Gnats are an annoying but rather harmless and a completely treatable part of plant parenthood. We can help!
Those skinny fruit fly lookalikes, you know, the ones flying out of the soil of your houseplants and straight into your face while you were relaxing in the morning, minding your own business and enjoying a nice cup of coffee? YES, THOSE. They really know how to interrupt a moment of tranquility.
Top 5 Ways to manage Fungus Gnats:
1. Topsoil Treatment. Let the top soil of all your plants dry out completely, on average this takes about a week and helps to treat all your plants at once, not just the visibly infested ones as fungus gnats move around easily.
After the topsoil has dried out, remove the top two inches of soil by gently scraping away the topsoil and throw it away! This method is an important step in removing the fungus gnat larvae that grow inside the soil before they become those annoying flying adults. This is crucial to decreasing the amount of adults.
2. Sticky fly paper is not cruelty free. It’s actually terrible because the gnats get stuck and die slowly. We resist this method at first….but it is honestly the quickest way to get ahead of the gnats before they fly and spread and reproduce like crazy inside the soil of your other plants.
We offer a 5 pack of sticky paper in the shop which should last you at least a year. We recommend cutting the paper into small strips and placing them inside the pot, with the bottom edge touching the soil, just under the inside lip of each pot. This way, the aesthetic of your houseplant is intact while the fly paper inconspicuously traps the adult gnats as they fly around the soil.
3. Apply Sacred Soil Tonic when watering for the next few months. Be sure to remove the top layer of soil first for faster results and the sticky paper too! Sacred Soil Tonic takes three applications (about three-four weeks) to completely rid your plants of fungus gnats on its own without fly paper.
Be patient and allow the tonic to work its botanical magic! While slowly but surely riding your plants of fungus gnat larvae and pupa, Sacred Soil Tonic also nourishes your plant and boosts its own natural immune system to avoid any future infestations.
*Recommend treatment for fungus gnats using Sacred Soil Tonic:
Apply a double dose of tonic each time you water for three to four constant waterings. That's 1/2 teaspoon per 16oz of water or 4 teaspoons per gallon. This method completely disrupts the lifecycle of fungus gnats.
NOTE: like with all plant foods, you want to be sure your plants are receiving plenty of light while you give them our tonic loaded with botanical rich nutrients. This way they can convert that extra energy properly.
4. Top Dress your Plants. Using rocks, sand, and dry moss are three beautiful ways you can add a decorative top layer to the soil of your houseplants. This discourages the flying adults who are roaming around looking for a new home to lay their eggs.
5. Take your houseplants outside. If your weather is mild, and your infestation is extreme, I suggest you first grab all the contaminated plants and place them outside while you work on removing the top layer of soil so the gnats that fly away will not fly into your other houseplants. If your infestation is advanced, when ordering our Sacred Soil Tonic, be sure to include sticky fly paper too!
Continue this for one month and then taper off to every other time you water. Your plants will be fungus gnat free and thriving like never before!
Happy growing,
with love
Karina & Team SE