You literally described every experience I had. I'll keep this solution for future use if i have a break out again, but my current solution was mosquito bit tea and sand. I mix 3 Tablespoons of mosquito bits into 1 gallon of water, let it sit 24 hrs, and water. I covered all the top layer of soil for all my pots with sand as well which dries fast and deters the adults form laying eggs. After 2-3 months of doing this I now also have almost no fungus gnats. The ones I see are probably from outside, but with the sand in place they just can' thrive anymore.
You're my favourite plant guru, thanks for such great videos! I always learn a lot and you're so easy to listen to as well, you make the boring problems less stressful! Really fun video thanks!
IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU ❤❤❤ I have also gotten rid of 99% of them alongside with you. You have been a great support during this difficult time 😅 thank you!! The nematodes + watering religiously with mosquito bits + not letting my soil be moist for long periods worked🎉
I'm suffering with them now. I received mine from a elderly ladies " free" plant giveaway. Well they were nesting in the umbrella plant. Well that plant is dying the roots are absent maybe only one or two roots on it. Then when I brought them in my home they are having a party in all my plants soils. 😢 ive been so sad because I'm a beginner Gardner. I bought some spray that says it's safe to spray on plants and it's leaves only to kill my wandering jew and my pink panther plant and couple more. Been so depressed about it. I've tried that spray and peroxide too and they are still swarming around. I'm gonna try these little boogers. I just don't wanna lose my peace Lilly from my grandma funeral 2 yrs ago. Which has stopped "flowering ". Thank you for your advice. ❤❤❤
I know you replied 9 months ago so I’m hoping you’ll see my comment. I’m about to start using the Mosquito Bits and plan to order nematodes. Does the Mosquito Bits harm the nematodes? Do you have to top water when using the Bits? Guess my question is-what is your sequence for treatment and then prevention. Thks!!
Came back to this because it got cold enough i had to bring in my plants I put outside for the winter. Thank you Mr Sheffield, going to send off for some of these magical little creatures 😁
Yes, I completely concur! Bring on the Nematodes. I used them when I had a big Gnat issue with sticky traps, they were gone pretty quickly and for months on end too. I’ve seen a few adults again (as new plants have snuck their way in) so time to order again.
I never had a gnat problem until I bought a high end indoor soil. It was full of wood chips and other "forest floor" type stuff. It does not drain well at all, thus providing a wonderful fungus gnat environment. Once I realized this I'm slowly repotting into a different soil, using apple cider vinegar to kill the gnats and hydrogen peroxide in the soil. If this doesn't do it in my home I'll definitely get worms (lol). Thanks Mr S!
In every store and even small florists there are fungus gnats everywhere now. I will no longer buy plants in stores. only for individuals or cuttings!! After having had this problem for several months, I will no longer take any risks!!
Yes, it's only since wood chips were routinely added to plant soil that I ever saw or heard of fungus gnats - after 50 years of indoor/outdoor gardening! I just use fly spray on the soil and it works 100%.
Sigh...🤦 I wish I would have found you last fall... The gnats became overwhelming and suggested remedies were not working, so I finally had to throw my beautiful plants away. I was sick to my stomach. I've been so fearful to take on any more plants since then. Today, my son rescued a few plants from the dumpster that someone else had thrown away, and it's sparking that desire to become a better Mama for these plants! You're an inspiration & I appreciate you sharing your knowledge! Thank you!
My stress level went down considerably when I added nematodes. They are good for every insect that lives in the soil, & good for aerating soil. They got rid gnats & thrips for me. Used sticky traps for the adults
This method works like a charm against gnats and thrips. I was able to dodge the outbreak at the end of the summer, and I'm very happy to continue using compost in my plants.
I simply used 1/2” 1.27cm of houseplant sand on top of the soil and bottom watered. I also used fly tape because I had it. Gone in about 2weeks. Love your channel❤
Thank You! Great information! Nice video. It was very entertaining, too! I subbed and watched two of your videos so far! You are right about the gnats getting immune to the chemicals used to kill them! I had to throw out almost all my plants to the cold! I ended up washing the remaining roots fully. I'm starting again. Hey, keep making excellent content! Cheers!
Mr. Sheffield, I sent away for these nematodes, and I gave my plants a big drink. After 4 days I put the sticky traps in the pots and I only have five fungus gnats out of 55 plants! I have tried everything, and it looks like this is going to be the cure! It was expensive but I will do this a couple of times a year now. Thank you so much!
Mr. Sheffield, it’s been 3 weeks now after using the nematodes and I replaced all my yellow sticky traps 3 days ago and so far there are no fungus gnats!!!
Perfect timing for this video. I seem to have gnats flying all over the place and in every room. Will give the nematodes a try. Thanks for the timely information.
I'm so happy for you! I used nematodes the first time last year and it was a game changer. I order nematodes every spring and bring them out to prepare for the season. Last year that was enough all year round but this year I needed to repot a lot and got new plants, so I'll be ordering another batch. I had the same grief as you before - nothing else worked and sometimes my plants were suffering because of the treatment. Or I was suffering because come on - Neem oil reeks and it's disgusting. I don't mind beneficial insects though, I am not freaked out by the thought of other insects in ny plants. I also regularly get predatory mites as a prevention and that worked really well. I have a lot of calatheas and alocasias and to this day never seen a spider mite anywhere. One does need to be brave though, because if you look really closely you can see the little critters on the leaves
I use beneficial mites twice a year to prevent thrips and spider mites. I absolutely love them! I'm in Canada and we cannot get Mosquito Bits here either - for anyone. Systemic pesticides are basically completely banned. I've been trying to find a local source for nematodes, so thank you very much for the tips!
My gnat problem has been thankfully small so far, and the yellow sticky traps have worked fine. It’s nice to know there’s a better option in case it gets worse.
I'm glad they worked for you! I tried them and had no luck 😞 it's so stressful when they get out of control. Switching around 50% of my plant collection to pon has really helped, and I've put a layer of pon about an inch thick on the top of my other plants. I haven't seen a gnat for a few weeks now!
Can you please do an update on your fungus gnat situation? It'd be great to see how the solution fared over the last year and if you have had to reapply the nematode army or enact other solutions. Thanks, love your videos!
Lol I just found your you tube channel and subscribed. I have plants all over my livingroom and decided i need more detailed info so i can stay on top of their care. Your info has been of great help to me especially root pruning and repotting dividing plants because they had grown out of control. They were taking over so i needed to divide into smaller plants and give some away once established in new pots. I been binge watching videos today while cutting and dividing my plants. Some of your videos i have seen are hilarious and entertaining and keep me interested. Thank you keep making videos and ill keep watching!! Fungus gnats has been a major issue for me I even smoked bombed my apartment with insecticide i was so frustrated. That didnt work. I started using gnatrol and that did the trick for me. They were gone after about 6 weeks. I never knew i could have used that humungous bag of Diatomaceous earth in storage. Could have saved boatloads of money. Thanks for the info.
I had them 98 percent eliminated also and now I add DE to the bottom of my cover pot and that really helps. Make sure you allow your plants nursery pot is allowed to drain well and dry bottom before putting back in cover pot. I originally killed them doing this. Every time I watered at the sink it disturbed the flies and I kept my hands wet and slapped them. It worked very well. I also added systemic granules for the other pests
Thanks for the info and helping others avoid spending loads of money on temporary or poor solutions. Just bought some nematodes and yellow sticky traps!!! Can't wait to see!!
Omgggggggg, This video is so on point, I love it!! You hit the nail on the head about EVERYTHING - from letting the plants almost die of thirst to all the different solutions and whacking of the face and head 😂 I, too, was creeped out by Nematodes, but now I'm going to tell my husband to get some. He'll love that since he already recommended them a while ago 🤣🤷🏾♀️🙄 THANK YOU. .
Thanks for this. I had a major problem with fungus gnats a while back and tried the same things you did. I only managed to get rid of them by completely replacing the soil which was a last-ditch attempt, really. The problem was, as you said, you had to add the treatments in water which made the soil wet and encouraged the gnats. It felt like an endless cycle. I used yellow sticky traps too. I bought large square ones then cut them into strips and stuck them to lolly sticks on both sides of the pot. It was cheaper than using one square for each pot.
After putting a lot of effort and money into getting rid of it, the only thing that worked 110% was cuttings in water after getting rid of the soil and pots.
