indoor plants. Let’s check them out.
1. Use Neem Oil for fungus gnats
One of the best answers to how to get rid of gnats in houseplant soil is to use neem oil. You will find neem oil sprays for gardening use in stores. While they are trustworthy, they may not be available in your area. If they are not available, you can make your own Neem oil spray.
In this case, you have to be a bit careful because the one you make will be more effective as you won’t be making mass amounts. What you have to do is mix water, some neem oil, and an emulsifier in order to help the oil and water mix. The emulsifier can be a mild soap. Easily available ingredients, aren’t they?
The question now is, how to use neem oil on plants? Since you do not know how the plant will react, the first logical thing to do will be to apply the spray on a limited part of the plant and wait for a day to see if it reacts. If the plant does not react then you are good to go.
Neem has good properties to fight fungus so you can quite rely on this technique.
2.An Apple Cider Vinegar Trap
Another answer to how to get rid of gnats around plants is an apple cider vinegar trap. What you have to do is mix apple cider vinegar with fruit or beer in a wide-mouthed container. The smell of the fruit will attract the flying gnats towards the trap.
Also, use a drop of mild soap on top of it to create a layer. When the gnat flies get to it and touch the solution, they will get stuck there for good. With the adult flies not flying around, there will be no larvae that you will have to deal with.
3. Use the Yellow Sticky Strips
You can stick a yellow sticky strip on your plant pot. This will attract the gnat flies with either its smell or the bright color. When the flies get close to it and touch it slightly, they will get stuck there. The sight is not pretty at all. However, this strategy is quite helpful.
These were the three most common ways on how to get rid of plant gnats home remedies.
How To Get Rid of Gnats in Potted Plant Soil- 4 Ways:
Now you are looking for ways to deal with the larvae that are in the soil of your potted plants, right? The question you are asking is how to get rid of gnats in plant soil. There are quite a few preventive and direct measures, lets check them out.
1. Give them no moisture
The first answer to how to get rid of gnats on my plants is to control the moisture. Apparently, the larvae of the gnat flies survive when the moisture is very high. If there is not much water for them to feed on, they can’t live.
Therefore, you have to control the soil moisture while making sure your plants get enough hydration. What you have to do is never overwater your plants. The residue water can be the living ground of the gnats.
Other than that, you can also consider watering your houseplants from the bottom. With some holes in the pot and a plate under it, you can keep the water in it for around thirty minutes for the plant to soak it up.
Amid this rush, the larvae of the flies do not get a chance and die. Therefore, the first answer to your queries is that you have to take away the moisture for the larvae to die. However, keep enough moisture for the plants to survive.
2. Remove the soil
If the gnats have conquered a bit too much of the soil in your potted plant, the simple answer to how to get rid of gnats in your potted plants is to get rid of the soil with the gnats. You do not have to take all of the soil out, luckily. The gnat larvae only infest the topmost part of the soil.
So, dig it out but make sure that you dispose of the soil much away from your house and the potted plants. Never, ever in your dreams, keep the infected soil in the house.
3. Use a cover
Next on how to get rid of gnats in my potted plant is how to get rid of them and make sure they never come back. Since the gnat larvae live on the topmost part of the soil, what if there was no topsoil for it to live in?
Then, the larvae will neither get the moisture nor space. This is why you can consider soil covers like mass, gravel, or moss. They will also give your plat pt a very appealing and decorative look.
4. Store the potting soil carefully
One good way that the gnat flies find a way to get in your house is by laying their eggs on stored potting soil. You just keep it lying there, open in the storeroom and the gnats also find their habitat.
Before you know it, the stored potting soil finds its way to your plant pots and along with it, comes the gnats and their larvae. Therefore, you have to keep even the stored soil safe from teh attack of the gnats. But, how?
All you have to do is keep them well covered. No matter how small, the gnats cannot get inside the package. Furthermore, they won’t be aware of the moisture that is there in the soil either. So, you see, the prevention begins even before the soil makes it to your potted plant. It begins when it is still in storage.
Apart from that, you do not want to reuse potting soil either. The quality does not stay the same anyway so it is best if you do not. Old potting soil is more vulnerable to gnat attacks than new. So, even though you have to spend a few bucks on it, it’s best not to spend more to get rid of gnats.
How to Get Rid of Gnats in Plants Outside
The facts stay the same for the plants outside as well. Therefore, the cure stays the same. Only, in this case, you have to use a larger amount for the whole garden.
Apart from that, you can also consider the ready-made brand products to get rid of the gnats. You also have to check the drainage system for the garden. In this case, you have more solutions to improve the drainage system and keep the garden extra-moisture free.
Final Thoughts
Luckily, it is not hard to get rid of gnats or the larvae. However, the process is super ugly. Before you have to put in so much effort to get rid of them, it is better to put in the effort to make sure you never face such a situation.
Furthermore, the prevention measures will keep you safe from other such parasites as well. Now, you know the answer to how to get rid of gnats in plants naturally. Get going and use it now.
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