Fungus Gnats

[ridgebax1]

So I redid Omar's cage a few months ago because I had fungus gnats. I used Miracle Gro organic potting soil with a layer of pebbles and sand for drainage. The poor ficus still has not recovered. It is not dropping leaves like it had been and I am hoping for new growth soon. However the gnats are back! I have read that you can use four parts water to one part hydrogen peroxide and spray the soil with this mixture. This is supposed to kill the larva for sure and I think the gnats too. I was also going to remove the river rock from around the plants and put down a layer of weed block or screen over a layer of sand, then put the rocks back. I was also going to drill a few more holes in bottom to improve the drainage so the soil should dry out a little better. I really don't want to remove all the soil and repot again as I am afraid the ficus may not survive, the magnolia did not but the hibiscus is doing well as are the philodendron.

So would the water/peroxide be safe for Omar? It would be applied directly to the soil and does not give of any toxins in the air.

 

[Lathis]

I have found when I freshly repot something, the gnats explode. If you let potting soil sit in the bag in the garage and then open it, a cloud of gnats will fly out. I think they have eggs in the bagged soil mix waiting for moisture to hatch.

Give it a few days and see if the gnats start to disappear before you resort to chemicals.

As for the ficus, they can be temperamental. When you move or repot them, they have a tendency to drop all their leaves. Even if it drops all the leaves and looks dead, give it a few weeks... you will probably find new little sprouts! My hibiscus actually did this, too, and it is actually sprouting amazing new growth after a month of being "dead". I was just too lazy to throw it away, but now I'm glad I kept it.

EDIT: I misread your post. You have gnats months after repotting. Screen might not be enough, you will need something dense like filter fabric or the coconut fiber hanging pot liner (I use this under my rocks). I worry about using the peroxide spray in his cage... maybe do it while he is free ranging and give it time to air out before he goes home?

 

[ridgebax1]

Well no matter what I decide to do, I am not going to do it for a few more days. He doesn't normally free range (cats and two big dogs discourage me from that right now) and he is just getting over his feeder bin trauma (see poor Omar for details). I was worried about him cause he seemed freaked out by his ordeal for longer than I thought he would. He is actually starting to walk about his cage and prowl his branches like he normally does, so I don't want to disrupt everything by tearing up his house. I have several days off over next weekend so in addition to getting a Christmas tree bought, up and decorated I think I will try to eliminate the gnats then.

Too bad he can't free range on the Christmas tree

 

[Lathis]

I read the "Poor Omar" post. I felt bad for laughing, so I'm glad to hear that he is recovering

If you limit the gnat access to the soil, they will eventually die out. You might have small colonies try to set up in sink drains. I agree, they are very annoying. They love my isopod bin; if I mist too much, they are everywhere.

 

[chameleonowner32]

Philidendran is highly toxic to chameleons it needs to be removed immediatly.

 

[ridgebax1]

They are not true philodendron; they are syngoniums which I believe are safe.

 

[juice28]

Im having a issue myself with them I can get them under control but they keep popping back up....i used the barrier in the bottom and top and coveted the top part with sand..it helped for a while. I haven found anything I feel comfy to spray ae of yet though lol

 

[sandrachameleon]

let the soil dry out completely between waterings.
have a layer of rocks (not sand) on top of soil. Even better to have landscape cloth over the dirt, rocks over that. You are trying to prevent the gnats from laying eggs in the soil. Sand on top in no way prevents gnats, though on bottom can help with drainage.

consider beneficial nematodes

 

[ridgebax1]

What type of nematodes and where would I get them?

 

[chameleonowner32]

I dont see why everybody is missing this. It has tons of edible substrate. Im guessing a glass viv?

 

[ridgebax1]

No it is a screened cage. I think it is just a moisture issue. I hope between improving the drainage and adding the landscape cloth it will eliminate or significantly reduce the population. I would be interested in what type of nematode I could add for a biologic control.

 

[sandrachameleon]

biological controls

Look into Steinernema feltiae to see if this fits your needs

 

[pigglett79]

I tried nematodes, they didn't work well for me, but may help you. I just re - potted the plants and put lots of sand on bottom and in layers. Then put rocks on top. Seemed to work. Now I only have gnats in my isopods and snails! Ugh!

 

[ridgebax1]

OK so here's my plan. I found the nematodes on Amazon (I swear you could probably buy body parts there!) and they had a sticky trap which I got also. I am going to increase drainage, remove the rocks, remove some of the soil as I really don't want to disturb the ficus again, mix in some sand in remaining soil, put in new soil/nematodes, cover with landscape fabric, replace the rocks and hope for the best. If that doesn't work, maybe plutonium or something????

 

[Psychobunny]

Put a layer of sand, maybe 1/2'', on top of the soil in the pots.
That gets rid of most of them.
I had such a bad problem with gnats, I tried everything to get rid of them.
They would always come back!!
I cant keep any potted plants in my house anymore!