@@mbarello5903 this plant of mine was massive (almost a tree) but I agree, I've also moved plants into water. Some of them just love it. There are a few plants that I've really struggled to grow (prayer plants in particular) and they did really well in water.
Another tip about fungus gnats - they also breed in drains. You may also need to treat all bathtub and sink drains. Regular Draino did it for me, but they do have treatments especially for the gnats. I can't say whether they work or not, because the Draino worked for me.
Congratulations! I've managed to greatly reduce the flying fiends by bottom watering and using pine bark, but I've had my first thrips infestation. It's minor, but I've already decided to use beneficial bugs (I just love a good alliteration) for all the unwelcome critters that might want to set up shop in my plants. I've used neem oil and lukewarm showers, and they work, but they come at a cost to some of my more delicate plants, such as browning leaves and overwatering. I've already accepted that these pests can only be managed, not fully exterminated. That's how it works in nature too, isn't it? So that's what I'll do, use nature to fight nature.
What would you suggest for white mites? :) I've tried sachets of neoseiulus californicus, sometimes red mites cross from outside to my inside plants and destroy the leaves :) Is there a way of creating an enviroment (whether inside or out) for predator mites to successively breed? It can become costly :D@@SheffieldMadePlants
@@joshyc2006 personally, I'm planning on getting a subscription to beneficial bugs from a reputable company in my country (Belgium). For about 130 euros a year, I can get twenty sachets every five weeks. I have a rather small plant collection (
I have had success with a 1 centimetre of dry sharp sand on top of the rooting medium and underwatering via saucers. Keeping damp areas in your house mould free along with your drains clean is also prerequisite as they will breed in any source of fungus/mould hence the name Fungus Gnat. Boiling water onto soda crystals into water traps under the sink/bath and then fitting the plugs disinfects the pipework removing surfaces of food for the gnats. Many seem to get confused between gnats and fruit flies, vinegar will attract the last but doesn't seen to work with gnats.
My 16 year old saw fungus gnats crawling around on a succulent planting and he thought they were bugs I had specially trained to stay on the planter. 😂😂😂 I am talented but that is beyond my skill level. I let the soil dry out and put a sticky fly catcher by and they disappeared. It was so weird.
Thank you!!! I’ve started using the sticky traps, 😉, and bottom watering where I can, which has made a very big difference. However, they’re never really gone. I will absolutely try this!! I have some very large indoor plants that I can’t bottom water so yay, I’m excited!!
At one point, I had those yellow sticky things in every plant and hanging from strings in windows etc!! One thing I did try was to switch to bottom watering, which has reduced the amount of knats, but I will definitely try nematodes- thanks for this video! 😊
If you've only a few plants you can put a fine mesh/vegetable bag over the pot and a twist of wire around the stem to close it. 150/200 micron 1 gallon paint strain bags available from ebay less than £1 each.
I use aquarium grade bti and put a drop in my watering can! Works wonders! ❤❤❤ use to get mosquito bits but it never lasted long and we more of a hassle.
What is the brand of the aquarium grade bti that you buy and where can I find that? I've done a search for it, but don't see it anywhere/or know what I'm looking at! Thanks!
I used a combo of beneficial nematodes added to the soil, and Safer's insecticide plant care spray on the trunks, stems, and earth surface on my plants, and that's the only thing (along with the yellow sticky things) that seemed to work. Congrats on sorting your soil issues! I use soil meant for tropicals mixed with soil meant for cacti, and add in even more perlite to that to ensure good drainage.
Just watched this, after watching today's video. I have just placed an order for this now as this year has been terrible for fungus gnats! Thanks Richard and have a great weekend!
When I started my indoor plant addiction and I was using store bought potting mix,I had so many fungus knats,I would literally get up my nose,in coffee,soups,sit on my iPad screen in the night while I’m watching RUclips. The only change I made was making chunky substrate and they disappeared about 6 months ago! And yes I did try lots of things to get rid of them! I don’t know what else it was that helped to irradiate them! 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Getting rid of the gnats is great and all… but I started growing carnivorous plants and find the gnats make a fantastic food source for my sundews and pings. They’re like living versions of those yellow sticky traps ❤
@@sarahrosen4985my question as well! I have fruit flies & "drain flies" & nothing seems to work! I go through gallons of ACV with Dawn dish washing liquid, but they're always in my face! I've even poured straight bleach down my drains!
I'm happy the nematodes worked for you! Fungus gnats are so incredibly frustrating. I had a period of about 8 months where they were in every single one of my plants, and it was so frustrating. They got bad enough that they were just all over my apartment. They'd fly around my face while I was trying to work or relax, and it was embarrassing when I'd have guests over who would notice them. Nematodes, very unfortunately, didn't work for me. I ended up having to use a product known as "Systemic," which is just like a sort of pesticide that you water into the soil, and then the plants suck up the pesticide so that when bugs bite them, or chew the roots, they get poisoned and die. Not as organic as I would have liked, but it worked!
Well, the thing is, fungus gnats don't actually feed on your plants. They feed on the microscopic fungus that's a natural part of the soil. You can't get rid soil fungi, nor would you want to as it actually helps plants extract nutrients from the soil, so you need them. I used peroxide on my infestation and it worked fine, within a couple of watering cycles the little devils were gone. Other pests are a different issue, but the gnats succumbed to peroxide just fine (it kills the larvae In the soil.) I've seen others say they tried and it didn't work, so I can't tell you why that is. Use a 50/50 mixture with each watering and saturate the soil.
I haven't had any gnats in years by simply adding a thin layer of small size aquarium gravel to the tops of my soils so the gnats can't burrow in and lay eggs in the first place. Maybe about a third or half inch of the gravel only.
Water from the bottom by using a saucer underneath and keep the top soil dry. You could also layer an inch of sand on top. Nematodes are very beneficial but I only use them in my garden.
I've used nematodes in my strawberry beds for snails and slugs. Works great. Never thought about it for gnats. I have had success with controlling them with apple cider vinegar but the key to this is to get it nearer the soil. I use little cappuccino cups with one drop of dish soap and cider and place that little cup on top of the soil. They are not gone, but severely reduced. I will try the nematodes though.
This is awesome I believe the right soil is key I changed things up this year with fully drying out my soil and making my own mix worked like a charm no pest this year and hopefully years to come 🎉❤ if not I'm trying this
I had a heinous infestation, the key is to continually treat the soil for months, I used tanlin and mosquito bits, if a plant is totally infested it has to go. I also used yellow traps and carnivorous plants, pings and sundews, pings and sundews are better than sticky traps, they are gnat magnets. I’ve removed all sticky traps and just have carnivorous plants now, though I appear to have zero gnats I’m continuing to use additives into my watering routine. You need to continue treatment well past the point you deem the issue clear, the breeding in the soil is the issue!
@@SheffieldMadePlants That’s a good point, everyone still needs some pings and sundews lurking in their collection to catch any irritating adults, the sundews look particularly splendid.
I've been battling these things for month! Our exterminator (on his third visit) said that in the five years he's been doing this, last year was bad but this year has been awful. I've literally shed tears. Tomorrow I am buying BOTH the nematodes and mosquito bit. Fingers crossed this is a preemptive thanks
I found gnats in a large ming aralia and immediately did the hydrogen peroxide treatments to minimize the eggs and larvae. And at the same time took yellow sticky sheets and literally covered the entire soil surface of the plant (about 80-90% of the surface minus where the stems are). I then threw BITS dunk into my 8 gallon water source so every time I water any plants will have BITS in there. After about 2-3 weeks the yellow stickies on the pot is clear. I know is over kill but it worked I guess. Fingers crossed.
Hey Richard yes my mate at one of my favourite nurseries put me on to nematodes. She recommended dosing all my plants around twice a year, once I'd got them under control. I've not needed to use them yet because I had been watering with neem meal tea for a couple of months and I think it did the trick. The trouble is, neem is very smelly (my family complained bitterly) so I will use the nematodes going forward😑
I've had an ongoing battle for the last six months trying to get rid of fungus gnats.I tried everything you listed in your video, but they just took it as a challenge. I used so much hydrogen peroxide I'm sure I've been flagged up somewhere, but ..nothing worked. Then I tried your beneficial nematoids, and (fingers crossed) they seem to be working. I've combined them with a layer of fine steel wool laid on the top of the pots, and a good layer of grit on top of that, and I've only caught three gnats on the sticky traps in the last fortnight. Thank you so much! I was at my wits end so this is such a relief.
