@@marthawiggins9105 they were out of MG and got Frog Farm and same problem. They say it’s in the added compost. I know I never had problems until last year.
I tried a similar treatment that finally got rid of my year-long fungus gnat problem in my home. I'd suggest using the mosquito-bits tea on all your houseplants, for about a month, not just the ones that appear infected. The product isn't super expensive, and it doesn't hurt the plants and it's easy to do, so I just continued the regimen for several weeks to a month to make sure it got them all. I even used the mosquito-bits tea on all my outdoor patio plants, just to be sure. BTW a large stainless steel tea-ball works great for steeping the bits in water.
I just put a cup of beer on the table near my plants. They like the sweet smell and end up drowning in the drink leaving my plants alone. It took 3 days to completely remove them from my home.
I live in Australia. I went to my local garden centre to ask what I should do to get rid of them and I was told to sprinkle ant sand on the top soil of the pot. It worked almost immediately. The gnats just stopped flying everywhere. I don't know if you can get ant sand in other countries. Of course it works a treat on getting rid of ants outside as well.
Is "ant sand" a fine white powder? If so, we call it diatomaceous earth. It's the fossilized shells of tiny diatoms. The shells are like tiny razor blades to insects and other pests with exoskeletons.
Hung a plant bug zap lite for about a month and enjoyed hearing them zap! After the zaps stopped, took lite down. A year now, and all gone! Good Luck! Rev. J 😊
I just bought a bag of potting soil including fungus nats. Going to start either microwaving or baking my soil. Ive done it before and who doesnt love a home that smells like dirt!!
*_"Going to start either microwaving or baking my soil"_* You should never use that, it harms the soil. The mosquito bits contain BTK, it will always kill the fungus gnats in the soil.
@@cherylbrooks7722 I never had any fungus gnats in my Miracle Grow, but then again I'm not the foolish one who buys 20 liter bags that are stored outside, instead I buy a different Miracle Gro product that had an anti fungus gnats treatment, and is targeting at indoor usage. You just didn't do you research, and bought the popular potting mix, and while it can be used indoors, it's not recommended, it's best used outside where fungus gnats don't matter.
I found that the flies still manage to go into your soil from the bottom of the pot if it is suitable for them, I would recommend still keeping few of the yellow traps to reduce the population of the adults that can breed further
Yes, especially root pruning cell packs. Never got rid of them and did this and several other methods. Only thing was to try and control them. They hide everywhere.
I used to buy Miracle Grow potting soil - I swore by it. Someone told me they got fungus gnats from it but I didn't believe them. So I re-potted a couple of plants with it. Sure enough, fungus gnats everywhere. I'll never buy it again.
To trap more adult gnats I cut the sheet lengthwise to get two strips. The strips are wrapped around the top of a mason jar 3/4 full of apple cider vinegar. I add a little Scotch tape to tape the outside exposed ends together so the sticky paper doesn't pop off.
Awesome comprehensive video. I really appreciate that you break down the gnat life cycle and highlight how you can use that knowledge to control the outbreak. Thanks man.
From what I've researched, neem cake water is touted now. All I use is the yellow sticky. I grow in 5-gallon containers all winter in my grow room. The sticky's have worked for me. When they appear, they get stuck. No contributing to the life cycle. I've tried the product you mention, vinegar, drenches, soaps, neem oil sprays, and probably more. Nope.
i do both, sticky tape when a lot of them are flying around AND treat soil. When you see one or two fly around just do soil treatment. I have replaced sticky tape with pinguicula plants for indoors. Needless to say i occasionally see one or two fly now, probably some left over eggs. I have also used UV insect lamps kills a ton of them too. (tripple solution and got rid of them takes a while, the eggs are survivors, and you will have a lot of them in the soil) @@C3Voyage
CINNAMON, it just takes a good thorough coverage of cinnamon powder sprinkled onto the soil surface. And, of course, let the soil dry out! Be patient, the gnats do not disappear in a day, but as long as the initial cinnamon application fully covered the soil surface you should not need to reapply the cinnamon.
Cinnamon controls fungus, as does anything containing tannins. The relevance of this is that the fungus gnats "farm" the fungus. So, using both b.t. and tannins, one can effectively control both the pest, and their food source.
I bought some organic potting soil for my orange trees and it was infested with gnats. They were everywhere and getting into everything. They were even starting to spread to other plants and at that point I took a tub and soaked every single plant in a solution of water and pesticide. That finally got rid of them
Buy Nematodes bred just for the gnat larva.. It works and I use it all the time for my plants and seedlings. I even use them for ant colonies outside lol works great!!
have an infestation of them I've got 30 houseplant and these flies are so annoying I got sticky pads for the flying ones and it gets like 100 a day on one pad it's crazyyy
I got rid of mine by sprinkling used coffee grounds on top of the soil. It took a while for them to completely go away because it was a bad infestation but they haven’t been back and it’s been at least 6months since my last application. I will do it again closer to spring as a preventative measure.
I covered my plants with two inches of sand. Then I placed a low tub of water with a tsp. of detergent and a cup of distilled white vinegar. I drowned about a hundred of those gnats. A week later they were all gone. Still haven’t returned.
lol, I apparently couldn’t get rid of them last year and did all this and other methods. This year started indoor lettuce and they are back again. Never had to sterilize potting soil and maybe they come from winter veg. I don’t know, but they are a pain. I think the key word is control as they never go away until the seedlings go outside. After that I never see them on houseplants.
