Hi all-- For those of you who are tormented by those fungus gnats, I've got a really cheap and effective way to get rid of them without chemicals or toxins. I do quite a bit of indoor/outdoor gardening but in the last 2 years have seen many of my plants killed off by fungus gnats.
I grow patchouli plants as well as trinidad scorpions, bhut jolokias, and others and start them indoors in the usual way. I bought Gnatrol and mosquito dunks this year in anticipation of the gnats but am reluctant to try it for the multiple precautions.
A neighbor recently told me her mother used ground cinnamon to kill fungus gnats and their larvae. I sprinkled some on the soil surface and haven't been bothered by them since. That was 2 days ago with not a gnat in sight. Also, when I lift the pot from the catch tray, there are few dead gnats at the bottom of the tray. Seems like whatever is in the cinnamon kills the gnats, and pretty quickly too. Now I hope to sow my seeds this year in relative peace and less hand-wringing.
Thought I'd pass this along for those with a gnat problem.