@@SheffieldMadePlants 🤞🤞 Summers on the way - I'm sure they're all sitting just outside waiting for me to open a window....I'm ready for them this year 😁😁 Thanks again. PS - I'm told that bottom watering is the way to do it so onwards and upwards😊
@@aparnabaskaran2448 No I didn't try Neem oil. What I read about the smell and the way it clumps together put me off, so I don't know how good it would be. Keeping everything crossed that the bn seems to have worked. Good luck, they're persistent, horrible little things!
I used to use premium potting mix instead of compost. I found that I had bigger and happier plants when I switched to using compost instead. Of course, this meant I developed a fungus gnat problem. But I use tanlin drops every time I water my plants and have the stickers in my pots. It took a month or so but that wiped out the gnat problem I had. I’m happy to keep using the tanlin whenever I water my plants. This seems to be the solution that means I can maximise plant growth with compost and not have hoards of gnats. I also found that my habit of having a thick layer of small pebbles on top of the soil of my cacti and succulents also stops gnats.
When I use diatomaceous earth I mix it very thoroughly with a generous amount of perlite then top dress which keeps it drier, but also always try to bottom water so it doesn't get wet. I went from a heavy infestation (the flying ones I murdered with isopropyl alcohol when they landed on the windows) and I'm down to just the occasional one. I'll get some of the nematodes in tho too. It's so genuinely obvious how happy you are lol. Glad you got on top of it. Compost is great nutrition but it is slow to break down and the white fuzzy fungus tends to start to form very quickly which the gnats love to eat. The bottom watering usually means the fungus doesn't get to form as a big banquet on the surface which would mean a lot more gnats but yes they can still survive on what forms at the bottom access points of the pots. It's just the way of things. Living things begat living things.
First off - love your videos so much! Full of helpful information, tips (moisture meter + bottom-waterer for life over here!) not to mention entertaining. I'm also currently having success with a couple of rounds of nematodes, which is great because in the past they didn't work for me. The ones I got come as little white balls in a gauzy pouch and the instructions are to just put the pouch on the top of the soil and water it every day, allowing the nemes to be released. But I found this just exacerbated the problem since I had to add so much water to my plants. This year I'm cutting open the pouches, adding a tiny bit of water to the beads to make them nice and wet and then mixing them directly into the top layer of soil. Major improvement! Was also wondering, now that you've won your battle, if you have an update on the cinnamon trick? Seemed like it was working for you for a time...
Year round i stay about 98% gnat free. My tip is ONLY bottom water and always keep the first 2in of soil dry. Apply diatomaceous earth to the top of the soil. DE only works with dry soil so avoid getting it damp.
How do you know when it’s time to water if the top soil is always dry? I have a moisture meter but I end up under watering if I just follow its indications. I put terracotta spikes in some of my plants, but in some cases they dampen the top soil.
This was so fun to watch; you really did look like a psycho in some of the plans 😂 I had a Ficus lyrata that came with fungus gnats. Sadly, it did not survive and I was too late to get a cutting or to repot into a proper medium. And yes, hydrogen peroxide could not save the plant. After that traumatic experience, I decided to mix my own potting medium for every single plant I get, and have been disinfecting the coco coir (even if it is from a reputable brand) by soaking it in boiling water (in a mesh bag) and then drying it in the oven in batches. After some additional air drying to make sure it is completely dry, I store it in airtight containers from Ikea (there is a 10 litre one available) with paper towels inserted to serve as a desiccator. You can check the paper towel a few days later and change it with a dry one if it feels moist, but one should not shut the container lid without being sure the coir is completely dry in the first place. All of this is rather tedious, but worth it in my opinion. The idea is to kill off anything unwanted and later introduce the beneficial microorganisms through select products. However, using the oven so much in summer is no fun, so get things ready when the weather is cool.😓
@@coolpanda7520 I will not expose disinfected potting medium to the outside at all, because I will not risk anything getting into it. And nothing will kill microorganisms and dry the medium as quickly and as efficiently as an oven with no risk of additional contamination.
I'm surprised to hear peroxide didn't work. I was sceptical when I read about it, but it was cheap and readily available, so I gave it a try. I had one ficus lyrata and while the gnats don't actually hurt the plant at all (they're living off the fungus in the soil, thus the name...) they are most definitely annoying as hell. You must use a 50/50 strength and use it each time you water (just water as needed) thoroughly drenching the soil, which you ought to be doing anyway. A lot easier than what you described, but if peroxide didn't kill your little tormentors, then I guess anything short of nuclear weapons is in order.
Loved your video, thanks for being entertaining as well as encouraging and informative. I was ready to throw out all of my expensive collection of plants. I'd never had a problem before I replanted my plants with new soil >:( I will try your solution before giving up. Thanks again!
Yes! Natural predators! 🐞Ladybugs are cuter and they do the job, too. I bought 300 on Amazon. Still have some in the fridge, but the gnats are gone. You have to release them onto your plants after the sun goes down. You only see them here & there after. So it’s not like they are flying around your house 😂 Though I spent the first night checking.
Don't you get the larvae of the lady bugs? Since they eat way more? (They're not cute at all, but. Only the adults are. :P ) I've never tried that though
@@SysterYster Yes, and the eat aphids and are not harmful to your plants. Win win! Except I freaked thinking they were something else and started spraying with Neem oil. I may have suffocated a few, sadly. But in general, Neem oil doesn’t kill bugs who don’t eat leaves.
I was against bringing in more bugs for the longest of time until I had a huge problem with thrips and gnats. finally ended up using swirskii-mite bags and nematodes, it sure worked wonders. way easier and less of a hassle then other things I tried.
In my area, we can only buy nematodes in the spring because they can’t be shipped in the winter. It looks like the nematode you used were freeze dried and “revived”. Is this the case? Another thing I found useful in the gnat war is to cover the bottom drain holes with a bit of sheer polyester material (used for sheer curtains etc.) when potting up a plant, water goes through it easily and it is too fine for the fungus gnats to get to the soil. *Note natural fibre doesn’t work Thank you for putting out such lighthearted and helpful content.
Ooooohhh...I am so grossed out now. "Don't judge me" 😂 However... I could see this working. Beneficial bugs are always good ❤ As always, great content! 🎉🙌
i only had gnat problems when i used the soil the plant came with and it didn't dry fast enough (that's what "well draining" is actually about). I started changing the soil to indoor potting soil with amendments. i also found 90% of the problem was watering too much. so waiting til the pot is light until i water solved the problem. i used a meter early on, but found it was very unreliable. the density of the soil artificially changes the results. if the dirt is dry, but more compact, it'll falsely say the dirt is wet. learning the weight of my plants and bumping or picking up pots is a way more accurate method to know when a plant needs water. since i bottom water anyways, i pick up every pot to put them in a tray to soak, let them drain, and then put them back in their spots. now i honestly only follow the watering aspect. many plants have the wrong kind of soil from the store (because they want it to retain water for transport). fungus gnats thrive in soggy, poor draining/slow drying soil and it only takes one soggy plant to breed them for all plants. cut back on watering, increase amendments if needed depending on climate, and the gnats will go away. no crazy things needed. a pot should never be wet longer than 2 weeks. definitely not on the surface longer than a week. self watering planters are terrible about keeping soil soggy too. they sound convenient, but they're terrible indoors without a lot of air movement. adding a fan can also help with moisture levels, esp if you're in a more humid climate. i live in a relatively dry climate peaking at 30% indoor humidity. let that soil dry out!
I saw a bunch of fungus gnats in my vinegaroon's substrate, which is just coco fibre. I'm too scared of nematodes attacking my pet, so I just tossed out the old substrate, rinsed the tank and all of the decorations, and prepared new substrate. It took me the entire day. I bought yellow sticky traps and put two on top of the lid of the tank, so hopefully they don't come back because I don't want to do all that work again, my poor aching back...
I found an insecticide here in Czechia called Cimetrol. It has a pythroid insecticide, a growth disruptor, and a repellant. It worked so well, I got bored not seeing any gnats and trying to figure out how to destroy them.
They can also come from the drains...That's where they first show up for me. I've put 3 cm of fine sand in the top of each pot to make sure they can't lay eggs in my pots.