Would this kill centipedes too ? My peace Lilly loves the dirt wet. I noticed I have centipedes coming out the bottom even I water her. I let her dry out a bit since she’s huge and idw wet dirt for too long. But I saw about 4 gnats and I’m a bit concerned there will be more in the near future and the centipedes will come out the pot .
For 35 years that I have been indoor gardening, this year is the first time I have fungus gnats in my house, and it was a nasty infestation. Couldn’t buy Mosquito bits in Canada. I spent $$$ spraying on the plants, even changed the soil of some of the pots. Nothing fixed it. Gnats flew from one pot to another. Lived in sink and shower drainage. Then I removed all the soil, baked them, yes, I killed all the normal flora of the soil. Washed and sterilized all the pots. Washed all the plants with soap and water, using artist’s brush to go in between leaf and stalks, soaked the roots in water with hydrogen peroxide for 20 minutes. I sprayed all sink and shower drainage with insecticide. Then I mixed the baked soil with composted manure to bring back good flora. I am now free of fungus gnats. It was a wild idea, and long-tedious process but worth it. I love my plants and I am so proud of how they thrive right now.
Sad to hear you went through all that, but glad to know you did what you did to get what you wanted and were successful in the end. Thank you for sharing your story.
@@monstrofarm Ive been wondering if I should start growing ButterWorts as a long term control solution, but getting them is not easy or cheap in Canada.
I've been battling fungus gnats for 2 months now! I used nematodes, cinnamon, sticky traps, and hydrogen peroxide /water spray. All the soil I have been using to pot up my seedlings I have now baked in the oven at 200F for 20 minutes.
i dont understand the need to bottom water in between this treatment as well. is the top watering while treating not enough or just depends on plant needs?
@@id-10-terror7 Sorry to hear that. I've found that the best thing to do for those little guys is to us the mosquito bits and then keep on a schedule of watering when the plant needs it, depends on the plant , and then bottom watering or tottom watering (put plant in bowl and then water from the tops and let it sit). Good luck on the rest of your plants. Let me know if I can help. I've been growing plants professionally for over 30+ years. Happy to help.
Great video I do a living soil for my plants where I add my crones and I water with a living, compost tea to build up the micro biology of the soil. Would anybody happen to know if these dunks would kill all that stuff as well as the Nats I think a lot of that stuff may live off those little Nats things, butboy I sure have a lot of those gnats they come in the potting soil it seems like but this was a great video. I was just like to reach out to anybody on this reading this. Does anybody know if this would kill all the micro organs in there?
This is all cool and everything probably does work but all you guys and everybody needs for this fungus nut situation. I have never had one ever and I have over 100 plants and I've had them for over 15 years. I've never had that problem. I've never had a pest problem and it's because I use cinnamon, ground cinnamon and for bigger plants you can get cinnamon sticks, break them up and stick them in the dirt,You're welcome😊❤
Yea well I have had houseplants for 40 years and just got my first pests.. fungus gnats. I use cinnamon on cuttings or breaks and I can tell you I have seen them walk right through the cinnamon I sprinkled on my soil. It's driving me nuts and the Mosquito Bits haven't helped much at all
@@LivingDiscipleship *_"Mosquito Bits haven't helped much at all"_* Nonsense, it always kills them, they contain BTI, it's a fungus gnats killer. Either you had a bad batch of Mosquito Bits, or prepared or applied the wrong way. I helped people who had fungus gnats, and always got 100% rid of them within 5 weeks using BTI.
i stopped using bark based mix and no more fungus gnats. zero gnats for years now. no need for all these measures. fungus gnats love fine bark potting mix. use desired grade coir or peat based mix with perlite. as a bonus you will have a heathier mix for your plants, that will not go off.
Thanks for the video. I am unsure if this will work out, but will pouring boiling water over potting mixture then letting it cool down before repotting the plant be appropriate. I understand that I will kill off the positive microbes, but I will also kill the fungus gnats and eggs. The roots of the plant will naturally have these microbes, and will propogate given enough time.
Glad you enjoyed the video. You could try the method you have described, but I think that even if you used that method, eventually you may get fungus gnats in an established plant and you will need to treat the plant similar to what I described in this video. Thanks for watching and commenting.
No, I’ve tried them all and it only controls them. When I took seedlings outside to harden off I sprayed horticultural oil and it was either that or they flew away. Inside I think the heat contributes to the cycle.
I used anti-mosquito fumigator plug and watered the plants with camomile tea for several times. So far they seem to be gone, but I know they'll be back sooner or later. Better to know all the ways to get rid of them 😊 Also I saw comments under other video that people use hydrogen peroxide with water and it works, but you can't use it too often or it might harm the plants
I constantly getting new plants mostly from the grocery store and I just spray the new plant with Bengal insect control and let it outside for a few hours
If you can lift them and the water wicks some of the way up, depends on the composition of the soil. If not, then try mosquito bits and try to let the soil dry out a little more between waterings. Good luck.
I tried this and it did not work.I used the disks. I only eliminated them when I move d the plants outdoors for planting. I now have an infestation of aphids when I bought some veg seedlings for my hydroponics.
They were probably eliminated when you took them outside because the top layer of soil had a chance to dry out sooner than indoors. Did you also try bottom-watering? This method and/of watering or cutting back on the frequency will help.
