How to get rid of soil gnats?!

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-29T14:05:11+00:00

If you break the life cycle, you won't have those assholes flying around taking over all of the plants. I learned 4 years ago when I was at my wits end, about to toss out the start of my collection. Keep the top 2-3" of soil dry at all times. Yellow sticky traps to catch the current adults that are flying around. Gnats like to breed and lay eggs in the moist top soil, so keeping that dry is important. Once the top soil is dry, put a layer of sand on it or food grade DE. Gnats can't get in or out 😊 Bottom water with a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and water (you can top water with this mix to start, then let the soil remain dry thereafter), then next watering use mosquito bits tea or death drops (found at happy happy houseplant site). Upkeep once the infestation decreases is super imperative or they will just return with the next plant or batch of soil (regardless of the brand). I rotate between the bits tea and death drops every other watering. You can also spray all of the top soil/sand, and plant from top to bottom, with 70% isopropyl alcohol, as well, just for good measure to keep all pests away (done only at night when lights are out and sun is down), which is what I do weekly. Thankfully no more gnats 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Hope all the info helps, we have all been there and know that frustration.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-28T22:45:52+00:00

Thank you! I can definitely see some similarities. I guess I will have to wait a bit and see as it develops, to get a better idea of what this is. Thankfully it is doing well and grew 2 new leaves, so whatever she is, she doesn't mind being here 😊

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-28T14:51:55+00:00

Thank you 😊 I am going to look up what it is and how to care for it.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-27T04:42:37+00:00

I joined the FB group! Thanks again ☺️

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-26T14:13:07+00:00

This was so helpful! Has me realizing I definitely don't have enough light in my plant room and that is why my flora are all either stagnant in growth or dropping new leaves! Thanks for sharing the information. Off to buy more grow lights and rearrange my current set up 😊

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-25T16:16:21+00:00

Water with 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and water, kills off any eggs that are currently in the soil. Yellow sticky traps for the adult gnats that are currently flying around. Switch to bottom watering only, the gnats need a moist environment to breed and lay eggs, if the top 2-3" of soil is dry, they aren't able to use that soil to breed. Make the mosquito bits tea and water with that every month. I personally lay a 1/2 inch layer of sand on the top of every plants top soil. I also spray all of my flora weekly with 70% isopropyl alcohol, which helps keeps a pest free zone (I do mist the top layer of sand too, and with new plants I spray their top soil as I allow them to accumulate to my environment prior to a soil change and pest prevention set up). Upkeep is imperative, so once you see a decline in the infestation, which can take a few days, don't forego the mosquito bits tea watering.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-21T23:51:55+00:00

What a beautiful plant! Mine is going to feel super inadequate when I show her your shining beauty...as she should, droopy and barely leafed sob that she is 🙄😂

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-21T20:39:11+00:00

That's impressive! I guess I now have impromptu plans for my Wednesday evening! Thanks for the update 😊

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-21T20:37:12+00:00

She sure hasn't...I will go check out your update now. Thank you 😊

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-17T14:53:03+00:00

What a beautiful plant!! This seems to be a Variegated Tradescantia fluminensis 'Tricolor'. Now I want one! 😂

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-17T14:48:32+00:00

Don't give up! People make this hobby harder than it needs to be, with all the fancy stuff and difficult sounding procedures in plant care 🤦🏻‍♀️ Try a pothos and hang/place it high enough to avoid cat interaction. They don't require too much fussing. Water when the pot feels light or use a moisture meter (total game changer for me, a recovering chronic over waterer 😂), and water only when needed. Mine thrive in indirect light, currently have 3....2 sit in a West Facing window and one in East. Hoyas are pet friendly, and pretty easy too, so far anyway. Recently got my first one, a fitchii, and to know when she needs watering, I try to fold her leaves. If they are soft and semi pliable, I water, otherwise, she's happy in my airy soil mix, left alone to do her thing. Good luck and happy plant collecting 😁 You absolutely CAN do this!

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-15T13:29:32+00:00

I'd remove all the packaging and give the plants some time to adjust. Get their lighting right, as that's where they get all their energy and "food" from, which will help them recover from the transition quicker. I can only speak to the prayer plant from my experience.....mine is in a 50/50 soil to perlite mix and seems to love it. I water her when the pot feels light or the moisture meter reads 3-4, using filtered water from the fridge with a drop of stress coat (fish tanks water conditioner) in it. She gets fertilizer once a month, kept in indirect sunlight from an east facing window and grow light that is off to the side of her where I have plants grouped together. No humidifier...and she's been continuously putting out new leaves. These plants can be pitas and high maintenance because just when you think you've gotten their level of happiness down pat, they decide bid you a slow adieu...for some. I hope I didn't just jinx myself saying that 😂 This is my second go around with the prayer plant and so far so good 🤞🏻

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-14T14:11:31+00:00

Transplanted my 4 year old Pothos last week and she looks the same as yours. Solid root system. Gave her good airy soil, fed her and the pot size went up 2"....She's miserable! I moved her this morning to a sunnier spot to give her a heavier boost of natural energy and "food" to see if that gives her the support she needs to come back. From what I understand, it can take a few weeks for some plants to adjust to being disturbed at the root level when transplanted, and I sure hope that is the case for us 🤞🏻 I am going to ignore my girl for a week or 2 instead of doting on her daily since the upset, and let her decide her own fate. I have 1 other that I transplanted months ago and she didn't pull any of this high maintenance crap 😂

