Everything is going great . You have the mostbeautiful succulentson hand indoors , particularly the gorgeousAeonium Kiwiand its unique rosettes that look like full - bloomed rosebush . However , there ’s trouble in paradise ; bite and pieces of your Kiwi are missing and prick off by an infestation of fungus gnat !
What are you supposed to do now ? How do you get free of them ? What technique should you hire for get rid of the gnat themselves , their eggs , and their larva without harming your precious succulents ?
In this article
What are Fungus Gnats?
First off , let ’s specify what a fungus gnat is . Fungus gnatsor fungus gnat flies are louse that appear every few months . These pests appear seasonally or every few months . They ’re like fruit flies in terms of habits and looks . However , the master affair that separates them from each other is that fungus gnat are the bane of the existence of succulent in particular .
Fruit fliesare mostly after rotting yield . These gnats make out hock soil . They hang out around succulents with industrial plant loge or pots that do n’t have well - draining soil most of the time .
Where do Fungus Gnats come from?
An plague of fungus gnat can occur from anywhere but not necessarily out of nowhere . There are tell - story signs of why you have a gnat problem , and they mostly root from sozzled filth that does n’t drain well or over - watering on your part . Rotting leave that are n’t cleaned out like a shot can also lead to an plague .
If you have a freshly purchased plant life and you ’re keeping up with its hygiene , it could come from the bag of potting admixture you ’ve bestow indoors or whatever soil you have on script . The works itself could have eggs or an unknown infestation as well .
Related : How to weewee succulents properly
How to identify Fungus Gnats on succulents?
plain , if you make out one or more of the insects snacking on your plant then that is a major indicator that it ’s been infest . If it ’s hard infested , considerable fortune of the flora might droop by and die in all .
However , even if you do n’t see fungus gnat crawl all over the plant , there are still some tell - tale sign of the zodiac that something is haywire in the form of yellowing leaves , misfortunate growth , loss of energy , and sudden wilt . It might also be a symptom of ancestor rot , sure , but if there are no roots rotting , then the insect might be eat the plant animated instead .
Preventing Fungus Gnats on succulents
As long as there ’s decaying plant matter , you will detect fungus gnat hanging around . Therefore , one of the many fashion of foreclose a fungus gnat infestation is to observe plant hygienics and have full watering habits when energy do to jostle .
Remember to let the soil dry out out whole before the next watering or expend grease with better drainage . Also , do n’t forget to remove disintegrate leaves on your pot or garden since these gnats fee on them as well .
5 natural ways to get rid of Fungus Gnats on succulents
#1. Allow Soil to Dry
The in effect way to kill the larvae and conquer the development of egg of fungus gnat is to countenance your territory to dry out for a depth of 1 - 2 inches . You should not irrigate your grunge until it ’s wry . Egg - laying female are less likely to place their egg on ironical soil as well .
Over - irrigate the works , meanwhile , is your best bet in keeping your succulent infested . Fungus gnats develop like fungi in moistness . Speaking of which , excess water on the pot is also regretful for your succulent ’ wellness because it induce the rotting of its roots in the first place .
#2. Use Dish Soap Spray
To halt a fungus gnat infestation on your succulent without harming the plant itself , do this . blend a few drops of dish washer liquid goop unto a nebulizer bottle full of water then generously spray the affected plants with your goop water supply .
Do this day by day until the insects do n’t show up on your succulent anymore . Sure , you might be concerned about how this keeps your ground moist and makes it ripe for the taking for moisture - make love louse . However , soap water is toxic to insects and will hurt them more than help them .
#3. Put in Cinnamon
Cinnamon is n’t only good for make bread surprisingly delicious . It ’s also an all - instinctive method of getting disembarrass of gadfly and dealing with all sorts of garden issues . It ’s like a panacea or remedy - all when it comes to dealing with succulent protection .
At the very least , it ’s middling good pest command . Just sprinkle the cinnamon liberally around the substructure of the flora on the soil , whether it ’s plant on a plantation owner ’s box , a plot of realm , or on a small pot . damp the cinnamon as well to keep the malarky from blowing it all aside .
#4. Dust with Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth ( DE ) is a means made up of diatom . Diatoms , in act , come in various shapes a la flake . These build also include loads of sharp angle . In other words , they ’re shards that can do loads of harm if they seem in the amiss position . They can rip up up many a fungus gnat to limbo .
These diatoms are so fine and small they ’re adequate to of deflate things at the cellular level . This is handy when cover with bugs , since they ’re so small . DE is deadly to bug because it gets between their exoskeleton joints , thus shredding them up from within .
#5. Introduce Nematodes
You ca n’t get more natural at controlling pesterer populations than using nematode . Nematodes are microscopical roundworms capable of invading fungus gnat larvae in order for them to endure . They ’re also skilful at getting disembarrass of various soil - bear pest like flea , garden eats , and so away .
Meanwhile , they ’re good when in contact with the succulent itself or earthworms that serve in making the soil more arable . They ’re also dependable on you , your family , your pets , and other plants . Nematodes release bacteria that consume gadfly like fungus fly front from within .
Other pests
Other pest comparable to the fungus fly sheet are the aforementioned flea , garden eats , vine weevils , wanderer mitesandmealybugs . Gnats related to the fungus gnat are waste pipe tent-fly or cesspit flies and fruit flies . Fruit tent flap appear whenever you have rotting fruit on your table or your garden . waste pipe fly front fall out when your drainage have issues flushing the gutter water out .
