If your plant is infested with fungus gnats, you need to act quickly. To act quickly? That sounds like resorting to fungicide. Of course, the chemical agent kills the pests quickly. But there are also much better, more gentle methods to get rid of fungus gnats. Read on this page how you can make it disappear with simple home remedies.
Which home remedies help against fungus gnats?
To combat fungus gnats with home remedies, you can use bird sand or quartz sand, essential oils such as lavender and tea tree oil, or fine socks. Cinnamon, coffee grounds, baking powder, parsley and garlic are also effective natural remedies against pests.
Recommended home remedies
- Birdsand
- Essential oils
- Fine Stockings
Birdsand
The female fungus gnats lay their eggs on the substrate of your plants. The nutrient-rich soil offers optimal conditions for the hatching brood. To prevent this, sprinkle a layer of bird sand about one centimeter thick on the substrate surface. A little more doesn't hurt; it's actually more helpful than being too frugal. The pest quickly discovers and exploits holes. As a result, you have to place the plant on a saucer because watering it from above would wash away the sand. After watering, wait about 20 minutes for the plant to absorb the water. To avoid waterlogging, pour away the remaining water. In addition to bird sand, the following are also suitable:
- Cinnamon
- Quartz sand
- Coffee grounds
- or baking powder
Essential oils
Some smells fungus gnats just can't stand. Take advantage of this and place an aroma lamp with these essences next to the plant:
- Lavender
- Tea tree oil
Parsley also contains certain essential oils and is therefore ideal as a planting partner.
Fine Stockings
A fine stocking prevents the pests from both laying eggs and further mating by preventing access and escape from the plant. To do this, stretch a tight-meshed stocking over the flower and tie it under the pot. Unfortunately, this home remedy doesn't look particularly nice, but it has to be left in place for up to six weeks to be effective.
Special cases
Home remedies for fungus gnats also include
- Nutmeg
- Matches
- and garlic
Actually, home remedies only have the ability to drive away pests. However, the three products mentioned contain toxic substances that kill the fungus gnats. Although you don't use any chemicals here either, the products mentioned above are still preferable to these three variants. Remember that fungus gnats are also part of the ecosystem.
