This is what I have been doing: I save dried egg shells that have been put through a dedicated coffee grinder. Then I mix with en equal part of sand and sprinkle about 1/2 inch thick on the top of the plant soil. Before I do that I water the top soil with a solution of 3 parts water and 1 part hydrogen peroxide. This will work on the larvae and the egg shell mixture works in two ways; the hatched larvae will struggle to get to the surface and if any others are flying around they will find it hard to penetrate this scratchy mixture. I also keep a small container of water beside a night light during the night and they go in there for the moisture and often drown in doing so. And your suggestion of watering on the bottom completes it. These pests come in through the tiny holes of window and door screens too so can’t always blame the plant suppliers. Hope this helps someone as houseplant gardening can be so enjoyable.
I bottom water as well, the top dress holding moisture under the mulch layer is enough to house fungus gnats. I top water Bacillus thuringiensis to eliminate the larvae. Over watering isn't always the case, they love organic material breaking down.
So I never had fungus nats until I brought a peace lily plant home from my father in laws funeral. It's obviously a plant with a root ball that likes to grow to the edges of the pot. I only have 3 other plants/pots. I having 1 aloe vera plant. A 2 tiered stacked planter with 7 different types of cactus' in that. And 1 mother-in-laws tongue plant. Those 3 don't seem to be affected or that I can tell, but I'm sure they are. Clearly the cactus and aloe those don't need as much watering. I live in North Carolina which is extremely humid most of the yr. In winter months it does get cool, which seems extra cold when your not used to it. So the heat has been running quite a bit helping keep the plant soil dry n drying it faster than usual. I wish I could post pics of the peace lily plant as it is quite large and is in a quite large pot. How would I bottom water the 2 plants I have in these bigger pots? And I have just been using Miracle Grow all purpose potting soil. What kind of soil would work best for each of these plants? Thanks in advance!
@@rachaelkopp3792 I either move plants to a big tub with water in it and let them soak up the water, then drain any excess. Or, I sit the plant in a plant tray and put water in that. If the plant is very big and hard to move, use a plastic syringe to suck up any excess water the plant doesn't take up. I hope this helps.
I have 100+ plants and I took your advice and started bottom watering a couple months ago.. not only did it WORK but there's something so satisfying about the whole process! Like watching the water level go down while your plant drinks.. watching the water meter jump the second you hit 1 inch into soil.. feeling the heaviness of the pot when you take it out.. using multiple containers of different sizes and rotating pots in and out and feeling all efficient lol.. Seeing dry soil on top and visualizing moisturized roots hiding below feels so devishly good mwahhahahaa screw you gnats!! It does take a little longer to water overall but SO worth not having ugly window tape with nasty bugs or bright ass yellow traps uglifying your pretty plants. THANK YOU SO MUCH and btw I'm SO happy u got your IG back!! 💚
Im happy to hear! I love bottom watering too and its one method that truly saturates the soil evenly, this means happier roots. But be sure to top water every few months in case theres mineral buildup from fertilizer in the soil that needs to be flushed away 😌
This was really helpful, Sean! I've been leaving my plants sit in water way too long. You explain things so well, and I love knowing the why and watching you actually do the things! (And as always, I love your sense of humor and side comments 😉.) Thanks so much!!
Wow, thank you for not holding the payoff of your title until the last 3min. I get that there's an algorithm, but man, I can't stand when I'm looking for answers and I have to skip around a 20min video to get it. Honestly, I'm going to watch every second of your video to thank you for getting down into the answer in the first 2min.
Best way to get rid of gnats in house plants: 1. Repot with new soil (even in existing pot). Throw the soil in a garbage bag and seal tightly, to dispose of eggs, larva and junior gnats in the soil. 2. Spray roots with Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap. Make sure to spray in the remaining soil on the roots. 3. Refill pot with new soil, making about 1.5 inches for room on the top of soil for sand. 4. Add a thick layer of 1.5” - 2” of sand. Pat down to keep it tightly packed. 5. Water the plant. If sand moves to expose soil, add more sand at the top. I tried everything and couldn’t get rid of gnats in my plants, until I tried this method with sand. This worked, no more gnats going on 2 months. Gnats can’t dig into tightly packed sand, nor can larvae or gnats crawl up through the sand if packed tightly.
Trained gardener here. I can say only what I was taught during my apprenticeship, and that is that fungus gnat larvae do indeed attack the roots of plants. but the gardening world, even - or especially - among professionals is one of contradictory opinions, so take that with a grain of salt. And there might even be contradictory evidence out there because nature has a tendency to act in unpredictable ways. There's lots of factors playing into everything that happens and we don't always comprehend all of them. Also a way of getting rid of fungus gnats that i see here in my country is nematodes. their larvae actually prey on the gnat larvae and kill them before they can even get out of the soil. As for bottom watering needing to be interchanged, that is not true. At the nursery i worked at we had big bottom watering systems and about 80% of all our plants were bottom watered throughout their entire life cycle until we sold them. We used big basins that were already enriched with fertilizer, so the plants were fertilized with every watering. Of course the intensity of the fertilizer has to be adjusted accordingly for this as to not be too strong and cause root burn or salt deposits in the soil. But it can absolutely be done, and it's done very effectively at many nurseries.
Omg thank you so much for sharing. I would love to visit different nurseries to learn how plants are mass produced and cared for in a commercial setting! Please do share more about your experience in future video comments! They offer a such good perspective
@@onlyplants when u come to SG - definitely get the mosquito bits, we have them in supermarkets, plant shops. will try to use both top / bottom watering. i am trying out other ways - (using leftover used tea leaves) and recently STARXLE G (which is like coloured sand) which you are to sprinkle onto soil (or mix into soil when potting). nurseries are recommending them too (as they used it as form of control)
Unfortunately nematodes are expensive where I am, so I'm going to try mosquito bits - just waiting for it to arrive in the mail. My infestation is massive 😭 I will try this method with the bottom watering. wish me luck
Ok I'm baaaaaaack! I immediately started bottom watering after watching this video AND IT WORKS!!!! It cleared up all the things flying arnd my plants!!!!! Il never go back to watering the top of a pot EVER!!!! Thank you xoxox
That wasn't a bad joke at all Sean, you made me LOL at free wifi in our nose and ears! hahahahahaha I think The whiskey was making you feel really good too. You made me laugh several times. You are adorable!