Never had gnats or aphids until last year and it was awful! I tried this method and every other to only control them, never got rid of them. Took seedlings out to harden off and sprayed with horticultural oil and that was much better-or they just flew off.
I never had any in my plants. Then I decided to repot some plants and went to Walmart for soil. I repotted 2 plants and put the rest of the mixed soil in an airtight container. In about 3 days I had some gnats! 😢
That's something I'd try if almost all the plants I grow weren't intended for human consumption. So a different route was required for my greenhouse. Putting a thin layer of sharp coarse sand on top of the soil pretty much got rid of them. Whenever I see a fungus gnat now, I find the pot with the exposed soil and cover it. Haven't tried it, but diatomaceous earth is also supposed to work.
Use indoor potting mix w no organic matter, ie wood chips, and water from below not allowing top to be saturated. The buggers will disappear in no time.
I have more content on my social media channels. Please look there and I will continue to post more videos to help. I use neem oil depending on the pest, plant and situation, but after using it for a few days the smell can really get to me, even when I mix a with a little peppermint oil. Thanks for watching.
I wouldn’t. If your space is tight, you might consider quarantining your plant in the bathroom. Just make sure it gets sufficient light. Thanks for watching.
I've no space to quarantine my new maranta. It can't go in my bathroom cause if I see gnats in there it'll make me crazy. I got serious history with them. I treated the leaves and soil with respective preventative treatments then put the plant in a nursery bag so the wet soil will dry out. I inserted yellow sticky paper into the soil as well. My paranoia from last year's cataclysmic infestation drove me to cover the plant with a clear bag but moisture is building in the bag. I know I must uncover it. It ain't right, I know.😂 I'll have to monitor and figure this out as I go. I'm STRESSED.😂 And FYI, those little buggers do bite and prey on humans. I lived with scarred skin last year for months. I prefer the bites to the buzzing around my ears though. Nah, don't like either. Wish me well my fellow plant lovers. What won't we do for the love of our plant babies!
I would think bottom feed as often as you should with a small plant and with 2/3rds of the plant under water, you would drench the soil and when you drained it off would leech out all your nutrients and biology.
As the producer of the AI, BTI, it is completely harmless to non target species. That includes humans, fish, animals, etc. Species that are affected by the BTI, are black fly larva, mosquito larva, midges and fungus gnats larva. BTI does not affect any of the adults on that list.
# 1 reason I bottom water. All my plants are in plastic liner pots and then sit in pretty catchpots. I lift them out and line them up in a plastic container I put about 2 inches of water in and let it get to room temp. I leave them in there for about 15 mins then lift out to drain.
Use an old nylon for the mosquito bits. Don't use bits on food plants. Also use mosquito nets. Cover and then spray dietameouse earth. I couldn't find the net so I used a sheer curtain.
damn things,I got them with the soil I bought, it was last January, still fighting them, yellow sticky things buying multiple times, I tried oil sprays too :(
I really wanted to do that but it is winter here and I don't have a spot inside to clean the soil so I will have to wait until spring. Meanwhile I scooped about an inch of the soul off the top of the plant and dumped it outside. Then spread cinnamon on top. I hope it works.
I’ve been doing this for months. I still have them. I water each and every one this way. So what do you think is next . They are way better. But always still around. So none of this works long term. 😊
After thoroughly watering with water soaked in Mosquito Bits, I sprinkle fresh bits on the top of the soil when I do the next watering and leave the bits there. This is especially important in humid areas or in the summer. If you have a persistent problem, you'll need to put up multiple sticky traps to get the adults and interrupt the reproductive cycle. Leave the traps each room where you have plants and don't remove them until your problem is gone. Replace the traps, if need be. Over this time, keep using the Mosquito bits.
I agree, the organic methods control them, but not totally gone. Only when I took seedlings outside did I get rid of them. I thought maybe they came from winter vegetables, but they appeared after I started indoor lettuce-it’s the crap potting soil and doesn’t matter what brand.
I was starting to get things ready to transition from outside to inside. Now im Terrified of bringing extra visitors inside. Does DM work well in the soil too? Maybe I’ll just double triple duty it all up lol. Flush, cinnamon and DM, cup of beer next door, and bottle of essential oils in reach 😂😂
The larvae stage is the nightmare if u have a wet few weeks then a humid few weeks, without lights or artificial heat they eat holes all through the base of the trunk and taproot then after that they fly up and become a whole new problem. I messed up though,i took in a plant from a questionable place and put it with my alocasia elephant ears..just to be a real moron 🙄🤦 lol oh the carnage 😭 i had to throw out and replace over 20 plant pots,soil, every substrate known to man...that was a hard lesson i never did that again hahaha 🌱💚 cinnamon as preventative,but water was the ultimate reason it spread and i speraticaly water now it seems to help 🤷
I watered mine with the mosquito bits but left the bits on top of soil. (Didn't skim them off or make a tea) and it seems to be working. Is that a wrong move to make to leave bits on the soil?
Glad it's working for you. Try the bottom watering for extra control. I don't think the bits sitting on the soil will hurt. Some people incorporate them in soil when they do a repot, but I suggest always following the label. Good luck and thanks for watching.
