Fungus Gnats!

» EnglishTim - MBR and Fungus Gnats

I have been very interested to read various articles on the Web about what I thought were black Fruit Flies. Apparently not!

You would think we are immune in cold, damp England, but quite the opposite. I have had a problem with these annoying little black flies for about 2 months now. They do indeed burrow into the soil, and my houseplants have suffered for it, some more than others; drooping and dying leaves with no apparent infestation is definitely the symptom. It must have been when I put the potting soil in the garage during the summer. That month was enough to infest the soil.

These little black flies don't seem to be a huge problem on the whole, but there's millions of them flying around our nicely heated home. And they stick to everything, including our cups of tea. So what is the best way to kill 'em all??

We have been told on the one hand that scooping the top couple of inches of soil off the top of the plant pots is sufficient to eradicate them. On the other hand, a Japanese friend of ours was adamant that the plants must be destroyed and cuttings taken for propagation, because nothing else will get rid of them.

Somebody please advise. Many thanks and kind regards to you all, Tim.

-- posted by EnglishTim

» Jojo - Re: MBR and Fungus Gnats

Your friend is right depending on the plant and the degree of the infestation. I have personally gotten rid of bad infestations on houseplants by removing the top 3 inches of soil and replacing with new soil mixed 50/50 with sand. The sand helps poor drainage, which often leads to soggy, rotting soil, which is what fungus gnats love most.

I have also found that chamomile tea helps get rid of them. Sounds flakey but I can assure you it worked for me and my dieffenbachia.

There is a product called fungus gnat dust sold locally. I imagine it could be bought in britian but am not totally sure. Either way, the active ingredient is diazinon which is pretty nasty stuff and also stinks. However, if your plants are really valuable to you and you want things dealt with in a big rush, buying a small canister might be the way to go.

-- posted by Jojo