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Neem oil or Hydrogen peroxide


kbob11

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I have about 18 seedlings that I have brought in for the winter and I am noticing an increasing amount of fungus gnats crawling around in the soil.  I am trying to avoid scraping the top layer of soil off and adding sand because some of these palms are just beginning to develop roots.  I was wondering if I should saturate the soil with a Neem oil mix or Hydrogen peroxide.  I have mostly Needles, Trachy F, Trachy W, and Sabal Palmettos under a grow light in 14" cones.  Thank you!  

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I am monitoring this thread, as I have also brought my stuff in...

"Ph'nglui mglw'napalma Funkthulhu R'Lincolnea wgah'palm fhtagn"
"In his house at Lincoln, dread Funkthulhu plants palm trees."

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I agree with @Laaz. If fungus gnats are that big of a problem you are probably overwatering and and are growing your plants in muck. If the plants were mine, I would repot them with fresh, very well draining mix and add add'l perlite, pumice or similar coarse material. Avoid the cheap black potting soil sold in discount stores. Rinse the old contaminated soil off of roots. Use new or sanitized pots. Resist the urge to overwater or force a watering schedule on your plants. More plants die of overwatering than thirst.

Of course, that's just me because I would detest bringing the little varmints into my house. I don't even keep houseplants anymore.

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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13 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

 

Of course, that's just me because I would detest bringing the little varmints into my house. I don't even keep houseplants anymore.

 

I dont bring anything into my house either as no matter what I do they bring pests in with them. Gave a chamaerodea radicalis to a coworker weeks ago and she is still finding little bugs here and there. If I'm going to do a houseplant it will only be inside as once its outside it will either get planted or be left out...

LOWS 16/17 12F, 17/18 3F, 18/19 7F, 19/20 20F

Palms growing in my garden: Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Chamaerops Humilis var. Cerifera, Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, Sabal Palmetto 

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13 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

 Resist the urge to overwater or force a watering schedule on your plants. More plants die of overwatering than thirst.

I think I will just tone down the watering routine for a bit and see if the bugs dissipate.  I have a well draining mix and have been watering once a week.  I have probably not been letting the soil dry out enough.  

Living in MA, I am pretty much forced to have house-palms.  Hopefully someday soon my Needles will be big enough to stay outside.

 

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13 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

 Resist the urge to overwater or force a watering schedule on your plants. More plants die of overwatering than thirst.

 

I think I will just tone down the watering routine for a bit and see if the bugs dissipate.  I have a well draining mix and have been watering once a week.  I have probably not been letting the soil dry out enough.  

Living in MA, I am pretty much forced to have house-palms.  Hopefully someday soon my Needles will be big enough to stay outside.

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For those of us in a climate where outside = death in winter, this year I gave all my outdoorsy types a good spritz of Neem and a bit of dilute Dawn solution in the week before they came inside.  This may be the first year I had no stowaways.  Well, one big black fly, but that was just a sky-raisin for the cats...

"Ph'nglui mglw'napalma Funkthulhu R'Lincolnea wgah'palm fhtagn"
"In his house at Lincoln, dread Funkthulhu plants palm trees."

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4 hours ago, mdsonofthesouth said:

 

I dont bring anything into my house either as no matter what I do they bring pests in with them. Gave a chamaerodea radicalis to a coworker weeks ago and she is still finding little bugs here and there. If I'm going to do a houseplant it will only be inside as once its outside it will either get planted or be left out...

I got news for your co-worker: if she has houseplants she will eventually end up with 6- and 8-legged invaders. They find their way into the most sterile house even if the plant arrives bug-free. I fought mealybugs, scale and spider mites on my houseplants for years.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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1 hour ago, Funkthulhu said:

For those of us in a climate where outside = death in winter, this year I gave all my outdoorsy types a good spritz of Neem and a bit of dilute Dawn solution in the week before they came inside.  This may be the first year I had no stowaways.  Well, one big black fly, but that was just a sky-raisin for the cats...

 

OMG sky raisins....about wet my self on that one! I need a cat to eat all the bugs especially spiders. Wolf spiders are big around here and this is the time of year I kill the most inside. Was thinking a Maine coon or something dog like.

 

14 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I got news for your co-worker: if she has houseplants she will eventually end up with 6- and 8-legged invaders. They find their way into the most sterile house even if the plant arrives bug-free. I fought mealybugs, scale and spider mites on my houseplants for years.

 

Oh I know it especially with the addition I kill about 1 to 5 BIG spiders a day this time of year. Southern pest control has a special where they try to seal up your house better that I may take advantage of soon as the work is done here.

LOWS 16/17 12F, 17/18 3F, 18/19 7F, 19/20 20F

Palms growing in my garden: Trachycarpus Fortunei, Chamaerops Humilis, Chamaerops Humilis var. Cerifera, Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, Sabal Palmetto 

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We recently fought fungus gnats on our plants. I must say it requires a lot of patience to get rid of them! We tried vinegar trap and beneficial nematodes. These methods were quite helpful but gave us a temporary relief. After a few months we again faced this problem and this time we decided to consult the professional pest exterminator to know which chemical spray can be used to kill these houseplant insects. They suggested to use biological insecticide and repeat the application every five days until the gnats are eradicated. This was quite effective.

 

Edited by CarolineWard
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