Mine too but I hate how they look. Maybe it would make sense to have 1 or 2 sticky traps for diagnostic purposes, and once you see gnat do the bottom watering
7:20 hahahaha!! all the Russell Peters bits come to mind immediately! I have an extensive amount of bonsais, especially seedlings, and bottom watering is my preferred method. However I used to let the water soak through all the way to the top, since the drainage with my soil is fantastic there is no problem whatsoever for the plant. Now we have some of these damn gnats all around and they start to creep into my seedling corner which makes my alarm go off. I have tried various methods from different countries too and so far nothing has really worked and just like with you, mosquito bits for example are not available in my part of the world. Today I was thinking of bottom watering just bellow the "habitat" quarter for these bastards. Just before the water bubbles to the top. And now with your video, you mention that exact process. I'll see how that works out. It's good to hear you say they inhabit the top layer since I was wondering how low they burrow. So bottom watering just before the last quarter of soil should do it. My wife also has some large plants of hers in our living room and she's too lazy to bottom water (or replant) just as I am too lazy to do it for her all the time, these are laaaarge pots. So our laziness has led to somehow spark an infestation through some outside source and now it's taken hold of the house. Naturally my bonsais have become the new prime target since the soil is constantly moist. So I'm going for a new approach here: I'll use sand for our big "normal" plants to cover the top layer with this dry sort of soil. For the bonsais I'll adjust the bottom watering to stop just before the top layer. I hope this will do the trick before I have to resort to more... "drastic"(?) measures? Can you imagine my peaceful zen, everything has to be in the right place and balance, harmony and whatnot, moment, and suddenly there are these bums buzzing around? Makes a guy go Samurai.. Just imagine me swearing in Japanese all the time I see them. I can recommend anyone, just like you, to really use bottom watering more often. It really is healthy among a plethora of other benefits and once you do it a couple of times you DO get a feel for what pot fills up at what speed. Wish you all the best and good luck in our seemingly worldwide fight against gnats, lol.
"Free Wi-Fi" 😂😂 New sub here. Thanks for a super informative video. I'm a year into my plant journey and am still recovering from the trauma of the infestation that descended on my home from the onset. Brought my plant accumulation to a screeching halt at 25 plants and the loss of 3. All is under control now as I spent the year catching my breath and learning how to care for what I have. A tribe of 22. This season I only replaced the 3 and propagated some. I'm enjoying watching my babies grow. IF I come across something that lights me up I'm open to adding one or two for this season. I've learnt a lot as a plant parent to where I feel next season I'll be able to expand my tribe thoughtfully and with intention. Thanks again for sharing. Loving the science behind it all.🙏
Wow you write so well. Thank you so much for taking the time. I am over my threshold of how many plants I can care for properly and have a balanced life. I will make some adjustments soon. Im happy to hear there are people like you who exercise a healthy self-control with plants. 🤓
I have 52 plants - 15 of them are orchids (some are over 30 years old) and I've only encountered fungus gnats recently. Bottom watering is hardly an option and repotting all those plants seems almost punitive. Sticky traps are in all my plants and I've cut back on watering (although I've never been an over-waterer) After reading some of the comments the plan is to top-dress with finely ground eggshells, sand and diatomaceous earth in conjunction with inserting funnels to facilitate watering deeply. Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. I feel your pain
I tried the egg shells & I would not recommend it at all. If anything, I would rather invest In small pebbles, even at the $1 store, just wash them very well first and then put one layer on top of the soil. It helps prevent them from getting into the soil
I thoroughly enjoyed this instructional video....fungus gnats are so annoying & this gentleman has given me tools to "deal" with the problem, including acceptance
I started bottom watering my plants a few weeks ago and thanks to your audio clip, I know now that I had a gnat problem! Initially I thought they were just...mosquitos? I haven't heard the buzzing since not top watering :D I can seep in peace haha I can def vouch for this method -this is my pestimony lol
When you are rooting cuttings, initially the medium has to be fully moist. You can then let the top dry out, while maintaining moisture deeper in the container. If you need to replenish that moisture, bottom watering is the way to go, of course.
I've been bottom watering for the past 12 months but still have fungus gnats. I also put a layer of fine pumice around the top of the soil to stop them from getting in - that didn't work either. This is a new problem in Australia as I've been growing indoor ferns for 40 years and had never even heard of fungus gnats till about 3 years ago.
I use the hydrogen peroxide method and sprinkle cinnamon on top of the soil, plus I keep sticky traps in every pot. I haven’t had any issues since I started doing that.
Was that a mosquito noise,because that's what noise they make..you can't hear them when they are flying around in front of you,but as soon as one goes past your ear they make that crazy little buzzing noise.. Oh well whatever they are they are a pain in the ass 🤣🤣🤣🤣..Fungus gnats love your compost heap or any veg peelings or rotting leaves,stuff like that.. Great video,really enjoyed your style,laid back & funny..Thankyou for putting in the work to help educate & help us,really appreciate it..Take care✌🏼☮✌🏼☮
Great information! I occasionally have a fungus gnat problem, then I bottom water and they do disappear! I have yellow sticky traps in the soil of my more moist plants. Thank you!
The war on fungus gnats is real. I had a bad infestation because I was a little bit of a helicopter plant mom and overwatered. I tried nearly all the diy solutions. Only thing that worked was the sticky traps and diatomaceous earth. Water with the d.e. and that nooks the whole situation.
@@SunnyNguyen a bit of a late reply, but Both work. Put it on the top of your soil to prevent them getting into your soil, and if you have them in your soil then water with diatomaceous earth to kill them.
I'm watching this because there are a million gnats buzzing around my front porch. I have a row of bushes that gnats are living in. We have a lot of drizzling rain this spring. I guess I'll have to live with it until summer and things dry up. Just an FYI, you don't need a gadget to measure how high the water filled the pot, it will go at least as high as you fill the basin.
