How to eliminate fungus gnats from your houseplants
Let's face it, we all hate fungus gnats. Not only it causes problems to your plants when it gets worse, but you would also have them flying in front of you like annoying flies. Other than wet soil, they are attracted to bright light as well. They would hover in front of your computer screen or your phone and tablet devices enough that you would hope your device screen could become a flycatcher.
Does fungus gnats affect your houseplant?
I am not a scientist, but having enough houseplants at home does let me learn a thing or two about fungus gnats. Among all the infamous pests, fungus gnat is the least worrying one for me. First of all, they don't cause as much damage as other pests. They are usually visible, and it is not hard to eliminate them if you work on it. From my own experience, I find them harmless to bigger and stronger plants. However, if you have a smaller houseplant or something fragile like young Alocasia or Syngonium, the infestation could take over and destroy your plants!
Time to get rid of your fungus gnats
Like I mentioned above, it is not impossible to eliminate fungus gnats. If you have a severe infestation on a specific plant, bring it outside if it's beyond saving. If the plant is significant to you, clean it thoroughly, and repot them with fresh new soil. If you are still holding on to your hope, try water your plant with Hydrogen Peroxide mix when the soil is dry.
For those are still flying around your plants, I would spray them with Neem oil mix, kill them as much as you could before they multiply. For a long term solution, Mosquito Bits is my favorite helper. I add some Mosquito Bits to a water container and let it sit for hours. Then I would add the Mosquito Bits mix to my watering routine. I repeat this for every single plant when I water. As long as I am not lazy and skipping occasionally, they would be gone in a week or two.
Besides treating them, you may want to consider they exist because you tend to overwater your plants. When overwatering happens, your plants are not able to use up the water as quick, and wet soil attracts and encourages the growth of fungus gnats. If you can't help yourself, try using terracotta pots and add more perlite to your soil mix. Let the surface of your soil dried out before next watering, and you won't have to battle the fungus gnats in your life again!