Same here, they come in every time the door opens it seems like. Or at least every other time, because I'll see 1 or 2 here and there and then again after those are gone, another couple. They drive me insane😤🤯🤯 I cannot stand to have something like that in my home when I'm trying to eat or something. It's different if you're out having a picnic or something, or just eating outside... because outside is normal for bugs to fly around, especially if you're eating, but in your home, to me?, It's disgusting! Especially if it was to go in my food. 🤢 but I do have my sinks bathtub and everything closed off unless I have to use it but they stay closed off and I have the apple cider vinegar, soap, etc., "Trap".. because my bug zapper that was the best thing I ever had for nights, the bulb went out on it. So I'm having to use that instead. But they are such a nuisance!
I tried these two weeks ago, I added about three times the suggested amount, (just wanted to make sure) about an hour after i watered the plants I looked at the soil and noticed it was glistening, I wish didn't look through a magnifying glass though because each cm of soil looked like Medusa. Made me shudder. Had about another 12 gnats appear on the sticky traps the following days but now haven't seen any for about a week. 🤞🏻. I don't water for two weeks to a month at a time so will have to wait to see if anymore appear after the watering. The little pots got watered last night.
I just bought 5 millions of nematodes too :-) Applied them a few days ago together with yellow sticky traps and other predators eating spidermites and thrips (mostly as preventative - I know they are hiding somewhere there). H2O2 helps to reduce them for a little while (I tried that too), but won´t really solve a major gnats problem. Let´s hope they don´t come back 🙂
Beneficial Nematodes are the bomb! I used them to get control of the grubs in our front yard and back yard. The Nematodes destroyed them, helped with fleas too. I swear by the stuff.
I've tried all the tricks too & was close to trying those nematodes but just couldn't do it lol. I gradually switched all my plants into leca & haven't seen a gnat since, or anything else so far. It's a whole new learning process but well worth it imo.
@@SheffieldMadePlants It's a bit daunting in the beginning for sure but once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. No more pesky gnats was worth it 😂
The only way to get rid of fungus gnats at 100%!! After trying everything, here is my best recipe: Cut the tops of your plants, put them in water to make them root. get rid of the pots with the potting soil in them. Without soil the gnats can no longer reproduce. After a few months, pour boiling water into your old or new potting soil and start again. This is what I did with my 5 plants: Dracaena Reflexa and Lemon Lime and my Scheffleras. I know it's drastic and dramatic but it's not too bad if you don't have a lot of plants like me. I live in a studio and I simply couldn't put up with these pests anymore. And for me now the gnats are completely over!!! And There you go !!!
I’ve got a tiny fly problem. Not fruit flies, not one went for the apple cider traps. Put yellow sticky traps in patio plants , didn’t catch anything ( maybe traps are not sticky enough) did observe a couple flies around plants. Think they’re fungus gnats, they really go for my cats food. So I smeared some cat food on a larger mouse type sticky trap, and caught quite a few. They’re tough little buggers, and about 1/4 of them can fight their way off the sticky traps. What do fungus gnats eat? Because like I said, these flies love wet cat food. Thought they could also be Phorick flies so I cleaned all drains, dumped boiling water down drains and gave them a blast of raid.
i have an army of mexican butterworts and sundews, it works well, also put the cider vinegar in a glass and poke holes in a clingwrap lid to trap and kill fruitflies
Glad you found a solution that works for you. I like nematodes for small hive beetles, which are a pest in my apiary. In my dry climate, I have to renew them occasionally, so you may have to with your pots, at least the drier ones. Plus, if they work too well you can run out of ‘food’ food for them. At least you didn’t have to resort to smuggling mosquito granules over the border under your hat or something!
I concur about the compost. I used it in my potting mix for the first time last year and that's when I first had a problem with fungus gnats. The peroxide solution solution (pun intended) helped a lot, as did the sticky traps. But now that I've brought all my plants inside from the porch for the winter, the little buggers are in the air again. Also, I opened up my bag of cacti and succulent potting mix yesterday and to my horror, dozens of adult gnats flew out! They must like the wood in the mix. Sigh. Going to check out nematodes right now!
3 good soil wettings of an off-the-shelf neem oil spray worked for me (over a span of 2 weeks). Went from pretty bad infestation to nothing in about 2 weeks. People complain about the smell but it doesn't even last for a full day.
I tried nematodes before, and it didn't work at all. I also almost killed all my plants that time. Now in my new home I've spotted a few gnats flying around, so I've been trying diatomaceous earth to see if it works. It's too early to say yet. If it doesn't work I'm gonna try nematodes again, and if that doesn't work I'll try and see if I can get my hands on some mosquito bits. Thank you for all your great tips, it has helped me so much being a more successful plant parent! 🥰
Become a better plant parent 👉 sheffieldmadeplantsacademy.com
You literally described every experience I had. I'll keep this solution for future use if i have a break out again, but my current solution was mosquito bit tea and sand. I mix 3 Tablespoons of mosquito bits into 1 gallon of water, let it sit 24 hrs, and water. I covered all the top layer of soil for all my pots with sand as well which dries fast and deters the adults form laying eggs. After 2-3 months of doing this I now also have almost no fungus gnats. The ones I see are probably from outside, but with the sand in place they just can' thrive anymore.
Great stuff 👍
You're my favourite plant guru, thanks for such great videos! I always learn a lot and you're so easy to listen to as well, you make the boring problems less stressful! Really fun video thanks!
Wow, thank you!
I love that you included how you plan to keep on top of everything moving forward. Terrific video I was laughing and commiserating at the same time 😫
Glad you enjoyed it!
IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU ❤❤❤ I have also gotten rid of 99% of them alongside with you. You have been a great support during this difficult time 😅 thank you!! The nematodes + watering religiously with mosquito bits + not letting my soil be moist for long periods worked🎉
That is awesome!
I'm suffering with them now. I received mine from a elderly ladies " free" plant giveaway. Well they were nesting in the umbrella plant. Well that plant is dying the roots are absent maybe only one or two roots on it. Then when I brought them in my home they are having a party in all my plants soils. 😢 ive been so sad because I'm a beginner Gardner. I bought some spray that says it's safe to spray on plants and it's leaves only to kill my wandering jew and my pink panther plant and couple more. Been so depressed about it. I've tried that spray and peroxide too and they are still swarming around. I'm gonna try these little boogers. I just don't wanna lose my peace Lilly from my grandma funeral 2 yrs ago. Which has stopped "flowering ".
Thank you for your advice. ❤❤❤
@@Sdwheaton08 fingers crossed 🤞
I know you replied 9 months ago so I’m hoping you’ll see my comment. I’m about to start using the Mosquito Bits and plan to order nematodes. Does the Mosquito Bits harm the nematodes? Do you have to top water when using the Bits? Guess my question is-what is your sequence for treatment and then prevention. Thks!!
Where did you get the nematodes? I would love to get rid of these gnats 😭
I just want to tell you that I really enjoy your RUclips page. I love your sense of humor and you have some really great tips. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you very much!
Came back to this because it got cold enough i had to bring in my plants I put outside for the winter. Thank you Mr Sheffield, going to send off for some of these magical little creatures 😁
Yes, I completely concur! Bring on the Nematodes. I used them when I had a big Gnat issue with sticky traps, they were gone pretty quickly and for months on end too. I’ve seen a few adults again (as new plants have snuck their way in) so time to order again.
Yep new plants is the problem!
It’s reassuring to know there is a tried and trusted solution if the little blighters do try to stage a comeback
Zevo plug ins work amazingly as well.
I never had a gnat problem until I bought a high end indoor soil. It was full of wood chips and other "forest floor" type stuff. It does not drain well at all, thus providing a wonderful fungus gnat environment. Once I realized this I'm slowly repotting into a different soil, using apple cider vinegar to kill the gnats and hydrogen peroxide in the soil. If this doesn't do it in my home I'll definitely get worms (lol). Thanks Mr S!
Thanks for watching 😁
In every store and even small florists there are fungus gnats everywhere now. I will no longer buy plants in stores. only for individuals or cuttings!! After having had this problem for several months, I will no longer take any risks!!
Yes, it's only since wood chips were routinely added to plant soil that I ever saw or heard of fungus gnats - after 50 years of indoor/outdoor gardening! I just use fly spray on the soil and it works 100%.
@@maccoll3644 What is fly spray please ?
Sigh...🤦 I wish I would have found you last fall... The gnats became overwhelming and suggested remedies were not working, so I finally had to throw my beautiful plants away. I was sick to my stomach. I've been so fearful to take on any more plants since then. Today, my son rescued a few plants from the dumpster that someone else had thrown away, and it's sparking that desire to become a better Mama for these plants! You're an inspiration & I appreciate you sharing your knowledge! Thank you!