Thank you for showing the bottom water method. I've never done it. The layer of playground sand on top of soil worked for me. Just make sure there's no soil visible for them to burrow threw. Unfortunately our outdoor crop is bout 50 yards from swamp so best thing I can think of so far is to plant mint in as covercrop next year & cross my fingers 🤞🏽🤞🏽
YES!!! to bottom watering video. I could use your knowledge on how to bottom water properly indoor plants such as Pothos, Scindapsus and Philodendrons. I use this method and it works very well for me in preventing gnats and keeps roots healthy from root rot, I tend to over water :)
You're very interesting to listen to, thanks for taking the time to explain this stuff to us! This is very helpful. And funny. Lol. I almost got a fungus gnat up my nose the other day, so I feel this 😂
I've noticed a bit of an issue recently with gnats, so I'm attempting to switch to bottom watering to (hopefully) eradicate them. There's also a few cellar spiders nearby the plants so I think it's thanks to them that the gnat population isn't worse than it is. (I have some tomato plants that I'm keeping inside for the time being, so unfortunately letting the soil dry out completely isn't exactly an option) Thanks for the tips!
When I got a fungus gnat infestation, I went into full battle mode. I went psycho. I'm pretty sure they got introduced through an orchid mix purchase at Home Depot that I started using as part of my soil mix. I did pretty much EVERYTHING that anyone on UA-cam suggested: changed soil, peroxide drench, mosquito bite tea, sand on top of soil, sticky traps and drying out between waterings. I'd say it worked, but for a few stray gnats THAT DROVE ME INSANE. I reminded myself that this is a process and went to yoga to chill out. I bought this contraption called Katchy on Amazon, and I have to say, it bagged the warrior gnats that were still flying around. I haven't seen any flying gnats since Katchy showed up. So, since I can't leave well enough alone...today I set up a gnat triage station and started pawing through the top inches of my plant pots......I didn't see any gnats, or anything crawly. I did another 4:1 peroxide drench, changed out the soil and bottom watered everything with nutrients and mosquito bite tea. If I don't post again soon, you'll know that the gnats returned and I jumped out of my window.
Thank You for the info! I do bottom watering but I keep them in the water too long so now I am going to leave them in for only 2-3 minutes. When you started talking about the gnats skating on the Vaseline, I lost it!!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂" My gnats are special!" 😂😂😂😂😂 Man, that whiskey hit you hard!!😂😂😂😂😂 I loved this video from all of them! (Whiskey needed on all your videos!! lol) You got me crying of laughter over here!! Thank You so much! Just wanted to pick on you a bit no harm done!! Much love and Respect!!😜😜😜
@@onlyplants I just want to let you know also that I love your videos!! I watch them all the time and I also go over them again when I forget stuff. so thank you again for everything!
I agree with his method. I bottom water too, top soil of my plants look bone dry, no gnats and my plants are happy. I let them dry out between waterings too :). It has help me a lot with gnats and root rot/damage.
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but w/ the vinegar in ur beaker, you’re suppose to put plastic wrap over it w/ holes poked into it. That forces them to stay in the bottle. (Even tho you have better solutions I still wanted to mention it!) *love ur videos btw!! 🥰
I reckon reduced watering is more important than bottom watering. If gnats can get through small cracks in windows and doors then they can easily find access to the moist bottom of whatever plastic or terracotta container you are using via a hole on the bottom or loose top soil. Bottom watering and a top layer of sand can help. I find nematodes to be the most effective solution.
Bottom watering helps but if they’ve already been breeding it gets tougher. I found the best solution was to put a thin layers of sand on top, it stops them from laying eggs. Some plants might not thrive with sand on top, so you may need to remove it once the infestation is gone.
Thank you for useful info! What has worked for me follows. Battled fungus gnats for a couple years. Finally found the best for me was 2-FOLD. STEP ONE: a certain method of bottom watering - where I use a WICK - a shoe lace for me - but many other strings work. Sometimes I use plain cotton string. The wick is always in water, I just refill the reservoir (a glass, a bottle, whatever, multiple plants can share on water tank.) Plants are never too wet. Play around with how many wicks you need for big pots or certain kinds of plants (cactus vs fern vs palm - you have to keep checking until you know they're getting what they need. Then leave it alone). Either wick up bottom of pot or into top - both worked for me - but top wicks must be covered with sand in step 2. STEP TWO: SAND. I filter some playbox sand through a cheap drain screen (like small window screen for keeping out mosquitoes) so the fine sand is gone - and I keep the coarser sand to add as a top layer of ALL my plants. (Fine sand compacts too hard when wet.) Rocks or gravel fail because there are still crevices gnats climb through. The larva can't seem to come up through the slightly coarse sand - and the adults don't seem to want to lay eggs in the sand. If wick watering, the sand never gets disturbed and rarely gets moist. NEVER TOP WATER THE SAND. Top watering with sand will fail - as the dirt will mix and the gnats will party again. Two a couple years I was gnat free. I didn't repot any plants during the entire time - because all the soil I could buy was infested. Just a couple weeks ago, I had to repot - I was losing plants to being rootbound. And guess what? The new soil - despite solarizing it on a south facing 130 degree black roof for 2 months - still had viable gnat eggs!!! Grr. So I will restart my method again - sand and wicks. I'd dismantled it when I was free from gnats for 2 years. Live and learn! I love your channel! Subscribed. Love your gentle humor too! The captions get me laughing. (The free / Asian comment you posted made me think I could be Asian despite me being ridiculously pasty and northern European looking! But I'm not that lucky - I guess I'm just a wanna-be.) PS: I rejected the products mosquito bits / Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis strain EG2215 etc. Search for medical studies of "rare" infections after influenza and then search for the regulatory agency approvals and removals in the US. Often, even if the BT isn't the culprit, 90% of the other ingredients in the product ARE troubling. Plus, BT contains bacterial proteins which can cause sensitization in those exposed to it frequently - causing allergic reactions. Not worth the risks for me. I'll stick with your and my methods instead. :-)
So glad I stumbled onto your video and now convinced this is what I’ll have to do for awhile…. I brought my plants in bf a frost, close to 100… AND THEN HELL BROKE LOSE!! .. is about the correct way to put it.. I did the Neem oil and sticky tape and the smell was atrocious.. then peroxide, no help!! Then Mosquito Bits, a lot of help but they didn’t hesitate to live on…. I’m in South USA and well humidity is our middle name and by now plants were pretty drenched…. So, I’m like the guy I read that said, “hell no, I’ve got Raid” (insect spray)!!! No, but I did use Ortho Home as I fluffed up the soil around my plants and they were still there!!!! By now, it’s whatever plant lives through this..(and I have more outside!!). Until you have fluffed your soil and seen the live crawling things, is when I hit the point of INSECTICIDE!!!! Now, I’m lucky enough to have a dehumidifier, so have been running that to dry out the soil along with a fan and grow lights…. With the bottom watering way, well, that just might qualify me as a slight expert on this issue, especially living in the South!!! Sry so long but as you can see, you’re not the only one that can run on…… Again, thank you for your video and I think/hope we will survive 😎👍 (I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you on other videos…. Lots of plants and you moved??). Yea, enjoyed those also!!!!
