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!!!!!!!!!! Gnats Gnats Gnats Gnats HOW DO I GET RID OF GNATS!!

 
Eric Hanson
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Basically the title says it all.

I recently repotted a philodendron in my classroom and I used a regular bag of bagged garden soil out of lack of time (I picked it up on the way to work).  I mentioned the problem to my wife and she thinks that the gnats are coming from the new soil--plausible.  Can anyone think of any way to get rid of all the gnats?  They are really a problem--I inhaled one yesterday while teaching!

I have set out vinegar traps and they have caught hundreds of gnats, yet the gnats keep coming.  I was thinking about covering the top of the soil with some proper indoor garden soil and see if I can bury the gnats, but I don't have much room left to pile up--maybe an inch.  Would DE laid down first and then soil on top work?


I am open to just about anything, I can't have these gnats around any longer.




Thanks in advance,



Eric

Some places need to be wild

 
Timothy Norton
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I've heard a thin layer of vermiculite on top of potted plants can prevent fungus gnats.

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Are you SURE they are coming out of that soil?
Check for things like a rotted potato in the kitchen...

I use vinegar and dish soap in water with a light pointing straight down on to it.

Gardens in my mind never need water
Castles in the air never have a wet basement
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My suggestion would be to let the soil dry out completely and then water with a soapy solution.

If that doesn't work try hydrogen peroxide 50/50 with water.

After that water the plant from the bottom if possible.

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Anne Miller wrote:My suggestion would be to let the soil dry out completely ...


I've heard this also - it's a fine line between "dry out completely" and a dead plant, but if you can manage it, it does seem to at least decrease the problem.

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I didn't notice it was in your classroom. Easy way is to repot the plant again. In better soil.

Gardens in my mind never need water
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Pearl Sutton wrote:I didn't notice it was in your classroom. Easy way is to repot the plant again. In better soil.



This was my thought, too.

"The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance."~Ben Franklin
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." ~ Plato

 
Eric Hanson
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Thanks all!

Re-potting is one idea, but I just got the new pot—I don’t want to give it up so soon.

I was thinking maybe insecticidal soap to start, just to see if I can knock them down a bit.

Then I was thinking about DE and another inch or so of better quality potting soil.

Thoughts?




Eric

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Pearl Sutton
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You don't have to give up the pot, just remove plant, remove all soil that you can, repack with fresh soil.

Gardens in my mind never need water
Castles in the air never have a wet basement
Well made buildings are fractal -- equally intelligent design at every level of detail.
Bright sparks remind others that they too can dance
What I am looking for is looking for me too!

 
Eric Hanson
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Ok, crazy day yesterday that didn’t help the situation, but that’s a different story and more on that later.

This morning the gnats were pretty bad.  So I am trying a maybeish solution out of supplies I have on hand.

I know that gnats are attracted to ethanol as it created in rotting vegetation.  I don’t have a supply of ethanol at school, but some teachers probably think it should be available in faculty drinking fountains right next to the Valium salt lick!  But I do have some isopropyl alcohol and I wondered yesterday if that would substitute.  Turns out no.  So this morning I got a new idea that can only come from exhaustion, frustration or other cognitive impairment.  This morning I decided to soak a paper towel with alcohol, squeeze till just a bit over damp, and place in a ball on the soil of my plant.  Then I covered the planter with a series of paper towels such that it is not exactly sealed, but covered.  I want to see if I can get my gnats drunk, pass out and die right where they like to hang out!

I have no idea how Permie this is, but desperate times call for desperate measures.



Eric

Some places need to be wild

 
Eric Hanson
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My tented plant
IMG_3291.jpeg
Gnat bar
Gnat bar

Some places need to be wild

 
Eric Hanson
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Some appear to be falling down drunk!!

Some places need to be wild

 
May Lotito
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When my home made potting mix contains organic matter that is not decomposed far enough,  it will attract gnats because they can utilize the materials for growth. When it runs out, the infestation will stop. It can take awhile. How about bringing in a pot of fly trap plant to catch and recycle the gnats?

Zone 6, 45 inches precipitation, hard clay soil

 
Eric Hanson
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A fly trap plant?  I like that!

But I really need action now before maintenance does something first.

This morning when I came in, I looked down at my mostly empty desk.  There were dozens of dead gnats laying on it.  This has never happened before.  Did I give the gnats alcohol poisoning?  Is it possible that this hair-brained scheme is actually working?

The gnats do seem less this morning.  I guess we will see how the day goes.


Eric

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Les Frijo
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Every bag of potting soil I've ever purchased has had fungus gnats.

All of the above will help and eventually they will go away.

Mosquito bits, the stuff that you put in stagnant water. Add to the water and water in once a week or whatever the bag says.

https://summitchemical.com/products/mosquito-bits/

Let soil dry out in between watering. They like overwatered soil.

Edited to mention a small handheld vacuum can help more than you would think when the infestation is bad. The adults are easy to suck up while flying around the plants.
 
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