The Most Efficient Ways To Get Rid Of Fungus Gnats
Tired of gnats flying in your face and infecting your plants? Let me guide you through the most efficient ways to get rid of fungus gnats on indoor plants.
Your house has a severe Fungus Gnat infestation despite your efforts of placing Gnat traps everywhere.
Your house now reeks of apple cider vinegar, sticky yellow paper litter the battlefield, and you continue to bombard your plants with hydrogen peroxide spray.
You smile with joy as your enemies fall by the thousands.
To your dismay, their population is not reduced as the enemy appears to be unfazed by your assault.
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My Experience in Getting Rid of Fungus Gnats
I initially started an indoor vegetable garden using potting soil and this is my story.
Nothing I tried worked. I just killed a bunch of gnats, but they reproduced just as fast as I could kill them. But now my indoor garden is completely gnat free and will be forever, organically.
Today you will learn how I solved my Fungus gnat problem with hydroponics and other methods.
Tell me in the comments your story of gnats and how you are dealing with them after you reading this blog.
First, we must know our enemy.
Gnats are small, dark may look like a small mosquito, and have short lifespans.
There are various species of gnats, but the one most common is the Sciaridae type or widely-known as Fungus Gnats.
These insects thrive in a moist environment and feed on fungus and rotting material.
If you over-water your plants, you will not only provide a great thriving ground for fungus, you also create a great environment for fungus gnats to breed and develop.
If you over-water your plants, you will not only provide a great thriving ground for fungus, you also create a great environment for fungus gnats to breed and develop.
Fungus Gnats live 21-30 days in total from egg to adult.
During the larva stage, they eat on fungus, rotting roots, as well as organic matter. If no fungus or rotting material is available, then they will feast on your plants’ live roots.
They spend 1-2 weeks as an adult and can lay hundreds of eggs in that short lifespan.
Will Fungus Gnats Go Away on Their Own?
Yes and no. If there is an environment for gnats to thrive in, they will continue to reproduce.
Even if you can completely rid your house of gnats, you can easily reintroduce them back into your plants.
They can ride in on your clothing, or sneak in while the door is open. Fruits and veggies from the store can have them, especially bananas.
The soil you buy can even be infested by them.
The soil you buy can even be infested by them.
Why are There Gnats In my Bag of Potting Soil?
There may be small holes in the bag of your potting soil mix. Potting soil may also be left outside in the rain. With the combination of these 2 circumstances, gnats can infest the bag before you even buy it!
There is no real way around this, and it is always a risk. Even if the bag is now inside, it may have been outside for some time.
It is always best to sanitize your potting soil by either baking it or you can boil it with or without a pressure cooker for 30 minutes.
How to Prevent Fungus Gnats?
(This method is best used to get rid of gnats from a few houseplants.)
The best way to deal with Gnats is prevention, rather than management, and elimination.
Simple Practices to Prevent Fungus Gnats
For example, when buying plants from the store, I would first drench the soil with hydrogen peroxide with one-part hydrogen peroxide and 4-parts water, then I isolate the plant from my other plants for 2 weeks to determine if there is an infestation of unwanted pests.
Be careful to only apply hydrogen peroxide to the soil and not the plant foliage.
I never have any success praying the top of the soil with it.
If I buy potting mix, I will isolate the soil away from my clean plants, usually in the garage or something, and You need to dilute the mix and drench the soil. I will bake whatever I need when I needed it.
After the isolation period, I would then drench the soil again with diluted hydrogen peroxide then introduce the plant next to my other plants.
As for maintenance to the plants, every month I would drench the soil again with the diluted mix.
Take this seriously because you can go from 2 gnats to 2000 in a matter of weeks.
How Does Hydrogen Peroxide Get Rid of Fungus Gnats?
Hydrogen peroxide has been used as an antiseptic since the 1920s because it kills bacteria cells by destroying their cell walls.
It works by a process called oxidation. This happens when an atom loses one or more electrons in a chemical reaction.
When you see the fizz of hydrogen peroxide, it is reacting with an enzyme called catalase which most living cells have. The bubbles are oxygen gas and water being released from the chemical reaction.
Most cells and small organisms like gnat larva are weakened and killed by this chemical process.
The downside is that hydrogen peroxide will not discriminate and attack the plant’s roots, leaves, and everything living that is not protected.
Fortunately, potting soil is supposed to be inorganic, where fertilization comes from liquid or pellet nutrients.
Therefore, you can pour it directly on your soil without harming the plants.
The roots are hardier than the bacteria and other organisms and can handle the drenching mix.
How Do You Get Rid of Fungus Gnats Organically?
The best way is to eliminate their environment, potting soil. If you switch to a hydroponic system, you eliminate the need for fungus and bacteria-ridden soil.
The hydroponic grow medium is completely inorganic. Rockwool is made from basalt and slag, melted, and spun into fibers.
The grow medium is small compared to the potting soil you would need for the same plant. A 1.5-inch square block of Rockwool can grow an adult lettuce plant from seed.
Rockwool is very absorbent, drowning out the larva and other bacterial but is porous enough to allow the plant roots to breathe.
It only took about 3 weeks from switching to hydroponics to never see a Gnat again in my basement grow area.
There just isn’t a place for them to live so they cannot reproduce in the area.
This is the number one way to keep pests out of your indoor garden area.
Hydroponics does not need to be complicated or difficult. I recommend you start off with the Kratky method of hydroponics.
All this passive growing method needs is a container, nutrient solution, and grow medium.
To learn more about the Kratky method, then check out my blog here.
What Other Ways Can You Prevent or Control Gnats?
Some other organic methods of getting rid of gnats include:
Gnat Paper, which is a Yellow Sticky Paper that Gnats are Attracted to.
Pros:
- No chemicals or pesticides used, just sticky colored paper.
- You can determine the severity of your infestation by seeing the number of bugs caught.
Cons:
- You get to see dead bugs every time you look at your plants.
- Only kills harmless adult Gnats while allowing the root munching large alone.
Cinnamon On The Soil
Does Cinnamon kill Fungus Gnats?
The short answer is no. Cinnamon has powerful antibacterial and antifungal properties. You apply it to the soil, and it will kill off all the fungus, which the gnats feed on. If you couple that with drying out your soil, you can severely reduce the number of gnats in your garden by reducing the food for them.
Pros:
- Cinnamon prevents dampening off disease and fungus from growing.
- Sweet smell around your plants if you like cinnamon.
Cons:
- Only eliminates the gnat’s primary food source of fungus but does not directly harm the gnats.
- Gnats also eat other decaying organic material so this method can only be effective with other types of pest control.
Apple Cider Vinegar Traps:
This stinky contraption lures the gnats into an inescapable container where they become trapped and die. You can buy these from the dollar store or make your own, either way, the gnat flies in and can’t get back out.
Pros:
- Good for placing next to your fruit basket to catch any bugs before they become a problem.
- Very cheap and effective means of killing adult flying bugs.
Cons:
- The unpleasant odor that attracts the bugs but repulses your guests.
- ugly sight of dead bugs in a dish or container.
- Only actively kills adult bugs, larva and eggs are untouched. Therefore, it must be combined with other methods to eliminate gnats from your house.
The Best Method of Eliminating Fungal Gnats from your House is Prevention.
If you can stop them from taking root in your house, then you can easily deal with the stragglers that make it there.
If you have a few potted house plants, I would recommend drenching the soil with hydrogen peroxide periodically and monitoring for infestations. You can then escalate measures as necessary.
If you have an indoor garden or grow area, I highly recommend hydroponics methods.
Tell me in the comments your story of gnats and how you are dealing with them.