Ha... a little drink and night time filming does a lot to brighten up a video about fungus gnats! Scientific information is so much easier to digest coming from an unintentionally hilarious speake. Thanks, Sean!
Amazing! I just saw another video on how to do a treatment by bottom watterting, but I did had the question on how much to bottom water the plants. Meaning how much water and all, then I saw your video, and you taught me how long to leave them in water. Thank you! 😊 but I have a question how fo you bottom water you big plants 🪴🤔🤔🤔
I dont bottom water the big plants, rather I keep them dry much longer periods. Big pots retain a lot of water in the bottom you’ll be surprised to know that they can live 2-4 weeks without being watered sometimes
most of my stuff is in leca atm so i havent seen fungus gnats all that often. i sometimes see 1 or 2 who like my mosspoles but thats about it. what i have tried a while ago with soil plants what worked quite nicely was to put sprinkle some cinnamon poweder on the top soil layer and then wiggle it in a little bit. i m not 100% sure on that but i somewhere heard that cinnamon is a natural antifungucide so it neutralizes the stuff gnats eat, and indeed the plants with some cinnamon on were alot less interesting for fungus gnats. little bit of cinnamon+bottom watering i would do. sadly bottom watering is way too time consuming with alot of plants. running around the house and giving every plant some water is so much easier than collecting all the plants and putting them in a container to bottom water. i found those saucers you put below pots to catch water just not tall enough to really work for watering, the water lvl is too low and the pot wont really wick it all up. i agree that plants prob need alot less water than we think they do sometimes. i have a epipremnum devils ivy here and i kind of ignore her because i found her to be a little boring and i also dont like the soil shes in but i couldnt be bothered to repot all those stems so i literally just ignore her. i think i forgot to water her for like 1 1/2 months maybe...AND SHE STILL DOES FINE. like no real crispy leaves, new growth here and there. its kinda funny
I can't really pinpoint exactly why....but this guy makes me smile and giggle. This video is chalked full of great info.....why I kept anticipating a punch line....Idk....maybe Jackie Chan resemblance??? Hmmm..
I've tried a teaspoon of organic vinegar, teaspoon dishwashing soap soaked with real lemons, water and a spray bottle. I sprayed the top soil and dig small holes with a stick a couple of times a day switch on the fan let the soil dry. And the fungus gnats were gone in a week's time. They hate the smell of that solution.
I had a food production curriculum way back in college, digging through the soil helps oxygen flow through the roots. Thought that might work with my indoor plants along with that solution and it did.
I enjoyed that. I've been dealing with these little buggers for over 2 years. This is not going to be easy as I have over 100 plants.....dreading this. I guess it will be worth it. Thank you
Thanks for this informative video. I have a question,...there are plants whose roots apparently do not like to sit in water, I think like palm trees? Does this change the bottom watering method?
As long as it is only for a period of time it is ok. Just dont bottom water all year round. You’ll find it tiresome too 😀 bottom watering helps flush out excess minerals and nutrients too so theres some good in that
So that's what it is, have been wondering about them but just been too scared to try anything. Thank you for this, now I can try out this method. Look forward to your nxt upload🙂
I know this sounds too easy, but I put up bug zappers & they started to ZAP right away! It was gross emptying the dead ones from the trays, but worth it! I smiled at every zap! I also cut back my watering to once a month, but I only raise sansevierias so they didn't mind! No gnats, over 11 months now! Took lites down 2 months ago. Not smiling from zaps, but happy! Hope this helps buddy plant lovers! Remember..zap, crackle pop brings smiles! Rev. J 😂😂❤
I have bottom watered for years simply because its the best way to get water to the root section. But doesnt stop fungus gnats, as the water is drawn to the top of soil gnats will find it as they are drawn to it. For me I will use a decoy pot with moist soil with yellow sticky cards. It helps a lot. The adults that get stuck on the cards cant lay more eggs in the soil. If you have house plants only you can mix systemics in the soil and eggs wont survive, but I dont use it as my plants will go outside for pollinators.
I will try the bottom watering, because I've "had" an infestation of thousands, because I have about 60 plants. I used the mixture of apple cider vinegar, water and dish soap. I even combined this technique with the yellow sticky pads, whereas I cut a hole in the middle of the pad, (double-sided glue) then covered the jar of the apple cider vinegar mixture, leaving a small opening into the jar of mixture. The gnats will be attracted to the smell, so 99% will be stuck on the pads, but the 1% will drown, if they bypass the sticky pad. I bought an electric shock racket that I plug in and sit up by the plants, so at night, the racket will glow blue, and attract the gnats, so you will hear the small crackle of electricity frying the pests. I also used the diatomaceous earth, which also works to cripple the gnats, by turning legs into jelly, so they cannot run around anymore, but this powder can be messy and is best used after watering. I used mosquito bits before, and it worked quite well on the gnats, but not so much this time. I also cut strips of the yellow sticky paper, and placed it on the inside of the pot's rim, because that is where they seemed to congregate, so they will get stuck there, if missed by all of the other methods. I think we reintroduce these pests into our home, when we buy new plants from the store, as well as soil we buy in bags. The larvae are in most of the soil, then morph in the young, flying gnats and start to breed. You might want to discard the soil that you bought a new plant in, or sterilize it with the peroxide mixture or use your own sterilized soil. I found that mixing 1 part of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 5 parts water will kill the larvae. After top watering with this mixture, you will see the soil bubble, then the larvae head to the surface and die. The larvae "will" eat your plant's roots, especially seedlings, so the key is really killing them before they turn into adults. One more thing I've done to discourage egg laying of the adults, is to have 1-2 inches of sand or small rocks to cover my soil. They don't like to lay eggs on grainy surfaces. I currently don't see any, but I still hear the electric racket crackle every other day, so there are only a few left, probably around the window, which is another hangout for them.
