daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:50 pm Post subject: How do you get rid of gnats in houseplants? |
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Our Admin Asst keeps our office green with beautiful plants of all kinds.... Currently though, they have GNATS and they are driving us crazy. We have been spraying with horticultural oil on the soil and leaves... they may be fewer for a day but they just keep coming back...
Help... Soon... or she will start pitching the plants and they are too pretty....
Anyone have a cure for gnats?
Thanks...
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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toni
 Administrator
Plants Moderator
Regular Plants Contributor
North Texas, Zone 8a
Posts: 11241
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| Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:52 pm Post subject: |
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Since the spraying didn't work, they are most likely living and breeding in the soil.
Someone needs to take them home and repot them in fresh soil. Wash the old soil off the roots and give the plant itself a good bath before repotting.
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:05 am Post subject: |
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Well. That is kind of what she was afraid of hearing.... There are too many of them to take home... but I suppose we could accomplish this in the parking lot! With a Big Bucket of water. I'll help her if she's up for it.... it will go fast...
Thanks Toni!
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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Netty
Regular Plants Contributor
Southern Ontario zone 5a
Posts: 9955
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:30 am Post subject: |
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Daisybeans, I once heard that to catch the larva in the soil, you simply put a thick slice of raw potato on top of the soil. You will need to replace the potato daily I think. It's worth a try!
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:35 am Post subject: |
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Ooh, thanks Netty... hadn't heard of that one.... We'll give it a try... can't hurt anything! Now, do I have some potatos to take in with me tomorrow....???? We've also heard that they are attracted to cider vinegar in a bowl in the area...
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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stratsmom
Southern Oregon
Posts: 2281
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:16 am Post subject: |
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They are annoying little buggers aren't they?  I had to repot with fresh soil and that seemed to help the peace lilies in my bedroom.
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kuntrygal
Texas ~ Zone 8
Posts: 3436
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:36 am Post subject: |
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DB, I had a problem with gnats in a couple of house plants and ended up throwing the plants away. Thinking the plants were gone, so were the gnats. Not so, even though plants were gone the flying gnats then proceeded to lay their eggs in the drains of the kitchen and bathrooms. I ended up calling an exterminator. He called them drain gnats and half-way used the chemical called for (he did refund my money since he didn't take care of the problem!!). It is called Drain-Gel and you buy it from a chemical company. Anyway loooonnng story short, I had to buy two gallons of the Drain-Gel and treat all the drains every night after the drains were used for the last time, for 7-9 days. I thought I would never get rid of them. I have been free of them for about two months. I will never buy another house plant!!! 
You mentioned cider vinegar. During this time and even before I bought the Drain-Gel I had several small dishes sitting around the house with the cider vinegar(wow the house smelled good!  ). The longer it sat the more pungent it became and the more the gnats liked it. I would check the dishes each day and the count of drown gnats just kept going up  . I placed the dishes near a window or a bright light which draws them to the bowls of vinegar.
Maybe yours aren't as out of control as mine were!
But since you aren't going to toss your plants, they must have the soil changed and roots washed, pots washed before ever putting back in the planters.
Good luck! 
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Gaylyn ~ 2277 ~
"I'm so far behind, I thought I was first"
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain"
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:43 am Post subject: |
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Who-boy... That sounds like an ordeal.... they are so darn persistent.... well, I'm glad they're gone now anyway, KG...
There are a LOT of beautiful plants in our offices ... I hope our AA is up for repotting -- it would probably take a whole day ... but I think it would make her sad to pitch the plants ... Her name is BJ, she has an amazing green thumb, and takes good care of us AND our plants!
I wonder where they came from to begin with. BJ thought they may have come in some inexpensive soil -- what do you guys think?
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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kuntrygal
Texas ~ Zone 8
Posts: 3436
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| Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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Yes they come in soil and when you buy the plants. If plants have been over watered the soil starts getting sour and the gnats love that enviroment. You can unknowingly buy a plant that has them and introduce it to exsiting plants and viola'.
I hope you and BJ have an easier time eradicating the pests, than I did!
Good luck to you.
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Gaylyn ~ 2277 ~
"I'm so far behind, I thought I was first"
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's about learning to dance in the rain"
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daisybeans
annapolis md
Posts: 3675
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:42 am Post subject: |
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Wow, do you think that would work Sjoerd? Assuming I could find them. Anyway, BJ took them all home with her to wash the soil.... bless her heart.
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Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
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stratsmom
Southern Oregon
Posts: 2281
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| Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:39 am Post subject: |
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Every time I've brought in a poinsettia I've brought in a new gnat family  Also, when Tamie gives me a plant I spray the dickens out of it because they are always infected 
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weeds n seeds
Casper, Wyoming
Posts: 116
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| Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 5:44 pm Post subject: Fungus gnats |
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This may sound really "off the wall", but have found it works! Mix 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide in one gallon of water: let the mixture sit..uncapped..over night, then drench soils of plants infected with the nasty things! Repeat application several days later, then periodically to keep them under control. The hydrogen peroxide does two things: "knocks" chlorine out of city water; causes an high oxygen level in soils that bugs can't tolerate but DOES NOT HURT the plants! (This information was found on the "Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide in Gardening" web site.)
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Christer Johansson
Västerås, Sweden
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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I had problem before when I germinated cactus seeds, the gnat larva eat my tiny seedlings. But I found out if you top-dress with gravel in the pots there be no more gnats. They only lay eggs in the soil if they find organic material for the larva to eat, and the gravel fools them to think there are no organic material there. Works for me, anyway 
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