@@monstrofarm As the producer of the BTI sold to and used in the bits, I would not use the corncob on the top of the soil or in it. Since it is an organic (corn), it will mold and cause other problems. Best thing to do is soaking the bits in the water if that is the product on hand. Or you can get our liquid version which solves all the worries!
Do you know if the mosquito bits stuff you are recomending to use is free of all corn + corn derivitives? As I have a corn allergy. I also need to avoid other grains like wheat due to celiac. If I buy the wrong soil in the past (which unfortunately had happened once) I was scratching like crazy as it had a corn cob derivitive added to it. Corn hides in so many things its a nightmare to avoid!
Let me start my say I grow weed plants, and so many people have these issues. If you teach yourself how to not get them in the first place, you'll have better grows. Yes cinnamon and neem oil work, but if you make a top layer on perlite you have less overall chance to see them at all. Also another tip to not getting gnats, is run your fingers through the soil. When they fly up you squish them. Or they will come back.
They’re also in bagged potting soil
That’s Exactly where I suspect they are coming from.
Miracle grow potting soil is infested with them.
@@marthawiggins9105 they were out of MG and got Frog Farm and same problem. They say it’s in the added compost. I know I never had problems until last year.
@@dustyflats3832 I think someone is contaminating soils w various things
This is how my infestation began 😢😠
I tried a similar treatment that finally got rid of my year-long fungus gnat problem in my home. I'd suggest using the mosquito-bits tea on all your houseplants, for about a month, not just the ones that appear infected. The product isn't super expensive, and it doesn't hurt the plants and it's easy to do, so I just continued the regimen for several weeks to a month to make sure it got them all. I even used the mosquito-bits tea on all my outdoor patio plants, just to be sure. BTW a large stainless steel tea-ball works great for steeping the bits in water.
That is a lot of water to often for some plants though.
Can you reuse the mosquito bit tea bag for other 2-3 times or you need to throw away after soaking the first time?
I used tea tree oil 20 drops and peppermint oil 20 drops in 750 ml water spray on soil not on leaves. no more flies.
I just put a cup of beer on the table near my plants. They like the sweet smell and end up drowning in the drink leaving my plants alone. It took 3 days to completely remove them from my home.
Interesting
What kind of beer did you use?
Gnats prefer Natty light😂
@@badgurl1612same kind I’m going to drink when I come home from our d4te
I put a cup of beer on the table and 5 minutes later...it's gone...and gnat still there ....
I live in Australia. I went to my local garden centre to ask what I should do to get rid of them and I was told to sprinkle ant sand on the top soil of the pot. It worked almost immediately. The gnats just stopped flying everywhere. I don't know if you can get ant sand in other countries. Of course it works a treat on getting rid of ants outside as well.
Is "ant sand" a fine white powder? If so, we call it diatomaceous earth. It's the fossilized shells of tiny diatoms.
The shells are like tiny razor blades to insects and other pests with exoskeletons.
What is ant sand😮
Could you clarify what ant sand is?
Ant sand here in the US is an insecticide and I wouldn’t recommend anyone use this on edible plants
Hung a plant bug zap lite for about a month and enjoyed hearing them zap! After the zaps stopped, took lite down. A year now, and all gone! Good Luck! Rev. J 😊
I just bought a bag of potting soil including fungus nats. Going to start either microwaving or baking my soil. Ive done it before and who doesnt love a home that smells like dirt!!
Miracle Grow is the worst! I don't buy it anymore!!!!! 😊
Why not water it with boiling water?
@@jajajaja2606 the boiling water will also kill the roots.
So just heat your soil first
*_"Going to start either microwaving or baking my soil"_*
You should never use that, it harms the soil. The mosquito bits contain BTK, it will always kill the fungus gnats in the soil.
@@cherylbrooks7722
I never had any fungus gnats in my Miracle Grow, but then again I'm not the foolish one who buys 20 liter bags that are stored outside, instead I buy a different Miracle Gro product that had an anti fungus gnats treatment, and is targeting at indoor usage. You just didn't do you research, and bought the popular potting mix, and while it can be used indoors, it's not recommended, it's best used outside where fungus gnats don't matter.
Diatomaceous earth sprinkled on the soil helps kill the larvae, too
It won’t kill the larvae as they are underneath the soil but it kills the adults trying to burrow down to lay more larvae.
I found that the flies still manage to go into your soil from the bottom of the pot if it is suitable for them, I would recommend still keeping few of the yellow traps to reduce the population of the adults that can breed further
Yes, especially root pruning cell packs. Never got rid of them and did this and several other methods. Only thing was to try and control them. They hide everywhere.
Best video I have found on fungus gnat treatment.
I used to buy Miracle Grow potting soil - I swore by it. Someone told me they got fungus gnats from it but I didn't believe them. So I re-potted a couple of plants with it. Sure enough, fungus gnats everywhere. I'll never buy it again.
For those that don’t wanna waste their time in the video, use mosquito bits and follow the directions on the bag
Put a cinnamon stick in the pot. Lay it on the soil or stick in a bit.
To trap more adult gnats I cut the sheet lengthwise to get two strips. The strips are wrapped around the top of a mason jar 3/4 full of apple cider vinegar. I add a little Scotch tape to tape the outside exposed ends together so the sticky paper doesn't pop off.
Awesome comprehensive video. I really appreciate that you break down the gnat life cycle and highlight how you can use that knowledge to control the outbreak. Thanks man.