Great tips :) I started to have a small fungus gnat problem and successfully got rid of them by watering ALL my plants with neem. I'm saving this in case I ever need more variety in my methods. Have you experimented with essential oils? I think I will try lavender, rosemary, or tea tree oil with neem, either preventatively or to kill them off next time I get an infestation. After all, those plants produce those oils as defense mechanisms against pests.
Tea tree oil, peppermint oil and neem oil are useful to make them stay away. Just put a few drops on a cotton ball and stick the cotton in the corner of the pot. The neem is great for watering plants, because those bugs like spider mites, and a few others, are killed or repelled when they try to feed off of the plants, which have absorbed the neem oil via their roots. All of your suggestions are actually quite good though; thank you for posting and sharing, because it brought out more suggestions and ideas.
Unfortunately you cant really bottom water the big plants efficiently. Fortunately they can hold more water at the base, so I would focus on maintaining the top dry as much as I can
Omg I couldn’t stop laughing throughout specially at the start. Thanks again for this video! Is there a type of soil you would not recommend bottom watering? Like bark or rice hull?
Thank you! If you've ever had one fly up your nose and you itch and smash one in your freaking nose....you know the struggle. New sub! You're a delight.
Thank you for all this info If you don't want to lose the top inch of soil - you can spread it out away from any other plants and use a steam cleaner 😉 .... the process kills everything in the soil good and bad and allows you to keep the bulk and rejuvenate it as bulk into fresh soil (or rebuild it totally from scratch).......
Yes, do please demonstrate bottom watering. Especially when you have a lot of plants. How long do you keep the plant in water? How long do you then let each plant drain? Can you put more than one plant in a tub of water? Seems so much more time consuming....but I am anxious to watch, learn and try it.
Ive been watching your videos and find them so helpful! im starting to have this problem with my ficus microcarpa bonsai, not sure if i can let the tree dry out.
You're funny :-) I enjoy your videos, and have found lots of useful information. Envy the space you have and your collection :-) Greetings from across the border in Malaysia!
Thanks for the tips. I was letting mine sit in water WAY TOO LONG! Do you use any fertilizer for your plants and if yes, do you bottom water the fertilizer?
I used to bottom water using chemical fertilizer diluted in water. These days I can only spray them down with fertilizer water as I have too many plants.
Great Video! I would think a moisture meter to measure after (or checking) bottom watering would be great! What are you doing with the really large plants behind you in the video? By the way I use mosquito bits for fungus gnats.
I use the plastic saucers to bottom water my plants Started that with my African Violets. Most I use a double saucer (from Home Depot) so that if I over fill the smaller saucer. Saves time taking plant to sink!! I enjoyed your video and your jokes were funny. I have also used the sticky butterflies and plants that do a great job catching the gnats.
put a shallow tray of water with a drop of lemon scene dish soap in it, put it beside your troubled plant, the gnats would dive in and kill themselves. helps to keep the population down?
Its strange i have never noticed fungus gnats making that noise, that reminds me of mosquitos. Ive sorted gnats by not overwatering and/or bottom feeding. Also a apple cider vinagar trap sorts them out.
FREE!!! Yeay🙌🏼😂😂😂 Tq Sean, I use Starxle G (bought from Shoppee) seems to work well for me👌🏼 Sometimes I place a tiny cup of Serai Wangi (bought from M’sia) on top of my potted plants soil if it gets too infected, Take care Sean😊
Haaa...my fungus gnats are also colorblind for yellow sticky papers in my country. Vinegar, hydrogen, neem oil - nothing. It was necessary to jump on white powder for top of the soil + non organic two - components insecticide during watering. Works for now. You are right for bottom watering but for me takes to long.
Thank you! Its getting cold now and I have found my goji berries have lost all their leaves due to bugs😫 and my room gets humid esp in the winter season so my plants are crazy infested with gnats..thank u for telling me my issue ✊..
![The BEST Fungus Gnat Killer [Actually Works!] 5 Yrs Gnat-Free and Counting!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BwelmZFjEzI/mqdefault.jpg)
This is what I have been doing: I save dried egg shells that have been put through a dedicated coffee grinder. Then I mix with en equal part of sand and sprinkle about 1/2 inch thick on the top of the plant soil. Before I do that I water the top soil with a solution of 3 parts water and 1 part hydrogen peroxide. This will work on the larvae and the egg shell mixture works in two ways; the hatched larvae will struggle to get to the surface and if any others are flying around they will find it hard to penetrate this scratchy mixture. I also keep a small container of water beside a night light during the night and they go in there for the moisture and often drown in doing so. And your suggestion of watering on the bottom completes it. These pests come in through the tiny holes of window and door screens too so can’t always blame the plant suppliers. Hope this helps someone as houseplant gardening can be so enjoyable.
Thank you so much for sharing your tips! Plant care is more fun when we share knowledge with each other to increase success of our plants!
Thank you for sharing 🌱
Thank you
Excellent suggestions and I WILL try them!
Lol he said all the asians are perked up
Bottom watering is the answer. I have about 300 plants and I've always bottom watered. I've never had fungas gnats. Great video Sean!
Thank youuuu for sharing!
I bottom water as well, the top dress holding moisture under the mulch layer is enough to house fungus gnats. I top water Bacillus thuringiensis to eliminate the larvae. Over watering isn't always the case, they love organic material breaking down.
Thank you
I’m going to try this method now.
So I never had fungus nats until I brought a peace lily plant home from my father in laws funeral. It's obviously a plant with a root ball that likes to grow to the edges of the pot. I only have 3 other plants/pots. I having 1 aloe vera plant. A 2 tiered stacked planter with 7 different types of cactus' in that. And 1 mother-in-laws tongue plant. Those 3 don't seem to be affected or that I can tell, but I'm sure they are. Clearly the cactus and aloe those don't need as much watering. I live in North Carolina which is extremely humid most of the yr. In winter months it does get cool, which seems extra cold when your not used to it. So the heat has been running quite a bit helping keep the plant soil dry n drying it faster than usual. I wish I could post pics of the peace lily plant as it is quite large and is in a quite large pot. How would I bottom water the 2 plants I have in these bigger pots? And I have just been using Miracle Grow all purpose potting soil. What kind of soil would work best for each of these plants? Thanks in advance!
