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Knats


Born

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What is the best and safest method for the palms to kill knats? I have many knats on my top layer of soil on all my palms that are in pots in my house.

Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

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Topcoat with sand or clay pebbles. The sand was an issue for me, it ended up clogging all of the drainage holes in my pots. 

Beneficial Nematodes

Sticky traps 

Add some Mosquito Bits to your water 

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I assume you mean fungus gnats. You are probably overwatering your plants and the gnats are reproducing in the soggy soil. How well does your potting soil drain? What is the composition of your potting soil? You need a loose, well draining medium that gets moist but not soggy or mucky. Water when the top 1" of soil is dry. Never let pots sit in trays of water. Any tips for dealing with gnats such as diotomaceous earth do not solve the problem that caused them in the first place.

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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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I only water when the soil is dry; testing with my finger down to the knuckle.

The knat infestation began when I left my two trachy’s and two Phoenix outside all day. The next morning I went into the living room and saw a bunch of gnats. I didn’t think much of it until the next day when there were a whole bunch more. 
 

I went to Lowe’s and sprayed Garden Safe Organic Insecticidal Soap on the earth. The gnats immediately died and there is no insect activity that I can see. However, there may be larvae in the earth.

I will keep a watch on them for a while. 

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My soil is 1/2 potting soil and 1/2 perlite. It is very well-draining soil. When I water, I give each tree a warm shower and let drain in the shower. Then I move them into their places throughout the home where appropriate. 

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Insecticidal soap isn't gonna get rid of them. 

 

Ask me how I know lol. 

 

Nematodes and the mosquito bits will kill the larvae in your soil. Topdressing keeps them from laying eggs in your soil. 

 

I've got about 35 indoor plants between my office and my apartment. I'm speaking from experience here. 

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@JohnAndSancho,

I just purchased Mosquito Bits from Amazon. 
Thank you!

Edited by Born
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23 minutes ago, Born said:

@JohnAndSancho,

I just purchased Mosquito Bits from Amazon. 
Thank you!

Let them soak in water for about 24 hrs then water your plants with them. It might take a few treatments but the bacteria will kill the larva and keep them from growing. 

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With the amount of gnat infestation and lack of soil drainage, I decided to completely start over with my soil medium. 
 

I cleaned out all the drenched soil and sanitized the pots. I then purchased Reptibark, Perlite, and potting mix. I created a well-draining medium mix for all my palms. 

I placed Mosquito Disks in a pantyhose liner and let them soak in a large watering bucket. So now when I water, I introduce Bacillus Thuringiensis Subspecies Israelensis straight into the mix. 

I have attached photos for your review. 
 

C2926A78-033F-457E-9157-5638A6769C16.jpeg

647488B3-E2AC-44D8-B499-02234B1804ED.jpeg

7BAAA953-3DAF-4358-B6A4-FAA9A870A264.jpeg

A577E3EF-F6A4-4F3F-8BA4-CC422883EC7B.jpeg

232DF60E-718C-48AA-BC42-C2D554F9F766.jpeg

25B6AE22-1649-4DF9-B002-3FF68582B80B.jpeg

Edited by Born
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@Born I keep forgetting to bring my mosquito water into the office, so I did more googling. Hydrogen Peroxide diluted with water is also supposed to kill the larvae so I made a Target run and grabbed some. They got really bad in my office so I didn't even dilute it. I should know in a couple days if that worked too. 

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