Glad you found it useful. 👍
From what I've researched, neem cake water is touted now. All I use is the yellow sticky. I grow in 5-gallon containers all winter in my grow room. The sticky's have worked for me. When they appear, they get stuck. No contributing to the life cycle. I've tried the product you mention, vinegar, drenches, soaps, neem oil sprays, and probably more. Nope.
the eggs probably survive all that. you will need to do the treatment every week for a while.
@@ChrisWijtmans Sticky's work for me. Stick in container once and forget it.
i do both, sticky tape when a lot of them are flying around AND treat soil. When you see one or two fly around just do soil treatment. I have replaced sticky tape with pinguicula plants for indoors. Needless to say i occasionally see one or two fly now, probably some left over eggs. I have also used UV insect lamps kills a ton of them too. (tripple solution and got rid of them takes a while, the eggs are survivors, and you will have a lot of them in the soil)
@@C3Voyage
Have to agree! Tried everything last year. They are in potting soil-never use to be.
I have been looking for this info and this is the best so far. From the product, application and the information. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you very much for your comment.
CINNAMON, it just takes a good thorough coverage of cinnamon powder sprinkled onto the soil surface. And, of course, let the soil dry out! Be patient, the gnats do not disappear in a day, but as long as the initial cinnamon application fully covered the soil surface you should not need to reapply the cinnamon.
Yes, it's true. Very effective.
@@bernaward75is it safe for springtails and isopods?
Tried it. Doesn’t work. 🤷🏽♀️
Cinnamon controls fungus, as does anything containing tannins. The relevance of this is that the fungus gnats "farm" the fungus. So, using both b.t. and tannins, one can effectively control both the pest, and their food source.
Just store bought cinnamon spice will work? @@JustinDOehlke
I bought some organic potting soil for my orange trees and it was infested with gnats. They were everywhere and getting into everything. They were even starting to spread to other plants and at that point I took a tub and soaked every single plant in a solution of water and pesticide. That finally got rid of them
Yes, tried every organic method on seedlings and could only control them-never got rid of them.
Buy Nematodes bred just for the gnat larva.. It works and I use it all the time for my plants and seedlings. I even use them for ant colonies outside lol works great!!
link? Name of product?
have an infestation of them I've got 30 houseplant and these flies are so annoying I got sticky pads for the flying ones and it gets like 100 a day on one pad it's crazyyy
Try this 2 step method and it works. Good luck.
do you have a amazon link for the stuff you use??
@@monstrofarm is it hydrogen peroxide and how many %?
@@cal7281 check out my link in bio to my Amazon page.
No. It's mosquito bits. @@cal7281
I got rid of mine by sprinkling used coffee grounds on top of the soil. It took a while for them to completely go away because it was a bad infestation but they haven’t been back and it’s been at least 6months since my last application. I will do it again closer to spring as a preventative measure.
I covered my plants with two inches of sand. Then I placed a low tub of water with a tsp. of detergent and a cup of distilled white vinegar. I drowned about a hundred of those gnats. A week later they were all gone. Still haven’t returned.
@@BuddhaBeaniehow much water was there?
lol, I apparently couldn’t get rid of them last year and did all this and other methods. This year started indoor lettuce and they are back again. Never had to sterilize potting soil and maybe they come from winter veg. I don’t know, but they are a pain. I think the key word is control as they never go away until the seedlings go outside. After that I never see them on houseplants.
If u put sand over the soil they wont have anyway to get into the soil to lay eggs
Or for the new hatches to escape out of
Great video! Thank you. Will this work for seedlings too? This is where my gnat problem is the worst and I loose my babies.
What type of seeds are you sowing? Have you tried covering with plastic until they germinate?
I find that I get them when I buy soil, they be in the soil.
Maybe try another brand of soil, but give this a try if you're having a hard time with them. Good luck.
Thank you. Very informative.
When you pot/repot your plants, cover the soil with an inch or so of aquarium gravel or perlite. NEVER leave your soil bare!
Try this
@@LivingDiscipleship perfect
What about mulch?
*_" NEVER leave your soil bare"_*
Nonsense. All my plants (about 40) have bare soil, yet I never had fungus gnats in over 22 years.
Thanks for the tips but would it work with fruit plants? Would it be safe to eat the fruits after the treatment?
Thank you for explaining it so well 👍
My pleasure 😊
Would this kill centipedes too ? My peace Lilly loves the dirt wet. I noticed I have centipedes coming out the bottom even I water her. I let her dry out a bit since she’s huge and idw wet dirt for too long. But I saw about 4 gnats and I’m a bit concerned there will be more in the near future and the centipedes will come out the pot .
Your garden looks very beautiful and your plants also look very fresh and healthy.
Thank you.
For 35 years that I have been indoor gardening, this year is the first time I have fungus gnats in my house, and it was a nasty infestation. Couldn’t buy Mosquito bits in Canada. I spent $$$ spraying on the plants, even changed the soil of some of the pots. Nothing fixed it. Gnats flew from one pot to another. Lived in sink and shower drainage. Then I removed all the soil, baked them, yes, I killed all the normal flora of the soil. Washed and sterilized all the pots. Washed all the plants with soap and water, using artist’s brush to go in between leaf and stalks, soaked the roots in water with hydrogen peroxide for 20 minutes. I sprayed all sink and shower drainage with insecticide. Then I mixed the baked soil with composted manure to bring back good flora. I am now free of fungus gnats. It was a wild idea, and long-tedious process but worth it. I love my plants and I am so proud of how they thrive right now.