@@rachaelkopp3792 I either move plants to a big tub with water in it and let them soak up the water, then drain any excess. Or, I sit the plant in a plant tray and put water in that. If the plant is very big and hard to move, use a plastic syringe to suck up any excess water the plant doesn't take up. I hope this helps.
Why do I like this guy so much?!
🙈
Because he is attractive and a great personality! Lol (me too)
Because he is natural and unassuming. Pretty rare, these days, especially on social media.
Because he is authentic :))
I want to know too , why do you??
I have 100+ plants and I took your advice and started bottom watering a couple months ago.. not only did it WORK but there's something so satisfying about the whole process! Like watching the water level go down while your plant drinks.. watching the water meter jump the second you hit 1 inch into soil.. feeling the heaviness of the pot when you take it out.. using multiple containers of different sizes and rotating pots in and out and feeling all efficient lol.. Seeing dry soil on top and visualizing moisturized roots hiding below feels so devishly good mwahhahahaa screw you gnats!! It does take a little longer to water overall but SO worth not having ugly window tape with nasty bugs or bright ass yellow traps uglifying your pretty plants. THANK YOU SO MUCH and btw I'm SO happy u got your IG back!! 💚
Im happy to hear! I love bottom watering too and its one method that truly saturates the soil evenly, this means happier roots. But be sure to top water every few months in case theres mineral buildup from fertilizer in the soil that needs to be flushed away 😌
This was really helpful, Sean! I've been leaving my plants sit in water way too long. You explain things so well, and I love knowing the why and watching you actually do the things! (And as always, I love your sense of humor and side comments 😉.) Thanks so much!!
Wow, thank you for not holding the payoff of your title until the last 3min. I get that there's an algorithm, but man, I can't stand when I'm looking for answers and I have to skip around a 20min video to get it. Honestly, I'm going to watch every second of your video to thank you for getting down into the answer in the first 2min.
Best way to get rid of gnats in house plants:
1. Repot with new soil (even in existing pot). Throw the soil in a garbage bag and seal tightly, to dispose of eggs, larva and junior gnats in the soil.
2. Spray roots with Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap. Make sure to spray in the remaining soil on the roots.
3. Refill pot with new soil, making about 1.5 inches for room on the top of soil for sand.
4. Add a thick layer of 1.5” - 2” of sand. Pat down to keep it tightly packed.
5. Water the plant. If sand moves to expose soil, add more sand at the top.
I tried everything and couldn’t get rid of gnats in my plants, until I tried this method with sand. This worked, no more gnats going on 2 months. Gnats can’t dig into tightly packed sand, nor can larvae or gnats crawl up through the sand if packed tightly.
I am using grit stones, would that work was well?
The little commentary notes that pop up always has me smiling. Cheers!
Same here! :)
Trained gardener here. I can say only what I was taught during my apprenticeship, and that is that fungus gnat larvae do indeed attack the roots of plants. but the gardening world, even - or especially - among professionals is one of contradictory opinions, so take that with a grain of salt. And there might even be contradictory evidence out there because nature has a tendency to act in unpredictable ways. There's lots of factors playing into everything that happens and we don't always comprehend all of them.
Also a way of getting rid of fungus gnats that i see here in my country is nematodes. their larvae actually prey on the gnat larvae and kill them before they can even get out of the soil.
As for bottom watering needing to be interchanged, that is not true. At the nursery i worked at we had big bottom watering systems and about 80% of all our plants were bottom watered throughout their entire life cycle until we sold them. We used big basins that were already enriched with fertilizer, so the plants were fertilized with every watering. Of course the intensity of the fertilizer has to be adjusted accordingly for this as to not be too strong and cause root burn or salt deposits in the soil. But it can absolutely be done, and it's done very effectively at many nurseries.
Omg thank you so much for sharing. I would love to visit different nurseries to learn how plants are mass produced and cared for in a commercial setting! Please do share more about your experience in future video comments! They offer a such good perspective
@@onlyplants when u come to SG - definitely get the mosquito bits, we have them in supermarkets, plant shops. will try to use both top / bottom watering. i am trying out other ways - (using leftover used tea leaves) and recently STARXLE G (which is like coloured sand) which you are to sprinkle onto soil (or mix into soil when potting). nurseries are recommending them too (as they used it as form of control)
Unfortunately nematodes are expensive where I am, so I'm going to try mosquito bits - just waiting for it to arrive in the mail. My infestation is massive 😭 I will try this method with the bottom watering. wish me luck
@@LL-rb8wd please let me know how it went for you. I am also waiting on the Bits to arrive in the mail
@@LL-rb8wd same here 😂😩😩
finally someone talking sense about bottom watering! the result is not to make the top soil soak up and get wet again..!! well done!
Ok I'm baaaaaaack! I immediately started bottom watering after watching this video AND IT WORKS!!!! It cleared up all the things flying arnd my plants!!!!! Il never go back to watering the top of a pot EVER!!!! Thank you xoxox
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I’ve had one fly in my nose it’s one of the most violating experience I’ve ever had
Oh my... thankfully thats not happened to me (yet)
One fly?
jtuno122 ahahaha whoops I meant flew 😂😂
Lol
I just had one of those little m*therfucks in my eye and I’m about to burn my house down 😭😭😭
That wasn't a bad joke at all Sean, you made me LOL at free wifi in our nose and ears! hahahahahaha I think The whiskey was making you feel really good too. You made me laugh several times. You are adorable!
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Wifly
All my plants have sticky sticky traps, and I find pleasure whenever i see gnats fly into the traps. I DONT CARE 😤
I show no mercy, those gnats always fly into our drinks.
🤣🤣
Mine too but I hate how they look. Maybe it would make sense to have 1 or 2 sticky traps for diagnostic purposes, and once you see gnat do the bottom watering
Com' on now. Thrity minutes to tell us that?? U should work at the radio station
Me too. Mine have caught thousands. It has to make a difference.
Gnats, I hate them..some plants are happy with them...and they love my phone screen at night
7:20 hahahaha!! all the Russell Peters bits come to mind immediately!
I have an extensive amount of bonsais, especially seedlings, and bottom watering is my preferred method. However I used to let the water soak through all the way to the top, since the drainage with my soil is fantastic there is no problem whatsoever for the plant. Now we have some of these damn gnats all around and they start to creep into my seedling corner which makes my alarm go off.
