I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a
couple of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to use
something that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas what
might be causing this?

Thanks,
Pat

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 11:47:05 -0400, PatK wrote:

I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a couple
of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to use something
that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas what might be
causing this?

Thanks,
Pat

Good day Pat. I would recommend safers insecticidal soap, yellow sticky
traps or diamatious earth. You should be able to find these at most
nurseries.

Gnats are fungus eaters. Sometimes overwatering can casuse the fungus
growth or it could of come in with the potting soil itself. The yellow
traps should work ok. This will attract them to the card and they get
stuck. The safers soap is a potassium salt?.. and it's very safe to use
around you and the pets. You will need to treat for a few days/weeks.
Diamatious earth is a product that you put on the top of the soil in your
pots. As the insects come out of the soil, the diamatious earth shreds
them to bits. If you place sand in the top in the pots, this may work also.

Good luck...

--
Yard Works Gardening Co.
http://www.ywgc.com

Timothy wrote:
On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 11:47:05 -0400, PatK wrote:


I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a couple
of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to use something
that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas what might be
causing this?

Thanks,
Pat


Good day Pat. I would recommend safers insecticidal soap, yellow sticky
traps or diamatious earth. You should be able to find these at most
nurseries.

Gnats are fungus eaters. Sometimes overwatering can casuse the fungus
growth or it could of come in with the potting soil itself. The yellow
traps should work ok. This will attract them to the card and they get
stuck. The safers soap is a potassium salt?.. and it's very safe to use
around you and the pets. You will need to treat for a few days/weeks.
Diamatious earth is a product that you put on the top of the soil in your
pots. As the insects come out of the soil, the diamatious earth shreds
them to bits. If you place sand in the top in the pots, this may work also.

Good luck...

I didn't know they were fungus eaters. I can see some green stuff
growing on the dirt in the pot. That's probably it. Thanks!

Pat

Another solution I've used- put a layer of sand on top of your soil. The
gnats can't get access to your soil, lay eggs, etc...

You'll get a decimal reduction in their population in roughly one week.

One other thing was mentioned. You need to back off on the amount of
watering your plants get. Black Fungus Gnats are usually a good
indicator of over-watered plants.

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 15:47:05 UTC, PatK wrote:

I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
gnats around my houseplants?

Sprinkle ground cinnamon on the potting soil.

--

Pat

I use a soil drench called Gnats Away sold by Gardens Alive. Also cut
back on your watering.

Marv-Montezuma, IA
http://community.webshots.com/user/vmwood



PatK wrote:
I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid
of
gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a
couple of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to
use
something that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas
what
might be causing this?

Thanks,
Pat

use one medium garlic clove, skin ON, and place stem side down into the
soil...for a 2 inch pot; 4 inch pot? 2 cloves on opposite sites; 6 inch pot:
3 to 4 cloves).

garlic WILL grow but as the garlic aroma on top will make the gnats
literally smash themselves against the windows trying to get out; the garlic
roots will intertwine GENTLY with the plant's roots and will take care of
the fungus gnat's larvae growing on the root hairs.

From: PatK
Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 11:47:05 -0400
Subject: gnats

I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a
couple of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to use
something that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas what
might be causing this?

Thanks,
Pat

VMWOOD wrote:
Pat

I use a soil drench called Gnats Away sold by Gardens Alive. Also cut
back on your watering.

Marv-Montezuma, IA
http://community.webshots.com/user/vmwood



PatK wrote:

I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid

of

gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a
couple of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to

use

something that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas

what

might be causing this?

Thanks,
Pat


All good suggestions. I'll give it a try. What they're bothering is a
purple hyacinth vine I've got growing in a pot. Most of the leaves are
kind of drying up and falling off. It was doing fine until the gnats
showed up.

Pat

I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a
couple of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to use
something that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas what
might be causing this?

Thanks,
Pat




Spread a layer of perlite on the surface of the soil. It stays dry and
prevents the gnats from reaching the actual soil to lay eggs. The
abrasiveness prevents already hatched nymphs from creeping out. Use
yellow sticky strips to trap the gnats.

Dah wrote:

I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a
couple of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to use
something that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas what
might be causing this?

Thanks,
Pat





Spread a layer of perlite on the surface of the soil. It stays dry and
prevents the gnats from reaching the actual soil to lay eggs. The
abrasiveness prevents already hatched nymphs from creeping out. Use
yellow sticky strips to trap the gnats.

Thanks ! I've gotten so many great ideas about this I'll have to try
them all.

Pat

escape wrote:
I was wondering if there's something safe that I could use to get rid of
gnats around my houseplants? They seem to be all over the soil on a
couple of my plants. I also have cats and a dog and didn't want to use
something that might be harmful to them. (or me!) Oh and, any ideas what
might be causing this?

Thanks,
Pat


Overwatering causes this. I use product called Knock Out Gnats sold by
Garden's Alive. One bottle lasts for years. It's a strain of Bacillus
thurgiensis Israelensis, but it's the H-14 strain which is specific for fungus
gnats. It is host specific and will not harm anything or anyone other than gnat
larvae.

Thanks, I'll see if I can find it. They're getting crazy!

Pat