Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a bind with fungus gnats swarming my plants. I'm relatively new to this since my plant collection has exploded in the past few months, and now they're everywhere. I've tried watering with mosquito bits, but that hasn't made much of a difference, so I've limited watering for now. I've also set up zevo light traps around the house and used apple cider vinegar, which has helped with the adult gnats, but I'm worried about the life cycle. Recently, I added diatomaceous earth to the top layer of the soil, and I've seen some improvements, but will this ever be completely resolved? Should I consider repotting my plants? I'm also hesitant because I'm afraid any new or existing soil might be infested. For those with a lot of plants and humidifiers, how do you manage pests? Is it possible to live peacefully with plants and no bugs? Thanks for any advice! I'm really feeling overwhelmed right now!
1 Answer
Have you thought about whether your windows are open? Gnats might be coming in from outside. You really need to soak each pot thoroughly for the mosquito bits to be effective, and don’t forget that they hate well-drained pots. When I dealt with this, I used the bits along with yellow sticky traps for a few weeks, and that really helped. But I discovered the source of my problem was actually from outside, so I started keeping my windows and doors closed as much as possible after that.
I didn’t consider the windows! I always have one open because my cats love the fresh air. Plus, I live near woods, so it’s tough to keep bugs out, even when everything's closed. I’ve been soaking the pots, but the soil takes ages to dry out. I use terracotta pots with good drainage, yet the gnats seem attracted to them somehow.