Mix four parts water with one part hydrogen peroxide and soak your soil with the solution. Neem oil can also be diluted with water and applied to the soil to kill larvae. You can also use neem oil as a spray to kill adult flies on contact.
Get rid of gnats in houseplants with vinegar
You can simply fill a small shallow bowl with vinegar and add a few drops of dish soap. Refresh every few days as it fills up with dead gnats.
Mix one part of hydrogen peroxide and four parts of water. Use this solution to water your plants. Hydrogen peroxide will kill the gnat larvae and not injure your plant. Keep reapplying weekly until you notice the gnats are gone.
Try mixing 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water, and use it to wet the top inch of the soil. You can either pour it or spray it over the top. Keep in mind that this will only kill the larvae living in the soil, and not the adult gnats that are flying around.
Vinegar works through a process of dehydration. It breaks down the waxy cuticle on the bugs, which causes them to dehydrate and die. It's simple, effective, and safe for food plants.
Dish soap does not directly kill gnats on its own. Liquids like vinegar need surfactants like dish soap to break their surface tension and drown insects. Due to the fruity scent of this gnat solution, it lures the gnats and causes them to get stuck and die in the solution because of the dish soap.
So, spread baking soda over the potting soil surface with a sieve, then moisten it with a water spray. And within a few days, the soda will penetrate the larvae and kill them.
How to Prevent Fungus Gnats. Neither fungus gnats nor their larvae can survive in dry soil, so let your soil dry out completely between watering as often as possible.
Discard the soil immediately, and replace this top layer with sand, which is free of organic matter and dries out quickly—an unappealing medium for fungus-gnat eggs. Let the soil below dry out completely before the next watering.
For starters, use Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix, which doesn't contain compost or bark, making it less prone to gnats. Then, let your plant dry out between waterings, use yellow sticky traps, and spray an insecticide to eliminate the next generation of gnats.
Fortunately, it's possible to keep these pests at bay with some common kitchen ingredients like cinnamon sticks, which can be placed in the soil of houseplants or even sprinkled on top of the soil in indoor plant containers if gnats are already present.
Will fungus gnats go away on their own? Fungus gnats are persistent and will not go away on their own. These pests lay their eggs and multiply quickly, so infestations will continue to grow. The only way to get rid of fungus gnats is to follow a rigorous cleaning program until the infestation has cleared.
Just like using coffee grounds as a fertilizer, the best part of using cinnamon to boost plant health is that it's completely safe and non-toxic. 'Unlike chemical pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers, cinnamon won't harm beneficial insects or contaminate your soil and water supply,' Richa notes.
Pests like fruit flies and gnats are comfortable in damp dirt; eggs and larvae can't survive without constant moist surroundings. Chances are, your plant can handle less water than you're giving it, so try testing the soil with your finger and only watering when it's completely dry at least 2 inches down.
It is perfectly safe for plants when properly diluted and used in moderation. Adding hydrogen peroxide to water promotes better growth in plants and boosts roots ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. Diluted 3% peroxide adds needed aeration to the soil of plants and helps control fungus in the soil.
One of the main reasons fungus gnats are attracted to houseplants is that lay their eggs in moist soil. Once the eggs have hatched they will dine out on roots, algae fungi's, and other organic material such as potting soil. While adult fungus gnats are fairly harmless, the larvae can cause damage to your houseplants.
Unlike hydrogen peroxide, neem oil solutions kill both larvae and fungus gnats and thereby speed up the process of eliminating the pests for good. To create a neem oil spray, simply mix a teaspoon of dish detergent with a gallon of water and two tablespoons of neem oil.
Soapy Water. Make a homemade spray for fungus gnats by combining one tablespoon of liquid soap with a quart of water. Spray this soapy water solution on plants and soil. Repeat once or twice to ensure all larvae in the soil are killed.
Hydrogen peroxide is an easy solution when it comes to eliminating fungus gnats. It is safe to use around plants and animals and won't damage the environment. The peroxide reacts with the organic matter in the soil and increase the acidity levels, making it difficult for the fungus gnats to survive.
Using boiling water to hydrate the seed starting mix will kill the fungus gnat eggs 99% of the time. Most seed starting mixes have little, if any, microbes in the mix. They are typically peat moss and vermiculite based.
Drench the soil with microbial insecticide, such as bacillus thuringiensis, more commonly called Bt. This is the most effective way to kill any fungus gnat larvae. Allow the soil to dry out for a few days, so that the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) are really dry. The larvae of fungus gnats cannot survive in dry soil.
A: Yes, you can reuse potting soil, but only if you can guarantee it is pest- and disease-free—or if you have sterilized and amended it. While it would be economical to use potting soil already sitting in containers, doing so can transmit diseases, spread pests, and lead to a lack of nutrients.
Fill a spray bottle with a combination of one cup of water, one tablespoon of vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. If you see a gnat, simply spitz the air and it should kill the insect. The solution is harmless to indoor plants.
The most popular option is a vinegar trap, which is simple and cost-effective to create. Simply place a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, a few drops of dish soap, and a tablespoon of sugar in a bowl and stir. Set your bowl in an area where gnats are prevalent, such as your kitchen or bathroom.