Thank you very much 👍
increase soil amendments (bark doesn't count, it's worse) so it dries and water less. fungus gnats = soggy/slow drying soil
My stress level went down considerably when I added nematodes. They are good for every insect that lives in the soil, & good for aerating soil. They got rid gnats & thrips for me. Used sticky traps for the adults
Nice one!
This method works like a charm against gnats and thrips. I was able to dodge the outbreak at the end of the summer, and I'm very happy to continue using compost in my plants.
@@ThaoNguyen-hl6mbthey eat thrips?
@@sartaazsaas768 the baby ones in the soil
I'm worried my jumping spiders won't have anything left to eat. 😢
I simply used 1/2” 1.27cm of houseplant sand on top of the soil and bottom watered. I also used fly tape because I had it. Gone in about 2weeks. Love your channel❤
Thank you 😊
Thank You! Great information! Nice video. It was very entertaining, too! I subbed and watched two of your videos so far! You are right about the gnats getting immune to the chemicals used to kill them! I had to throw out almost all my plants to the cold! I ended up washing the remaining roots fully. I'm starting again. Hey, keep making excellent content! Cheers!
Thanks!
Mr. Sheffield, I sent away for these nematodes, and I gave my plants a big drink. After 4 days I put the sticky traps in the pots and I only have five fungus gnats out of 55 plants! I have tried everything, and it looks like this is going to be the cure! It was expensive but I will do this a couple of times a year now. Thank you so much!
Awesome! Glad it helped
Mr. Sheffield, it’s been 3 weeks now after using the nematodes and I replaced all my yellow sticky traps 3 days ago and so far there are no fungus gnats!!!
@@kariboddington1632 🥳
@@kariboddington1632 that is awesome! I am ordering some now and really hoping they work :)
Tried ‘em loved ‘em. Saved my sanity and my plants!!!
Great to hear!
3% peroxide spray worked for me. And not overwatering, and making sure the soil had sufficient drainage.
Perfect timing for this video. I seem to have gnats flying all over the place and in every room. Will give the nematodes a try. Thanks for the timely information.
My pleasure 😊
I'm so happy for you!
I used nematodes the first time last year and it was a game changer. I order nematodes every spring and bring them out to prepare for the season. Last year that was enough all year round but this year I needed to repot a lot and got new plants, so I'll be ordering another batch.
I had the same grief as you before - nothing else worked and sometimes my plants were suffering because of the treatment. Or I was suffering because come on - Neem oil reeks and it's disgusting.
I don't mind beneficial insects though, I am not freaked out by the thought of other insects in ny plants. I also regularly get predatory mites as a prevention and that worked really well. I have a lot of calatheas and alocasias and to this day never seen a spider mite anywhere.
One does need to be brave though, because if you look really closely you can see the little critters on the leaves
Thanks! Yep seeing the bugs on the leaves might creep me out 😅
I tried all sorts of ways and settled with adding small stones on the top. The white decorative stones look neat and prevent the insects.
Didn’t much work for me. They still get in
I use beneficial mites twice a year to prevent thrips and spider mites. I absolutely love them! I'm in Canada and we cannot get Mosquito Bits here either - for anyone. Systemic pesticides are basically completely banned. I've been trying to find a local source for nematodes, so thank you very much for the tips!
My pleasure 😊
Check with your local garden center. I work at one here on Washington state and we sell them usually in the late spring/summer.
I personally am glad about the pesticide ban here. It does more harm than good.
Thank you Richard, for another informative and entertaining video 😄 Love your channel so much! ❤️
Thanks so much!
My gnat problem has been thankfully small so far, and the yellow sticky traps have worked fine. It’s nice to know there’s a better option in case it gets worse.
did it asap as you can they multiplay very quickly shake well your pots and you will se how many are there
I'm glad they worked for you! I tried them and had no luck 😞 it's so stressful when they get out of control. Switching around 50% of my plant collection to pon has really helped, and I've put a layer of pon about an inch thick on the top of my other plants. I haven't seen a gnat for a few weeks now!
Great stuff 👍
Never heard of pon...what is it?
I have read that water with chlorine can kill them, too much light can kill them, they can arrive dead and how would we know?
I've always wondered what those little flies were called! I've gone this whole time thinking my kitchen just needs a good cleaning! Thank you!
You bet!
The amount of effort put in making this video 👏🏻 thank you
Much appreciated
Can you please do an update on your fungus gnat situation? It'd be great to see how the solution fared over the last year and if you have had to reapply the nematode army or enact other solutions. Thanks, love your videos!
Lol I just found your you tube channel and subscribed. I have plants all over my livingroom and decided i need more detailed info so i can stay on top of their care. Your info has been of great help to me especially root pruning and repotting dividing plants because they had grown out of control. They were taking over so i needed to divide into smaller plants and give some away once established in new pots. I been binge watching videos today while cutting and dividing my plants. Some of your videos i have seen are hilarious and entertaining and keep me interested. Thank you keep making videos and ill keep watching!! Fungus gnats has been a major issue for me I even smoked bombed my apartment with insecticide i was so frustrated. That didnt work. I started using gnatrol and that did the trick for me. They were gone after about 6 weeks. I never knew i could have used that humungous bag of Diatomaceous earth in storage. Could have saved boatloads of money. Thanks for the info.
Thanks you very much!
I had them 98 percent eliminated also and now I add DE to the bottom of my cover pot and that really helps. Make sure you allow your plants nursery pot is allowed to drain well and dry bottom before putting back in cover pot. I originally killed them doing this. Every time I watered at the sink it disturbed the flies and I kept my hands wet and slapped them. It worked very well. I also added systemic granules for the other pests
Thanks for the tip
Thanks for the info and helping others avoid spending loads of money on temporary or poor solutions. Just bought some nematodes and yellow sticky traps!!! Can't wait to see!!
You bet!
Omgggggggg, This video is so on point, I love it!! You hit the nail on the head about EVERYTHING - from letting the plants almost die of thirst to all the different solutions and whacking of the face and head 😂
I, too, was creeped out by Nematodes, but now I'm going to tell my husband to get some. He'll love that since he already recommended them a while ago 🤣🤷🏾♀️🙄
THANK YOU. .
You’ve got this ✊
Thanks for this. I had a major problem with fungus gnats a while back and tried the same things you did. I only managed to get rid of them by completely replacing the soil which was a last-ditch attempt, really.
The problem was, as you said, you had to add the treatments in water which made the soil wet and encouraged the gnats. It felt like an endless cycle.
I used yellow sticky traps too. I bought large square ones then cut them into strips and stuck them to lolly sticks on both sides of the pot. It was cheaper than using one square for each pot.
That’s a good idea 👍
After putting a lot of effort and money into getting rid of it, the only thing that worked 110% was cuttings in water after getting rid of the soil and pots.
@@mbarello5903 this plant of mine was massive (almost a tree) but I agree, I've also moved plants into water. Some of them just love it.
There are a few plants that I've really struggled to grow (prayer plants in particular) and they did really well in water.
Replanting with new soil is what brought in my fungus gnats >:(
Your kitchen makes me so jealous. Those blue cabinets are to die for
Thank you 😊
Another tip about fungus gnats - they also breed in drains. You may also need to treat all bathtub and sink drains. Regular Draino did it for me, but they do have treatments especially for the gnats. I can't say whether they work or not, because the Draino worked for me.
Congratulations!
I've managed to greatly reduce the flying fiends by bottom watering and using pine bark, but I've had my first thrips infestation. It's minor, but I've already decided to use beneficial bugs (I just love a good alliteration) for all the unwelcome critters that might want to set up shop in my plants. I've used neem oil and lukewarm showers, and they work, but they come at a cost to some of my more delicate plants, such as browning leaves and overwatering. I've already accepted that these pests can only be managed, not fully exterminated. That's how it works in nature too, isn't it? So that's what I'll do, use nature to fight nature.
Predators is definitely a great control. If i got thrips that's what i would do too
What would you suggest for white mites? :) I've tried sachets of neoseiulus californicus, sometimes red mites cross from outside to my inside plants and destroy the leaves :) Is there a way of creating an enviroment (whether inside or out) for predator mites to successively breed? It can become costly :D@@SheffieldMadePlants
@@joshyc2006 personally, I'm planning on getting a subscription to beneficial bugs from a reputable company in my country (Belgium). For about 130 euros a year, I can get twenty sachets every five weeks.