I have tried various methods from different countries too and so far nothing has really worked and just like with you, mosquito bits for example are not available in my part of the world. Today I was thinking of bottom watering just bellow the "habitat" quarter for these bastards. Just before the water bubbles to the top. And now with your video, you mention that exact process.
I'll see how that works out. It's good to hear you say they inhabit the top layer since I was wondering how low they burrow. So bottom watering just before the last quarter of soil should do it.
My wife also has some large plants of hers in our living room and she's too lazy to bottom water (or replant) just as I am too lazy to do it for her all the time, these are laaaarge pots. So our laziness has led to somehow spark an infestation through some outside source and now it's taken hold of the house. Naturally my bonsais have become the new prime target since the soil is constantly moist.
So I'm going for a new approach here: I'll use sand for our big "normal" plants to cover the top layer with this dry sort of soil. For the bonsais I'll adjust the bottom watering to stop just before the top layer. I hope this will do the trick before I have to resort to more... "drastic"(?) measures?
Can you imagine my peaceful zen, everything has to be in the right place and balance, harmony and whatnot, moment, and suddenly there are these bums buzzing around? Makes a guy go Samurai..
Just imagine me swearing in Japanese all the time I see them.
I can recommend anyone, just like you, to really use bottom watering more often. It really is healthy among a plethora of other benefits and once you do it a couple of times you DO get a feel for what pot fills up at what speed.
Wish you all the best and good luck in our seemingly worldwide fight against gnats, lol.
.. 😂 Holy Shooo them "poor" gnats in your house is in trouble if you go Japanese swearing 😂😂
"Free Wi-Fi" 😂😂 New sub here. Thanks for a super informative video. I'm a year into my plant journey and am still recovering from the trauma of the infestation that descended on my home from the onset. Brought my plant accumulation to a screeching halt at 25 plants and the loss of 3. All is under control now as I
spent the year catching my breath and learning how to care for what I have. A tribe of 22. This season I only replaced the 3 and propagated some. I'm enjoying watching my babies grow. IF I come across something that lights me up I'm open to adding one or two for this season. I've learnt a lot as a plant parent to where I feel next season I'll be able to expand my tribe thoughtfully and with intention. Thanks again for sharing. Loving the science behind it all.🙏
Wow you write so well. Thank you so much for taking the time. I am over my threshold of how many plants I can care for properly and have a balanced life. I will make some adjustments soon. Im happy to hear there are people like you who exercise a healthy self-control with plants. 🤓
I have 52 plants - 15 of them are orchids (some are over 30 years old) and I've only encountered fungus gnats recently. Bottom watering is hardly an option and repotting all those plants seems almost punitive. Sticky traps are in all my plants and I've cut back on watering (although I've never been an over-waterer) After reading some of the comments the plan is to top-dress with finely ground eggshells, sand and diatomaceous earth in conjunction with inserting funnels to facilitate watering deeply. Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. I feel your pain
Try to spray the topsoil with neem oil every few days that should do the trick too since they dont live too deep in the soil
I tried the egg shells & I would not recommend it at all. If anything, I would rather invest In small pebbles, even at the $1 store, just wash them very well first and then put one layer on top of the soil. It helps prevent them from getting into the soil
I thoroughly enjoyed this instructional video....fungus gnats are so annoying & this gentleman has given me tools to "deal" with the problem, including acceptance
I love your channel. I know this may sound weird but the sound of your voice is relaxing 😌 also, I learn a lot and love your plant collection.
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I started bottom watering my plants a few weeks ago and thanks to your audio clip, I know now that I had a gnat problem! Initially I thought they were just...mosquitos? I haven't heard the buzzing since not top watering :D I can seep in peace haha
I can def vouch for this method -this is my pestimony lol
Thank youuuu.
When you are rooting cuttings, initially the medium has to be fully moist. You can then let the top dry out, while maintaining moisture deeper in the container. If you need to replenish that moisture, bottom watering is the way to go, of course.
I've been bottom watering for the past 12 months but still have fungus gnats. I also put a layer of fine pumice around the top of the soil to stop them from getting in - that didn't work either. This is a new problem in Australia as I've been growing indoor ferns for 40 years and had never even heard of fungus gnats till about 3 years ago.
Must have been some smart gnats! Try drenching all the plants soil in neem? You have to repeat this process in a week or so to break the life cycle
I'm now on a mission to get holes in every pot I own so i can bottom water! This is brilliant!!!
I use the hydrogen peroxide method and sprinkle cinnamon on top of the soil, plus I keep sticky traps in every pot. I haven’t had any issues since I started doing that.
Thanks I’m going to try this
I’m definitely trying bottom watering 🤞🏽 The fungus gnat struggle is real and a little out of control currently 😳 Thanks for the great video!
Awww and also let the plants dry out a bit more between waterings they cant live in dry topsoil
Was that a mosquito noise,because that's what noise they make..you can't hear them when they are flying around in front of you,but as soon as one goes past your ear they make that crazy little buzzing noise..
Oh well whatever they are they are a pain in the ass 🤣🤣🤣🤣..Fungus gnats love your compost heap or any veg peelings or rotting leaves,stuff like that..
Great video,really enjoyed your style,laid back & funny..Thankyou for putting in the work to help educate & help us,really appreciate it..Take care✌🏼☮✌🏼☮
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“Is it because you have free WiFi in there” HAHAHAH
Thanks for the info . Really helpful
Great information! I occasionally have a fungus gnat problem, then I bottom water and they do disappear! I have yellow sticky traps in the soil of my more moist plants. Thank you!
The war on fungus gnats is real. I had a bad infestation because I was a little bit of a helicopter plant mom and overwatered. I tried nearly all the diy solutions. Only thing that worked was the sticky traps and diatomaceous earth. Water with the d.e. and that nooks the whole situation.
Haha we are the same. Another cure for this problem is to get so many plants that you dont have time to water them as frequently 😆
May I ask if the d.e. should be sprinkled on top of the soil or mixed with water? Thank you!
@@SunnyNguyen a bit of a late reply, but Both work. Put it on the top of your soil to prevent them getting into your soil, and if you have them in your soil then water with diatomaceous earth to kill them.
I thought it only works when dry because it gets muddy when wet
I'm watching this because there are a million gnats buzzing around my front porch. I have a row of bushes that gnats are living in. We have a lot of drizzling rain this spring. I guess I'll have to live with it until summer and things dry up.