Sad to hear you went through all that, but glad to know you did what you did to get what you wanted and were successful in the end. Thank you for sharing your story.
@@monstrofarm Ive been wondering if I should start growing ButterWorts as a long term control solution, but getting them is not easy or cheap in Canada.
Yes, for some reason they do not sell in Canada. I had to buy the pond rings instead and wizz them to powder in the blender. It's ridiculous.
I've been battling fungus gnats for 2 months now! I used nematodes, cinnamon, sticky traps, and hydrogen peroxide /water spray. All the soil I have been using to pot up my seedlings I have now baked in the oven at 200F for 20 minutes.
In Canada, you can get mosquito dunks, which are the same as the bits-they just come in a disc! I got some at a hardware store.
i dont understand the need to bottom water in between this treatment as well. is the top watering while treating not enough or just depends on plant needs?
I can't find the bits anywhere is it a state thing??
Not sure. Have you tried Amazon?
Can you reuse the mosquito bit tea bag for other 2-3 times or you need to throw away after soaking the first time?
Anyone know what the name of that plant is @ 2:53 ?
That’s a Philodendron Congo Green. Do you have one?
@@monstrofarm hey... yes had one until 2 days ago. I gave it away because I couldn't deal with the fungus gnats
@@monstrofarm Are you sure it's not a philodendron moonlight?
@@id-10-terror7 Sorry to hear that. I've found that the best thing to do for those little guys is to us the mosquito bits and then keep on a schedule of watering when the plant needs it, depends on the plant , and then bottom watering or tottom watering (put plant in bowl and then water from the tops and let it sit). Good luck on the rest of your plants. Let me know if I can help. I've been growing plants professionally for over 30+ years. Happy to help.
@@monstrofarm Thank you.. Your video was so informative. I'm glad to have stumbled across it. I'll try these methods going forward
Great video I do a living soil for my plants where I add my crones and I water with a living, compost tea to build up the micro biology of the soil. Would anybody happen to know if these dunks would kill all that stuff as well as the Nats I think a lot of that stuff may live off those little Nats things, butboy I sure have a lot of those gnats they come in the potting soil it seems like but this was a great video. I was just like to reach out to anybody on this reading this. Does anybody know if this would kill all the micro organs in there?
Use lavendar spray to ward them off and sello-tape wrapped around plant pots rims they get easily stuck there while swarming around
If you cant find the mosquito bits, use nematodes (get the right ones) and or sprinkel diotomatious earth on the top soil.
_...cinnamon or cayenne pepper...sprinkle on soil and mix with water to make a spray..._ 🌱...
This is all cool and everything probably does work but all you guys and everybody needs for this fungus nut situation. I have never had one ever and I have over 100 plants and I've had them for over 15 years. I've never had that problem. I've never had a pest problem and it's because I use cinnamon, ground cinnamon and for bigger plants you can get cinnamon sticks, break them up and stick them in the dirt,You're welcome😊❤
Ill do that now
Yea well I have had houseplants for 40 years and just got my first pests.. fungus gnats. I use cinnamon on cuttings or breaks and I can tell you I have seen them walk right through the cinnamon I sprinkled on my soil. It's driving me nuts and the Mosquito Bits haven't helped much at all
They are here less for sure but I think I'm going to get the pest sticks to stick in my plants and in the bourse
@@LivingDiscipleship
*_"Mosquito Bits haven't helped much at all"_*
Nonsense, it always kills them, they contain BTI, it's a fungus gnats killer. Either you had a bad batch of Mosquito Bits, or prepared or applied the wrong way. I helped people who had fungus gnats, and always got 100% rid of them within 5 weeks using BTI.
i stopped using bark based mix and no more fungus gnats. zero gnats for years now. no need for all these measures. fungus gnats love fine bark potting mix. use desired grade coir or peat based mix with perlite. as a bonus you will have a heathier mix for your plants, that will not go off.
Thanks for the video. I am unsure if this will work out, but will pouring boiling water over potting mixture then letting it cool down before repotting the plant be appropriate. I understand that I will kill off the positive microbes, but I will also kill the fungus gnats and eggs. The roots of the plant will naturally have these microbes, and will propogate given enough time.
Glad you enjoyed the video. You could try the method you have described, but I think that even if you used that method, eventually you may get fungus gnats in an established plant and you will need to treat the plant similar to what I described in this video. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Those warnings look scary. Any organic options?
No, I’ve tried them all and it only controls them. When I took seedlings outside to harden off I sprayed horticultural oil and it was either that or they flew away. Inside I think the heat contributes to the cycle.
Mosquito dunks are awesome. I get them from potting soil. So i now treat the soil before using
Helpful information! Thanks 🎉
Glad it was helpful! You’re welcome.
I used anti-mosquito fumigator plug and watered the plants with camomile tea for several times. So far they seem to be gone, but I know they'll be back sooner or later. Better to know all the ways to get rid of them 😊
Also I saw comments under other video that people use hydrogen peroxide with water and it works, but you can't use it too often or it might harm the plants
My fungus gnat problem came from compost I bought ,I lost all my seedlings later
I constantly getting new plants mostly from the grocery store and I just spray the new plant with Bengal insect control and let it outside for a few hours
Is that technique safe for fruit bearing shrub?