I have a rather small plant collection (
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers!
@@joshyc2006 I’ve not had a problem with those yet so not tried anything
I have had success with a 1 centimetre of dry sharp sand on top of the rooting medium and underwatering via saucers. Keeping damp areas in your house mould free along with your drains clean is also prerequisite as they will breed in any source of fungus/mould hence the name Fungus Gnat. Boiling water onto soda crystals into water traps under the sink/bath and then fitting the plugs disinfects the pipework removing surfaces of food for the gnats. Many seem to get confused between gnats and fruit flies, vinegar will attract the last but doesn't seen to work with gnats.
The sand has also helped my mom too.
Never tried sand to be fair
My 16 year old saw fungus gnats crawling around on a succulent planting and he thought they were bugs I had specially trained to stay on the planter. 😂😂😂 I am talented but that is beyond my skill level. I let the soil dry out and put a sticky fly catcher by and they disappeared. It was so weird.
Hehehe THATS the funniest shit I have ever heard! You should buy your son a flea circus 🤡 and do stand up comedy!! Tell him thanks 😊 for me!!
That's funny!
We have a Christmas cactus and those gnats never leave it.
Funny video 😂 but as always informative 😊
It's definitely in your head you're not special😅
Thank you!!! I’ve started using the sticky traps, 😉, and bottom watering where I can, which has made a very big difference. However, they’re never really gone. I will absolutely try this!! I have some very large indoor plants that I can’t bottom water so yay, I’m excited!!
You’ve got this ✊
At one point, I had those yellow sticky things in every plant and hanging from strings in windows etc!! One thing I did try was to switch to bottom watering, which has reduced the amount of knats, but I will definitely try nematodes- thanks for this video! 😊
Bottom watering only got me so far. I needed to something to destroy them!
If you've only a few plants you can put a fine mesh/vegetable bag over the pot and a twist of wire around the stem to close it.
150/200 micron 1 gallon paint strain bags available from ebay less than £1 each.
I use aquarium grade bti and put a drop in my watering can! Works wonders! ❤❤❤ use to get mosquito bits but it never lasted long and we more of a hassle.
Good to know!
What is the brand of the aquarium grade bti that you buy and where can I find that? I've done a search for it, but don't see it anywhere/or know what I'm looking at! Thanks!
Excellent news, congrats on winning with the pests! Now it's time to test if this will help with the constant dread that are thrips for me.
There are insects you can get for those too
I used a combo of beneficial nematodes added to the soil, and Safer's insecticide plant care spray on the trunks, stems, and earth surface on my plants, and that's the only thing (along with the yellow sticky things) that seemed to work. Congrats on sorting your soil issues! I use soil meant for tropicals mixed with soil meant for cacti, and add in even more perlite to that to ensure good drainage.
Thank you 😊
Just watched this, after watching today's video. I have just placed an order for this now as this year has been terrible for fungus gnats! Thanks Richard and have a great weekend!
You too
When I started my indoor plant addiction and I was using store bought potting mix,I had so many fungus knats,I would literally get up my nose,in coffee,soups,sit on my iPad screen in the night while I’m watching RUclips. The only change I made was making chunky substrate and they disappeared about 6 months ago! And yes I did try lots of things to get rid of them! I don’t know what else it was that helped to irradiate them! 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
A chunky mix probably helps very nicely
how did I miss this video when you first put it out ... thank you!!!
Getting rid of the gnats is great and all… but I started growing carnivorous plants and find the gnats make a fantastic food source for my sundews and pings. They’re like living versions of those yellow sticky traps ❤
I do want to get into those for sure 👍
Do they work with fruit flies or mosquitoes as well?
@@sarahrosen4985 yep! Anything they can keep stuck.
They have unique care requirements, so do a bit of research, but they’re great for all house bugs.
@@sarahrosen4985 not sure. Depends where they live I think. They’ll be a predator for them though
@@sarahrosen4985my question as well! I have fruit flies & "drain flies" & nothing seems to work! I go through gallons of ACV with Dawn dish washing liquid, but they're always in my face! I've even poured straight bleach down my drains!
The GOAT of houseplant tending videos putting in work 🔥
😂 cheers buddy!
I'm happy the nematodes worked for you! Fungus gnats are so incredibly frustrating. I had a period of about 8 months where they were in every single one of my plants, and it was so frustrating. They got bad enough that they were just all over my apartment. They'd fly around my face while I was trying to work or relax, and it was embarrassing when I'd have guests over who would notice them. Nematodes, very unfortunately, didn't work for me. I ended up having to use a product known as "Systemic," which is just like a sort of pesticide that you water into the soil, and then the plants suck up the pesticide so that when bugs bite them, or chew the roots, they get poisoned and die. Not as organic as I would have liked, but it worked!
Great stuff 👍
Well, the thing is, fungus gnats don't actually feed on your plants. They feed on the microscopic fungus that's a natural part of the soil. You can't get rid soil fungi, nor would you want to as it actually helps plants extract nutrients from the soil, so you need them. I used peroxide on my infestation and it worked fine, within a couple of watering cycles the little devils were gone. Other pests are a different issue, but the gnats succumbed to peroxide just fine (it kills the larvae In the soil.) I've seen others say they tried and it didn't work, so I can't tell you why that is. Use a 50/50 mixture with each watering and saturate the soil.
I haven't had any gnats in years by simply adding a thin layer of small size aquarium gravel to the tops of my soils so the gnats can't burrow in and lay eggs in the first place. Maybe about a third or half inch of the gravel only.
Water from the bottom by using a saucer underneath and keep the top soil dry. You could also layer an inch of sand on top. Nematodes are very beneficial but I only use them in my garden.
Cool, thanks
I've used nematodes in my strawberry beds for snails and slugs. Works great. Never thought about it for gnats. I have had success with controlling them with apple cider vinegar but the key to this is to get it nearer the soil. I use little cappuccino cups with one drop of dish soap and cider and place that little cup on top of the soil. They are not gone, but severely reduced. I will try the nematodes though.
You’ll like the nematodes
This is awesome I believe the right soil is key I changed things up this year with fully drying out my soil and making my own mix worked like a charm no pest this year and hopefully years to come 🎉❤ if not I'm trying this
Spot on 👍
I had a heinous infestation, the key is to continually treat the soil for months, I used tanlin and mosquito bits, if a plant is totally infested it has to go. I also used yellow traps and carnivorous plants, pings and sundews, pings and sundews are better than sticky traps, they are gnat magnets. I’ve removed all sticky traps and just have carnivorous plants now, though I appear to have zero gnats I’m continuing to use additives into my watering routine. You need to continue treatment well past the point you deem the issue clear, the breeding in the soil is the issue!
That's the beauty of nematodes. They stay in the soil hunting 😁
@@SheffieldMadePlants That’s a good point, everyone still needs some pings and sundews lurking in their collection to catch any irritating adults, the sundews look particularly splendid.
Just spray the soil around your plant's base with can of fly spray. It works instantly and 100% after one application and so cheap and simple.
I've been battling these things for month! Our exterminator (on his third visit) said that in the five years he's been doing this, last year was bad but this year has been awful. I've literally shed tears. Tomorrow I am buying BOTH the nematodes and mosquito bit. Fingers crossed this is a preemptive thanks
Fingers crossed 🤞
I found gnats in a large ming aralia and immediately did the hydrogen peroxide treatments to minimize the eggs and larvae. And at the same time took yellow sticky sheets and literally covered the entire soil surface of the plant (about 80-90% of the surface minus where the stems are). I then threw BITS dunk into my 8 gallon water source so every time I water any plants will have BITS in there. After about 2-3 weeks the yellow stickies on the pot is clear. I know is over kill but it worked I guess. Fingers crossed.
Over kill is absolutely fine for these pests 😁
I've used them to get rid of these nasty web building, leaf roller wormy things on outside bushes.
Worked great
👍👍👍
Hey Richard yes my mate at one of my favourite nurseries put me on to nematodes. She recommended dosing all my plants around twice a year, once I'd got them under control. I've not needed to use them yet because I had been watering with neem meal tea for a couple of months and I think it did the trick. The trouble is, neem is very smelly (my family complained bitterly) so I will use the nematodes going forward😑
Well worth a go!
