Table of Contents
Here’s how to naturally treat your houseplants and get rid of gnats in the soil. Make the Natural Habitat Inhospitable. Use a Soap-and-Water Mixture. Use Sand or Gravel. Dispose of the Top Layer of Soil Outdoors. Don’t Overwater Your Houseplants. Water From the Bottom. Store Extra Potting Soil in an Airtight Container.
How do I get rid of gnats in my potted plants?
Vinegar mixture: Fill a shallow saucer with 2-3 drops of liquid dish soap and a cup of white vinegar. Place the bowl near your plant — the gnats will be attracted to the solution and fall into the trap. Keep repeating the process until all the gnats are gone.
Does vinegar get rid of gnats in houseplants?
However, instead of throwing the plant out, you can get rid of pesky fungus gnats using household vinegar. Pour one-quarter to one-half inch of apple cider vinegar into a clear or semi-opaque plastic cup, creating an effective fungus gnat trap. Place the vinegar trap near your houseplant and check it daily.
What do gnats hate the most?
Fruit flies and fungus gnats, both commonly referred to as ‘gnats,’ rely heavily on their strong sense of smell to navigate. You can take advantage of this trait and repel gnats by using scents they hate such as peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, vanilla, lavender, citronella, and DEET.
What home remedy kills gnats in houseplants?
Mix one part 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with 4 parts of water and pour this over the soil of your plant. The hydrogen peroxide works by killing all the fungus gnat larvae, which is the only true way of killing off the gnat population.
How do I get rid of little flies in my house plants?
How to tackle a minor infestation Move the plant. First things first: “Isolate the infected plant.” Invest in sticky traps or plants. Sticky traps or sticky plants will trap (and kill) flying adults. Use neem oil spray. Consider creating a soil barrier.
Can I spray apple cider vinegar on my plants?
You just want to grab a spray bottle and mix one part apple cider vinegar to one part water. You can spray this on your plants to keep the aphids off of them, although some plants don’t like the acidic nature of apple cider vinegar. It could end up hurting your plants if you spray too much or spray too often.
What is the fastest way to get rid of gnats?
Pour diluted bleach down the sink or tub drain, if you find gnats hovering near plumbing fixtures. Mash rotten bananas into a bowl, stretch plastic wrap over the top, and poke holes in the plastic. Kill individual gnats by employing a spray bottle filled with water, vinegar, and dish soap.
What is a natural gnat repellent?
Homemade gnat repellent spray: A mixture of dish soap, water, baking soda, and vinegar can be filled into a spray bottle. The mixture should contain a few drops of dish soap, a tablespoon of vinegar, and baking soda per cup of water. A few sprays of this mixture is an effective gnat repellent.
Do dryer sheets keep gnats away?
Bounce dryer sheets have been found to repel adult fungus gnats in the laboratory. Linalool is the most prevalent compound in the dryer sheets. It is often used in perfumes, but is found naturally in lavender and basil plants.
What scent kills gnats?
Citronella oil is one of the few things that gnats and other breeds of flies hate the most. You can prepare a spray from Citronella oil that you can use to deter gnats. To make the spray you need: An empty spray bottle.
Why are there tiny flies in my plants?
Known as fungus gnats, they’re actually tiny flies, about 1/8-inch long, that are drawn to moist potting soil and decaying leaves on the surface of the soil around your plants. Fungus gnats love to lay their eggs in damp potting soil. The eggs become larvae, which feed on fungi in the soil (hence their name).
Is baking soda safe for plants?
Baking soda on plants causes no apparent harm and may help prevent the bloom of fungal spores in some cases. It is most effective on fruits and vegetables off the vine or stem, but regular applications during the spring can minimize diseases such as powdery mildew and other foliar diseases.
How do you spray plants with baking soda?
Make a typical baking soda spray by dissolving 1 teaspoon of baking soda into one quart of water. You can add a few drops of insecticidal soap or liquid soap to help the solution spread and stick to the leaves. Only use liquid soap, like Ivory, and not laundry detergent.
Does lavender keep gnats away?
Peppermint is most people’s favorite essential oil to repel gnats and fruit flies. Other oils such as lavender, lemongrass, cinnamon, cedarwood, tea tree, citronella, geranium, rosemary, garlic, lemon and mint will work. You can use them separately or mix a number of them.
How do I get rid of gnats in my flower beds?
Organic Fungus Gnat Control Mix one part peroxide with four parts water, and pour it through the soil at the root zone until it begins to come out of the base of the pot. The peroxide kills fungus gnat larvae on contact. Neem oil is also an effective soil drench to combat fungus gnat larvae.
Are gnats attracted to vinegar?
Place the bowl anywhere you notice gnats. The scent of the sugar and vinegar will attract the gnats, but once they dip in for a sip, they’ll become trapped by the dish soap.
Do gnats like cinnamon?
Chamomile and cinnamon are powerful natural fungicides, which kill off the gnats’ primary food source, therefore making the soil inhospitable.
Can you sprinkle Epsom salt around plants?
Magnesium allows plants to better take in valuable nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus. If the soil becomes depleted of magnesium, adding Epsom salt will help; and since it poses little danger of overuse like most commercial fertilizers, you can use it safely on nearly all your garden plants.
What does vinegar do for plants?
Due to its burning effects, using vinegar in the garden has been touted as a cure-all for a number of garden afflictions, most notably weed control. The acetic acid of vinegar dissolves the cell membranes resulting in desiccation of tissues and death of the plant.
Can you mix Epsom salt and baking soda for plants?
Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon clear ammonia and 1 teaspoon Epsom salt in a gallon of water. Mix well and give each plant about a quart of the solution. This solution will work as a fertilizer, the plants that are looking dull, and growing slowly will perk up, rejuvenate their growth and become lush green.
