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jamileigh79
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 11:55 am
- Location: colorado
Cat litter to kill fungas gnats
It may sound crazy...but I put cat litter in all of my house plants, and it worked AMAZINGLY!! It has to be the small grain litter (like sand), and you can really only do this if you have the plants in the pots that you water from the bottom. But I had hundreds of fungas gnats in my home, & within a day or two the number dropped drasticly! Now, I don't have any what so ever, and my house plants are happy & healthy! Just be sure to cover ALL the potting soil with the litter. I also applied tape over the watering hole so the gnats couldn't get in. Like I said..It worked amazingly! Hope this helps someone!
fungus gnats like to live/breed in a moist environment - which an overwatered / kept too wet houseplant supplies.
the older trick, same idea tho, is a layer of sharp sand on the top - 1/2 to 1 inch deep. the sand drains very quickly and dries out so as to unpalatable to the gnats. the cat litter does the same thing but if you 'water through' the cat litter it turns into a gooey mess. bottom watering is advised.
the older trick, same idea tho, is a layer of sharp sand on the top - 1/2 to 1 inch deep. the sand drains very quickly and dries out so as to unpalatable to the gnats. the cat litter does the same thing but if you 'water through' the cat litter it turns into a gooey mess. bottom watering is advised.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
How does your plant drain, if you taped over the water hole? If the soil doesn't drain well, you are inviting more problems.
Agree with Dilbert anything that helps keep your soil drier will reduce/ eliminate fungus gnats. I never have any trouble with fungus gnats in my house plants, because I let the soil get very dried out between waterings, to the point that the soil is starting to crack and pull away from the sides of the pots and the plants are just beginning to wilt. That much dryness does in all the fungus gnats.
Agree with Dilbert anything that helps keep your soil drier will reduce/ eliminate fungus gnats. I never have any trouble with fungus gnats in my house plants, because I let the soil get very dried out between waterings, to the point that the soil is starting to crack and pull away from the sides of the pots and the plants are just beginning to wilt. That much dryness does in all the fungus gnats.
I agree with rainbowgardener in regard to taping over the drainage hole of the container. Fungus gnats don't enter from the bottom of the pot. Some pests do enter that way, and a small piece of fiberglass window screen fabric placed inside the pot, before you add the soil, is enough to take care of those. Then the excess water can still drain out.
Adult fungus gnats lay their eggs on the surface of the soil. They hatch there and the larvae complete their life cycle, becoming adults and laying more eggs. You have to disrupt that cycle by using the cinnamon and other herbs some members have success with, or else by letting the soil dry enough to make it impossible for the eggs and larvae to survive. JMO.
Adult fungus gnats lay their eggs on the surface of the soil. They hatch there and the larvae complete their life cycle, becoming adults and laying more eggs. You have to disrupt that cycle by using the cinnamon and other herbs some members have success with, or else by letting the soil dry enough to make it impossible for the eggs and larvae to survive. JMO.