I've had an ongoing battle for the last six months trying to get rid of fungus gnats.I tried everything you listed in your video, but they just took it as a challenge. I used so much hydrogen peroxide I'm sure I've been flagged up somewhere, but ..nothing worked. Then I tried your beneficial nematoids, and (fingers crossed) they seem to be working. I've combined them with a layer of fine steel wool laid on the top of the pots, and a good layer of grit on top of that, and I've only caught three gnats on the sticky traps in the last fortnight. Thank you so much! I was at my wits end so this is such a relief.
That's great. Seems to be working
@@SheffieldMadePlants 🤞🤞
Summers on the way - I'm sure they're all sitting just outside waiting for me to open a window....I'm ready for them this year 😁😁
Thanks again.
PS - I'm told that bottom watering is the way to do it so onwards and upwards😊
Did you try neem oil? I'm facing the same issue now and was planning on picking up neem oil over the weekend
@@aparnabaskaran2448 No I didn't try Neem oil. What I read about the smell and the way it clumps together put me off, so I don't know how good it would be. Keeping everything crossed that the bn seems to have worked.
Good luck, they're persistent, horrible little things!
Funniest fungus gnat video ever! Mrs. Sheffield must be thoroughly entertained!
😂
I used to use premium potting mix instead of compost. I found that I had bigger and happier plants when I switched to using compost instead. Of course, this meant I developed a fungus gnat problem. But I use tanlin drops every time I water my plants and have the stickers in my pots. It took a month or so but that wiped out the gnat problem I had. I’m happy to keep using the tanlin whenever I water my plants. This seems to be the solution that means I can maximise plant growth with compost and not have hoards of gnats.
I also found that my habit of having a thick layer of small pebbles on top of the soil of my cacti and succulents also stops gnats.
Interesting tanlin worked for you. I didn’t notice any difference 🤷🏻♂️
When I use diatomaceous earth I mix it very thoroughly with a generous amount of perlite then top dress which keeps it drier, but also always try to bottom water so it doesn't get wet. I went from a heavy infestation (the flying ones I murdered with isopropyl alcohol when they landed on the windows) and I'm down to just the occasional one. I'll get some of the nematodes in tho too. It's so genuinely obvious how happy you are lol. Glad you got on top of it. Compost is great nutrition but it is slow to break down and the white fuzzy fungus tends to start to form very quickly which the gnats love to eat. The bottom watering usually means the fungus doesn't get to form as a big banquet on the surface which would mean a lot more gnats but yes they can still survive on what forms at the bottom access points of the pots. It's just the way of things. Living things begat living things.
So true! If your problem gets worse try the worms
First off - love your videos so much! Full of helpful information, tips (moisture meter + bottom-waterer for life over here!) not to mention entertaining. I'm also currently having success with a couple of rounds of nematodes, which is great because in the past they didn't work for me. The ones I got come as little white balls in a gauzy pouch and the instructions are to just put the pouch on the top of the soil and water it every day, allowing the nemes to be released. But I found this just exacerbated the problem since I had to add so much water to my plants. This year I'm cutting open the pouches, adding a tiny bit of water to the beads to make them nice and wet and then mixing them directly into the top layer of soil. Major improvement!
Was also wondering, now that you've won your battle, if you have an update on the cinnamon trick? Seemed like it was working for you for a time...
Thanks! That’s different to my set up. I added them to water and then applied. Cinnamon helps a bit but doesn’t solve the problem entirely
Year round i stay about 98% gnat free. My tip is ONLY bottom water and always keep the first 2in of soil dry. Apply diatomaceous earth to the top of the soil. DE only works with dry soil so avoid getting it damp.
DE doesn't do shit for fungus gnats, they don't have a hard exoskeleton.
How do you know when it’s time to water if the top soil is always dry? I have a moisture meter but I end up under watering if I just follow its indications.
I put terracotta spikes in some of my plants, but in some cases they dampen the top soil.
Brilliant! Love watching your plant help vids. So helpful and do funny!!! 😂
Glad you like them!
This was so fun to watch; you really did look like a psycho in some of the plans 😂 I had a Ficus lyrata that came with fungus gnats. Sadly, it did not survive and I was too late to get a cutting or to repot into a proper medium. And yes, hydrogen peroxide could not save the plant. After that traumatic experience, I decided to mix my own potting medium for every single plant I get, and have been disinfecting the coco coir (even if it is from a reputable brand) by soaking it in boiling water (in a mesh bag) and then drying it in the oven in batches. After some additional air drying to make sure it is completely dry, I store it in airtight containers from Ikea (there is a 10 litre one available) with paper towels inserted to serve as a desiccator. You can check the paper towel a few days later and change it with a dry one if it feels moist, but one should not shut the container lid without being sure the coir is completely dry in the first place. All of this is rather tedious, but worth it in my opinion. The idea is to kill off anything unwanted and later introduce the beneficial microorganisms through select products. However, using the oven so much in summer is no fun, so get things ready when the weather is cool.😓
Thanks for the tip 👍👍
you can leave it to dry in the sun instead
@@coolpanda7520 I will not expose disinfected potting medium to the outside at all, because I will not risk anything getting into it. And nothing will kill microorganisms and dry the medium as quickly and as efficiently as an oven with no risk of additional contamination.
I'm surprised to hear peroxide didn't work. I was sceptical when I read about it, but it was cheap and readily available, so I gave it a try. I had one ficus lyrata and while the gnats don't actually hurt the plant at all (they're living off the fungus in the soil, thus the name...) they are most definitely annoying as hell. You must use a 50/50 strength and use it each time you water (just water as needed) thoroughly drenching the soil, which you ought to be doing anyway. A lot easier than what you described, but if peroxide didn't kill your little tormentors, then I guess anything short of nuclear weapons is in order.
@@jackrice2770 Yes, I use H202 a lot. But I think the plant's roots were maybe beyond the point of saving at the time. Who knows.
Loved your video, thanks for being entertaining as well as encouraging and informative. I was ready to throw out all of my expensive collection of plants. I'd never had a problem before I replanted my plants with new soil >:( I will try your solution before giving up. Thanks again!
My pleasure 😊
Yes! Natural predators! 🐞Ladybugs are cuter and they do the job, too. I bought 300 on Amazon. Still have some in the fridge, but the gnats are gone. You have to release them onto your plants after the sun goes down. You only see them here & there after. So it’s not like they are flying around your house 😂 Though I spent the first night checking.
You put ladybirds in the fridge
Don't you get the larvae of the lady bugs? Since they eat way more? (They're not cute at all, but. Only the adults are. :P ) I've never tried that though
Interesting thanks
@@SysterYster Yes, and the eat aphids and are not harmful to your plants. Win win! Except I freaked thinking they were something else and started spraying with Neem oil. I may have suffocated a few, sadly. But in general, Neem oil doesn’t kill bugs who don’t eat leaves.
Thanks!
Thank you 😊
Never thought of using nematodes for indoor plants. I did use them in the lawn to control fleas. It helped there too.
Didn’t know they could be used on a lawn!
I was against bringing in more bugs for the longest of time until I had a huge problem with thrips and gnats. finally ended up using swirskii-mite bags and nematodes, it sure worked wonders. way easier and less of a hassle then other things I tried.
Excellent
Good morning from Missouri! 😁👋🏾 This video gave me the itchies. 😅
😂 it's fine honestly
In my area, we can only buy nematodes in the spring because they can’t be shipped in the winter. It looks like the nematode you used were freeze dried and “revived”. Is this the case?
Another thing I found useful in the gnat war is to cover the bottom drain holes with a bit of sheer polyester material (used for sheer curtains etc.) when potting up a plant, water goes through it easily and it is too fine for the fungus gnats to get to the soil. *Note natural fibre doesn’t work
Thank you for putting out such lighthearted and helpful content.