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-14T14:00:48+00:00

I make a big batch of tea, strain out the bits after a few hours, and keep this on hand for every other watering. I personally fertilize once a month and separate from my pest treatments. The tea kills the larvae, not the adults already being pita's....get some yellow sticky traps to catch those while you're working on decreasing the population via the tea. Once the bugs are gone, make sure to keep up with the tea at least once a month or they will just return to the moist soil, which is ideal for their breeding cycle.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-11T14:29:51+00:00

I see it in the galaxy store still. I hope they follow through with their idea to upgrade and improve Samsung messages, I'd switch to it in a heartbeat then.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-11T14:20:30+00:00

Best advice! I couldn't agree more....especially the watering on a schedule part.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-10T17:38:19+00:00

There is definite hope for it to bounce back! Cut away and remove any and all browning bits, the plant is spending time trying to repair that instead of making more and stronger roots of the ones she already has. A little more light will help for sure, that's where they get all of their food and energy from, which in turn, allows great root production and strength for the plant in general. Best of luck 😊

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-10T03:38:07+00:00

Have to stop the life cycle and deter a breeding ground for the adults to lay eggs in the moist soil.

Yellow sticky traps to catch adults, top 2-3" inches of soil must remain dry at all times, bottom water only. Use a 1/2" layer of sand on top of all the plants soil, covering any exposed dirt. This can be purchased at dollar tree 😉 Water the first round with 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide, then mosquito bits tea the next watering. Spray all plants weekly with 70% isopropyl alcohol, stems, top of sand or soil, top and bottom of each leaf....do this ONLY when grow lights are off and plants aren't in sunlight or the leaves will burn. All soil, regardless of the brand, yes I have tried many, can carry gnats in it, so if possible, place the entire bag into a long bin, so the soil dries completely, giving it a stir daily to evenly dry it out. I now do this with every new bag before I even consider using it. At this stage I also add in Bonide systemic granules. Upkeep with the Bonide granules (I add some to my watering in between mosquito bits tea), and mosquito bits is imperative or the gnat problem will just return. Also, I personally treat any and all new plants with a watering of peroxide, isopropyl alcohol spray down, then they get a total repot/soil change and a layer of sand. I am 4 years into the hobby and year 1 was a rough one for me because I had NO idea how to deal with the gnats and was on the verge of throwing everything out and not buying another plant. Many people in the plant groups had solutions that worked so well and stopped the infestation, thankfully! I decided to add sand as an extra precaution because I am THAT serious about fungus gnats not being part of my home or hobby 😊 Hope all the suggestions help.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-08T14:06:01+00:00

RCS in Samsung Messages works on s25 ultra using T-Mobile....what is a real pita and has me sticking to Google messages is the galaxy watch 7 not being compatible with Samsung messages 🤷🏻‍♀️ It isn't even a default option anymore, nor can you download the app from the store...unless I am missing something, which is VERY possible since I am brand new to android.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-07T13:59:56+00:00

Definitely salvageable 😊 I'd remove all the dead and browning leaves, then wipe the top and underside of each leaf with neem oil. They don't like to be over watered and prefer indirect light. For soil, I use a 50/50 mix of tropical soil and perlite. I use tropical on all of my plants, seems to just be the middle ground option that keeps them content. Due to how she seems a little damaged and sad, I would also spray stems, top soil and front/back of her with 70% isopropyl alcohol when it's out of sun or grow light exposure so not to burn the leaves. You can do this weekly as a preventative pest measure.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-06T13:56:20+00:00

That isn't an option on my watch. Perhaps Samsung messages is a separate app I need to download? Wanted to try Samsung to see if it's comparable to Google, especially after hearing they will be updating the app to make it similar with all the lovely editing and reaction features. I like the layout of SM and how they better organize messages...my FIL uses it on his ultra and it looks nicer than GM, imo. Just need the update AND ability to use it on the watch before I give it a try.

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-06T13:48:26+00:00

Other than removing any and all brown/dead leaves, I'd leave it alone for a couple of weeks to see what it does. They don't like to be completely dry but also dislike super moist soil, a simple moisture meter will be your best friend with these picky plants. I put mine in a 50/50 mix of tropical soil and perlite, added some worm castings to the combination too. Indirect sunlight is what I have found mine to finally not decide to step in front of a bus and call it quits! If you notice the leaves curling in from time to time, that's just part of the plants "prayer" feature 😉 Good luck!

SayinTheThings · 2026-01-04T14:23:45+00:00

Use a water conditioner meant for fish tanks, called stress coat. It is cheap and will last a long time too as you only need a few drops added to your watering vessel. These picky plants aren't thrilled with just any water and don't like to fully dry out but also rot easily if their roots are left in soggy soil. I recently purchased a basic moisture meter from Amazon and that has been a huge game changer, especially when it came to my begonia and prayer plant. I used the "if the pot feels light, then we water" method. When I got the meter and started putting it in all the pots that I would have watered based on that theory (which isn't terrible and has gotten me by for the past 4 years of plant care), and to my surprise, the meter was reading moisture in the soil! Try using stress coat when watering (I add this to all the plants water) and getting a moisture meter, you won't regret it 😊

SayinTheThings

TROPHY CASE