Yes
What about larger plants that are in ceramic pots? Is the bottom watering ideal for these as well?
If you can lift them and the water wicks some of the way up, depends on the composition of the soil. If not, then try mosquito bits and try to let the soil dry out a little more between waterings. Good luck.
I watered mine with 5%apple cider vinegar, it was good for most plants but killed my bay cuttings
Fungus gnats severely reduced
Is this safe for indoor herb plants? Is this toxic in other words. Eventually the herbs will be eaten.
Excellent video thank you!!
All my fungus gnats came from the drainage holes, so bottom watering method does not work.
I tried this and it did not work.I used the disks. I only eliminated them when I move d the plants outdoors for planting. I now have an infestation of aphids when I bought some veg seedlings for my hydroponics.
They were probably eliminated when you took them outside because the top layer of soil had a chance to dry out sooner than indoors. Did you also try bottom-watering? This method and/of watering or cutting back on the frequency will help.
Redo it. I learned my lesson on taking plants outside and bringing them back in when I found my variegated ivy was infested with scale.
Never had gnats or aphids until last year and it was awful! I tried this method and every other to only control them, never got rid of them. Took seedlings out to harden off and sprayed with horticultural oil and that was much better-or they just flew off.
I put two cheap ultrasonic devices in my main room with about 50 plants and 70 spider plant babies in water and I haven’t seen any.
Ultrasonic device work good against gnats flies?
I just mixed the mosquitoe bits in with the soil and I'm fungus gnat free
What about using mosquito bits on herbs such as basil? Any danger there with edibles? Thanks!
its not toxic so no danger.
normal dry garden sand at the bottom of pot and the top layer . they cant burrow through it.
I never had any in my plants. Then I decided to repot some plants and went to Walmart for soil. I repotted 2 plants and put the rest of the mixed soil in an airtight container. In about 3 days I had some gnats! 😢
using dish soap and oil in the water also kills them
I’ve noticed they don’t like lemon juice and water.
That's something I'd try if almost all the plants I grow weren't intended for human consumption. So a different route was required for my greenhouse. Putting a thin layer of sharp coarse sand on top of the soil pretty much got rid of them. Whenever I see a fungus gnat now, I find the pot with the exposed soil and cover it. Haven't tried it, but diatomaceous earth is also supposed to work.
Thank you for sharing this.
I juat ordered the mosquito bits and cheese cloth. Thank you so much.
I just bought a blue light trap and it is catching a lot of fungus gnats. BT on the way.
Use indoor potting mix w no organic matter, ie wood chips, and water from below not allowing top to be saturated. The buggers will disappear in no time.
Thank you!
Do you have videos that address treatments for pests? Or talk about preventative treatments? Also, how do you feel about Neem oil?
I have more content on my social media channels. Please look there and I will continue to post more videos to help. I use neem oil depending on the pest, plant and situation, but after using it for a few days the smell can really get to me, even when I mix a with a little peppermint oil. Thanks for watching.
Didn’t work for seedlings and plants tend to not like it.
If I have 20% hydrogen peroxide how much should I use in 1 litre of water
I do all that when the top of the soil is dry i cover the top with diatomaceous earth and small volcanic rocks
Anyone else have absolutely no where to quarantine 😂
Do the best you can. Even the other side of a studio would help. Good luck.
@@monstrofarm I have heard of people tying a bag around their plants. Does that work? Or were they just full of it?
I wouldn’t. If your space is tight, you might consider quarantining your plant in the bathroom. Just make sure it gets sufficient light. Thanks for watching.
✋🏼 😂
I've no space to quarantine my new maranta. It can't go in my bathroom cause if I see gnats in there it'll make me crazy. I got serious history with them. I treated the leaves and soil with respective preventative treatments then put the plant in a nursery bag so the wet soil will dry out. I inserted yellow sticky paper into the soil as well. My paranoia from last year's cataclysmic infestation drove me to cover the plant with a clear bag but moisture is building in the bag. I know I must uncover it. It ain't right, I know.😂 I'll have to monitor and figure this out as I go. I'm STRESSED.😂 And FYI, those little buggers do bite and prey on humans. I lived with scarred skin last year for months. I prefer the bites to the buzzing around my ears though. Nah, don't like either. Wish me well my fellow plant lovers. What won't we do for the love of our plant babies!
I just use sand. They cannot get into the soil (or escape) and a USB fan. I bottom water.
I would think bottom feed as often as you should with a small plant and with 2/3rds of the plant under water, you would drench the soil and when you drained it off would leech out all your nutrients and biology.
I set bowls of milk out near the plants and ir is full of drowned knats
Will this be ok for my in home grown lettuce and mint for people consumption? Or will it do harm in the human body like pesticides.
It is organic, but I would refer to label for any question like that.
As the producer of the AI, BTI, it is completely harmless to non target species. That includes humans, fish, animals, etc. Species that are affected by the BTI, are black fly larva, mosquito larva, midges and fungus gnats larva. BTI does not affect any of the adults on that list.
It is a bacteria that is beneficial and is not taken up by the roots. Wash your produce when harvesting of course.
# 1 reason I bottom water. All my plants are in plastic liner pots and then sit in pretty catchpots. I lift them out and line them up in a plastic container I put about 2 inches of water in and let it get to room temp. I leave them in there for about 15 mins then lift out to drain.