Thanks for the tip. Not sure about the freeze dried thing
Ooooohhh...I am so grossed out now. "Don't judge me" 😂
However... I could see this working. Beneficial bugs are always good ❤
As always, great content! 🎉🙌
Thank you very much
i only had gnat problems when i used the soil the plant came with and it didn't dry fast enough (that's what "well draining" is actually about). I started changing the soil to indoor potting soil with amendments. i also found 90% of the problem was watering too much. so waiting til the pot is light until i water solved the problem. i used a meter early on, but found it was very unreliable. the density of the soil artificially changes the results. if the dirt is dry, but more compact, it'll falsely say the dirt is wet. learning the weight of my plants and bumping or picking up pots is a way more accurate method to know when a plant needs water. since i bottom water anyways, i pick up every pot to put them in a tray to soak, let them drain, and then put them back in their spots. now i honestly only follow the watering aspect. many plants have the wrong kind of soil from the store (because they want it to retain water for transport). fungus gnats thrive in soggy, poor draining/slow drying soil and it only takes one soggy plant to breed them for all plants. cut back on watering, increase amendments if needed depending on climate, and the gnats will go away. no crazy things needed. a pot should never be wet longer than 2 weeks. definitely not on the surface longer than a week. self watering planters are terrible about keeping soil soggy too. they sound convenient, but they're terrible indoors without a lot of air movement. adding a fan can also help with moisture levels, esp if you're in a more humid climate. i live in a relatively dry climate peaking at 30% indoor humidity. let that soil dry out!
yay this is awesome very glad to hear it!
Thank you 😊
I saw a bunch of fungus gnats in my vinegaroon's substrate, which is just coco fibre. I'm too scared of nematodes attacking my pet, so I just tossed out the old substrate, rinsed the tank and all of the decorations, and prepared new substrate. It took me the entire day. I bought yellow sticky traps and put two on top of the lid of the tank, so hopefully they don't come back because I don't want to do all that work again, my poor aching back...
I found an insecticide here in Czechia called Cimetrol. It has a pythroid insecticide, a growth disruptor, and a repellant. It worked so well, I got bored not seeing any gnats and trying to figure out how to destroy them.
Thanks never heard of that
haha!
They can also come from the drains...That's where they first show up for me. I've put 3 cm of fine sand in the top of each pot to make sure they can't lay eggs in my pots.
I'm not sure what kind of gnats that I have, but I don't have plants. Maybe I can get a plant and do this plan. Great video.
Same here, they come in every time the door opens it seems like. Or at least every other time, because I'll see 1 or 2 here and there and then again after those are gone, another couple. They drive me insane😤🤯🤯 I cannot stand to have something like that in my home when I'm trying to eat or something. It's different if you're out having a picnic or something, or just eating outside... because outside is normal for bugs to fly around, especially if you're eating, but in your home, to me?, It's disgusting! Especially if it was to go in my food. 🤢 but I do have my sinks bathtub and everything closed off unless I have to use it but they stay closed off and I have the apple cider vinegar, soap, etc., "Trap".. because my bug zapper that was the best thing I ever had for nights, the bulb went out on it. So I'm having to use that instead. But they are such a nuisance!
I don’t have plants either. Brand new built home but we are not too far from a body of water ugh
I tried these two weeks ago, I added about three times the suggested amount, (just wanted to make sure) about an hour after i watered the plants I looked at the soil and noticed it was glistening, I wish didn't look through a magnifying glass though because each cm of soil looked like Medusa. Made me shudder. Had about another 12 gnats appear on the sticky traps the following days but now haven't seen any for about a week. 🤞🏻. I don't water for two weeks to a month at a time so will have to wait to see if anymore appear after the watering. The little pots got watered last night.
Great stuff 👍
I baked my soil and made sure not to keep soil so moist but jeez they never fully go away out here in Vegas
They’re a nightmare
@@SheffieldMadePlants they really are ugh
@@SheffieldMadePlants they are lol I hate them too
i bought mosquito bits on eBay and i am in Northern Ireland , worked for me
Bravo...well done you!!!!!! I just bought some. Thank you 🤩
Awesome! Thank you!
I just bought 5 millions of nematodes too :-) Applied them a few days ago together with yellow sticky traps and other predators eating spidermites and thrips (mostly as preventative - I know they are hiding somewhere there). H2O2 helps to reduce them for a little while (I tried that too), but won´t really solve a major gnats problem. Let´s hope they don´t come back 🙂
You’ve got this ✊
I can also vouch for the power of the ‘todes. Total elimination achieved and like you I found they start working from day one.
Great stuff 👍
Beneficial Nematodes are the bomb! I used them to get control of the grubs in our front yard and back yard. The Nematodes destroyed them, helped with fleas too. I swear by the stuff.
I do now too 😁
I've tried all the tricks too & was close to trying those nematodes but just couldn't do it lol. I gradually switched all my plants into leca & haven't seen a gnat since, or anything else so far. It's a whole new learning process but well worth it imo.
I want to try it but put off by the work to set it all up
@@SheffieldMadePlants It's a bit daunting in the beginning for sure but once I got the hang of it, it was smooth sailing. No more pesky gnats was worth it 😂
WHere can we get it?
Awesome video! Great info learned lots thank you Mr Sheffield bless you & Mrs Sheffield
Glad you enjoyed it
The only way to get rid of fungus gnats at 100%!! After trying everything, here is my best recipe: Cut the tops of your plants, put them in water to make them root. get rid of the pots with the potting soil in them. Without soil the gnats can no longer reproduce. After a few months, pour boiling water into your old or new potting soil and start again. This is what I did with my 5 plants: Dracaena Reflexa and Lemon Lime and my Scheffleras. I know it's drastic and dramatic but it's not too bad if you don't have a lot of plants like me. I live in a studio and I simply couldn't put up with these pests anymore. And for me now the gnats are completely over!!!
And There you go !!!
Fairly drastic to prop all your plants 😁
@@SheffieldMadePlants I know that... but at the same time, I got rid of the gnats 200% hahaha!!
I’ve got a tiny fly problem. Not fruit flies, not one went for the apple cider traps. Put yellow sticky traps in patio plants , didn’t catch anything ( maybe traps are not sticky enough) did observe a couple flies around plants. Think they’re fungus gnats, they really go for my cats food. So I smeared some cat food on a larger mouse type sticky trap, and caught quite a few. They’re tough little buggers, and about 1/4 of them can fight their way off the sticky traps.
What do fungus gnats eat? Because like I said, these flies love wet cat food.
Thought they could also be Phorick flies so I cleaned all drains, dumped boiling water down drains and gave them a blast of raid.
Fungus gnats tend to eat fungus in soil and sometimes young roots. Yours sound odd
fungus gnats are the aerobic trainers of the plant world (omg the pot lids ... i just can't) 😆
😂
i have an army of mexican butterworts and sundews, it works well, also put the cider vinegar in a glass and poke holes in a clingwrap lid to trap and kill fruitflies
I need some of them!
GUYS IVE JOINED THE MOISTURE METER PARTY!!! I have no idea why it’s taken me an entire year to finally get one, but I did it!!!
And you’re loving it right?
@@SheffieldMadePlants of course
Congratulations! It’s definitely a game changer. I’ve been using one almost a year now for my succulents. No more rotting succulents.
Thoughts and opinions?? Should I get one
It’s been almost a year, I honestly don’t use it that much. I actually prefer my fingers, although sometimes I find a good use on a big potted plant.
Glad you found a solution that works for you. I like nematodes for small hive beetles, which are a pest in my apiary. In my dry climate, I have to renew them occasionally, so you may have to with your pots, at least the drier ones. Plus, if they work too well you can run out of ‘food’ food for them. At least you didn’t have to resort to smuggling mosquito granules over the border under your hat or something!
That’s true 😂
I concur about the compost. I used it in my potting mix for the first time last year and that's when I first had a problem with fungus gnats. The peroxide solution solution (pun intended) helped a lot, as did the sticky traps. But now that I've brought all my plants inside from the porch for the winter, the little buggers are in the air again. Also, I opened up my bag of cacti and succulent potting mix yesterday and to my horror, dozens of adult gnats flew out! They must like the wood in the mix. Sigh. Going to check out nematodes right now!
It’s so hard to keep them out of the house.
3 good soil wettings of an off-the-shelf neem oil spray worked for me (over a span of 2 weeks). Went from pretty bad infestation to nothing in about 2 weeks. People complain about the smell but it doesn't even last for a full day.
Great stuff 👍
Fot the longest time I thought they were fruit flies that got lost.
I tried nematodes before, and it didn't work at all. I also almost killed all my plants that time.
Now in my new home I've spotted a few gnats flying around, so I've been trying diatomaceous earth to see if it works. It's too early to say yet.
If it doesn't work I'm gonna try nematodes again, and if that doesn't work I'll try and see if I can get my hands on some mosquito bits.
Thank you for all your great tips, it has helped me so much being a more successful plant parent! 🥰
You bet!
Yeah, I’ll stick w the flies