house plant question

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Hi,

I know this is a garden forum, but I need some serious house plant help! I have an amaryllis (now blooming) that is (the soil that is) infested with tiny fly/mosiquito creatures that are starting to fly around my house and make home in some of my other house plants (herbs, african violet, etc.). Any advice as to what they are, where they come from, and if/how I should rid of them?

All input is greatly appreciated!

-- (larchuleta7@hotmail.com), March 15, 2000

Answers

Sounds like you have a case of Fungus Gnats on your hands. I hate those things! Go to the garden store and get you some Bt stuff.

Check out this: http://www2.ag.ohio-state.edu/~flori/archive/apr99/potwed.html

and then this:

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1996/4-12-1996/fgnat.html

Hope that helps!

-- Renee (justme@justme.org), March 15, 2000.


We've run into a similar problem at work--our ficus (formerly outdoors) was brought inside with a bunch of "hitchhiker" gnats in the soil. I hate using toxics, so we tried just spritzing the soil with soapy water. You have to do it repeatedly and turn the soil a bit, but that seems to have worked. Good luck!

-- Gena (hersh@pacificlegacy.com), March 16, 2000.

Now the Bt's aren't toxic. They are a live bacteria that eats fungus gnat larvae. It stinks to high heaven but it isn't lethal. I have killed plants using soap and water though. Some just can't hack it.

-- Renee (justme@justme.org), March 16, 2000.

I've used a product called GNATROL. You dilute it with water and water the plant with the mixture. If you have a swimming pool and use diatomaeceous earth for the filter, that works also. It's powdered rocks and stuff and you put a layer on top of the soil. When the gnats go in and out of the soil, the DE makes tiny cuts and scrapes on them and they eventually dehydrate and die. I've also used small sticky cards- they are like flytraps.(Sometimes the infestations are so bad I use all 3 methods.

-- christine hartsoe (christine.hartsoe@bms.com), March 16, 2000.

Yes, that is what it is called: Gnatrol. Thanks for the memory job Christine!

-- Renee (justme@justme.org), March 17, 2000.


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