GRAVEL/STONE ON BOTTOM,WOOD CHIPS ON TOP LAYER…. SEEMS TO WORK PRETTY GOOD
Use an old nylon for the mosquito bits. Don't use bits on food plants. Also use mosquito nets. Cover and then spray dietameouse earth. I couldn't find the net so I used a sheer curtain.
The bits are suppose to be BT and ok for food. 😂, doesn’t matter anyways because nothing organic totally gets rid of them except maybe pesticide.
damn things,I got them with the soil I bought, it was last January, still fighting them, yellow sticky things buying multiple times, I tried oil sprays too :(
Try these steps. You’ll get it.
I use Mosquito Bits and they absolutely work.
Took the plant out of pot and washed off all the soil off the roots till its stringy and repotted with fresh soil
Yes. You can do that, but make sure to correct your watering practices or they will be back. Try bottom watering. Good luck.
@@monstrofarm thankyou. Im watering from botton now x
I really wanted to do that but it is winter here and I don't have a spot inside to clean the soil so I will have to wait until spring. Meanwhile I scooped about an inch of the soul off the top of the plant and dumped it outside. Then spread cinnamon on top. I hope it works.
Beneficial bugs always works, buy them to target the larvae and also the hatched adults
Thank you!
I’ve been doing this for months. I still have them. I water each and every one this way. So what do you think is next . They are way better. But always still around. So none of this works long term. 😊
After thoroughly watering with water soaked in Mosquito Bits, I sprinkle fresh bits on the top of the soil when I do the next watering and leave the bits there. This is especially important in humid areas or in the summer. If you have a persistent problem, you'll need to put up multiple sticky traps to get the adults and interrupt the reproductive cycle. Leave the traps each room where you have plants and don't remove them until your problem is gone. Replace the traps, if need be. Over this time, keep using the Mosquito bits.
Raid!. Wait a few hours and then wash your plant. Problem immediately solved. Wash your fruit from the store, that’s how they get in, eggs on bananas.
I agree, the organic methods control them, but not totally gone. Only when I took seedlings outside did I get rid of them. I thought maybe they came from winter vegetables, but they appeared after I started indoor lettuce-it’s the crap potting soil and doesn’t matter what brand.
@@dustyflats3832 Thank You for that, from now on, I am going to quarantine new soil outside for 2 weeks, until eggs hatch, and they fly away.
لدي طريقة سهلة لجمع البالغين في وعاء ومن ثم التخلص منها
I was starting to get things ready to transition from outside to inside. Now im Terrified of bringing extra visitors inside. Does DM work well in the soil too? Maybe I’ll just double triple duty it all up lol. Flush, cinnamon and DM, cup of beer next door, and bottle of essential oils in reach 😂😂
Helpful thank you
Glad it helped
Don't think you shoulld use mosquito bites on plants that produce fruit or plants with edible leaves and herbs.
Yes. I agree on using on edibles. I would reach out to the manufacturer.
Will this treatment affect Thrips larvae as well? This is so excellent. Thank you
No this doesn’t work for thrips
The larvae stage is the nightmare if u have a wet few weeks then a humid few weeks, without lights or artificial heat they eat holes all through the base of the trunk and taproot then after that they fly up and become a whole new problem. I messed up though,i took in a plant from a questionable place and put it with my alocasia elephant ears..just to be a real moron 🙄🤦 lol oh the carnage 😭 i had to throw out and replace over 20 plant pots,soil, every substrate known to man...that was a hard lesson i never did that again hahaha 🌱💚 cinnamon as preventative,but water was the ultimate reason it spread and i speraticaly water now it seems to help 🤷
Thanks for the info
No problem 👍
Peroxide and dish soap and water in a dish next to plant
I watered mine with the mosquito bits but left the bits on top of soil. (Didn't skim them off or make a tea) and it seems to be working. Is that a wrong move to make to leave bits on the soil?
Glad it's working for you. Try the bottom watering for extra control. I don't think the bits sitting on the soil will hurt. Some people incorporate them in soil when they do a repot, but I suggest always following the label. Good luck and thanks for watching.
@@monstrofarm As the producer of the BTI sold to and used in the bits, I would not use the corncob on the top of the soil or in it. Since it is an organic (corn), it will mold and cause other problems. Best thing to do is soaking the bits in the water if that is the product on hand. Or you can get our liquid version which solves all the worries!
Do you know if the mosquito bits stuff you are recomending to use is free of all corn + corn derivitives? As I have a corn allergy. I also need to avoid other grains like wheat due to celiac. If I buy the wrong soil in the past (which unfortunately had happened once) I was scratching like crazy as it had a corn cob derivitive added to it. Corn hides in so many things its a nightmare to avoid!
What if it's a carnivore plant that constantly needs to be wet
You could try adding a little sand to the top of the soil mix to prevent them from laying eggs.
Shouldn't that insure a co stant food source for the plant?
Bottom water help fungus nats
I poured hydrogen peroxide with water and a day later I found thousands of dead knots outside near the plant on the window sill
Let me start my say I grow weed plants, and so many people have these issues.
If you teach yourself how to not get them in the first place, you'll have better grows.
Yes cinnamon and neem oil work, but if you make a top layer on perlite you have less overall chance to see them at all.
Also another tip to not getting gnats, is run your fingers through the soil.
When they fly up you squish them.
Or they will come back.
😊