Wet soil attracts the gnats and they lay their larva in the soil.
Dispose of the old potting medium. Another way is to use those oils in a diffuser placed close to the herbs to discourage fungus gnats and a range of other insects and create an amazing and relaxing atmosphere. Fungus Gnats are terrible! Purchase an insecticide spray that's safe to use on indoor plants to be sure it's not toxic to breathe in. Diatomaceous earth is a natural type of ground-up rock that is great for pest control. Drying out houseplants can also help get rid of the problem once it occurs. Seedlings and younger plants will die, while the older plants could stop growing, causing the leaves to wilt and discolour, and uptake of water and nutrients will slow down. Valencia Higuera is a freelance writer from Chesapeake, Virginia. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. If you don't have an account sign up for an account now. Herbs and other indoor-grown plants that spend their summers outside need to be quarantined for awhile before going back to their usual spot indoors. A biological control is based on the introduction of another living organism (not a liquid, powder, or traps, as discussed before) that thrive on feeding on the unwanted insect (fungus gnats).eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_26',118,'0','0'])); This is quite an effective method, although not very common, as does require some attention. This simple truth is applicable to the vast majority of houseplants and especially herbs. When using a steamer pot, the principles are the same: add moist, heat the soil and let the steam kill all gnats and gnats eggs. At the same time, fungus gnats are more common around houseplants and animals. Moreover, if dry, the soil will suck water from the bottom, making the situation worse (as you are essentially watering twice the plant). Females mate within a few hours after leaving the pupa and begin laying eggs already after a few days. Also, I usually apply such solutions at night or once I wake up. Place the second part upside down on top of the bottom part of the bottle (the lid pointing down). Hence, substances found in nature and not produced almost from scratch. Inspect the plants often for signs of gnat activity, and don't move them until the plants have been gnat-free for a month. Moist potting soil is prime real estate to a fungus gnat female looking for a nice place to lay her eggs. Diatomaceous earth material is classified as an insecticide, and you should not use it on edible herbs. If your plant is infested with bugs, it’s best to not bring it inside. Although they don’t bite or sting, plant lovers don’t like them because they love to crawl and creep around on our plants and in our growing media. How to sterilize potting soil mix and avoid fungus gnats. When the soil is starting to cool down, I will let the hot water drain out of pots and let it slowly dry and cool off. If possible separate from the others the affected plants to avoid spreading. Keep these areas sprayed with insect killer. Media containing high levels of organic matter also favour the spreading of this pest. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. In most cases, house plants are the culprit.