Just an FYI, you don't need a gadget to measure how high the water filled the pot, it will go at least as high as you fill the basin.
Thank you for the information on fungus gnats. I enjoy your plant channel.
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Loved your video! Really liked your personality that came through while your teaching!
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Thank you for newsworthy tips about watering our plants to avoid pesky gnats.
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Thank you for showing the bottom water method. I've never done it. The layer of playground sand on top of soil worked for me. Just make sure there's no soil visible for them to burrow threw. Unfortunately our outdoor crop is bout 50 yards from swamp so best thing I can think of so far is to plant mint in as covercrop next year & cross my fingers 🤞🏽🤞🏽
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You look exhausted! Rest and take care of yourself! ❤️ appreciate your effort and informative content!🌱
Haha thank you. I work day and night but I enjoy it. Taking a few weeks off soon! Thanks again 👻
onlyplants You got big money but lost health, money can’t buy back your health!
YES!!! to bottom watering video. I could use your knowledge on how to bottom water properly indoor plants such as Pothos, Scindapsus and Philodendrons. I use this method and it works very well for me in preventing gnats and keeps roots healthy from root rot, I tend to over water :)
Niceee
Thank god you’ve made this video because my plants I’ve bought inside have been swarmed with them!! ❤️
Try out this method and good luck!
Knowledgable and funny. Looking forward to watching more!
Thank you 🤓 see you in the next videos!
You're very interesting to listen to, thanks for taking the time to explain this stuff to us! This is very helpful. And funny. Lol.
I almost got a fungus gnat up my nose the other day, so I feel this 😂
Ouch haha
I really love how you do your videos, the little captions throughout are nice :)
Thank youu 👻
I've noticed a bit of an issue recently with gnats, so I'm attempting to switch to bottom watering to (hopefully) eradicate them. There's also a few cellar spiders nearby the plants so I think it's thanks to them that the gnat population isn't worse than it is.
(I have some tomato plants that I'm keeping inside for the time being, so unfortunately letting the soil dry out completely isn't exactly an option)
Thanks for the tips!
When I got a fungus gnat infestation, I went into full battle mode. I went psycho. I'm pretty sure they got introduced through an orchid mix purchase at Home Depot that I started using as part of my soil mix.
I did pretty much EVERYTHING that anyone on UA-cam suggested: changed soil, peroxide drench, mosquito bite tea, sand on top of soil, sticky traps and drying out between waterings.
I'd say it worked, but for a few stray gnats THAT DROVE ME INSANE.
I reminded myself that this is a process and went to yoga to chill out.
I bought this contraption called Katchy on Amazon, and I have to say, it bagged the warrior gnats that were still flying around. I haven't seen any flying gnats since Katchy showed up.
So, since I can't leave well enough alone...today I set up a gnat triage station and started pawing through the top inches of my plant pots......I didn't see any gnats, or anything crawly. I did another 4:1 peroxide drench, changed out the soil and bottom watered everything with nutrients and mosquito bite tea.
If I don't post again soon, you'll know that the gnats returned and I jumped out of my window.
lol. Just keep the top of the potting mix dry and you should be good. Also water the plants less. Gnats are sign of overwatering
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🤣🤣🤣 best comment ever!
Love your humor and your teachings
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Thank You for the info! I do bottom watering but I keep them in the water too long so now I am going to leave them in for only 2-3 minutes. When you started talking about the gnats skating on the Vaseline, I lost it!!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂" My gnats are special!" 😂😂😂😂😂 Man, that whiskey hit you hard!!😂😂😂😂😂 I loved this video from all of them! (Whiskey needed on all your videos!! lol) You got me crying of laughter over here!! Thank You so much! Just wanted to pick on you a bit no harm done!! Much love and Respect!!😜😜😜
Haha thank youu 🙈
@@onlyplants I just want to let you know also that I love your videos!! I watch them all the time and I also go over them again when I forget stuff. so thank you again for everything!
Impeccable solution...just what I needed...Thanks much Sean for making mine and my plant's life easier!
Good luck!
I agree with his method. I bottom water too, top soil of my plants look bone dry, no gnats and my plants are happy. I let them dry out between waterings too :). It has help me a lot with gnats and root rot/damage.
@@lunamaxwell6190 What if you have big pot plants? I have one thats too big to even lift with both hands!
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but w/ the vinegar in ur beaker, you’re suppose to put plastic wrap over it w/ holes poked into it. That forces them to stay in the bottle.
(Even tho you have better solutions I still wanted to mention it!)
*love ur videos btw!! 🥰
Thank youu. And yes the idea was to create a contraption for them to come in but not exit 😀 thanks for sharing!
I reckon reduced watering is more important than bottom watering. If gnats can get through small cracks in windows and doors then they can easily find access to the moist bottom of whatever plastic or terracotta container you are using via a hole on the bottom or loose top soil.
Bottom watering and a top layer of sand can help. I find nematodes to be the most effective solution.
100% 😀
I don't have fungus gnats but i don't care i'll still watch this😂😂😂
Haha you don’t have it yet! They will come trust me!
Bottom watering helps but if they’ve already been breeding it gets tougher. I found the best solution was to put a thin layers of sand on top, it stops them from laying eggs. Some plants might not thrive with sand on top, so you may need to remove it once the infestation is gone.
True.. if its a bad infestation I actually recommend neem and chemical mix, and then drench the soil of all your plants 👻
I am so sick of to fungus gnats!
Try bottom watering 🤓
@luv 2m8 I do soil on the bottom of the plant and Leca on top of the pot so the leca is dry
Thank you for useful info! What has worked for me follows. Battled fungus gnats for a couple years. Finally found the best for me was 2-FOLD.
STEP ONE: a certain method of bottom watering - where I use a WICK - a shoe lace for me - but many other strings work. Sometimes I use plain cotton string. The wick is always in water, I just refill the reservoir (a glass, a bottle, whatever, multiple plants can share on water tank.) Plants are never too wet. Play around with how many wicks you need for big pots or certain kinds of plants (cactus vs fern vs palm - you have to keep checking until you know they're getting what they need. Then leave it alone). Either wick up bottom of pot or into top - both worked for me - but top wicks must be covered with sand in step 2.
STEP TWO: SAND. I filter some playbox sand through a cheap drain screen (like small window screen for keeping out mosquitoes) so the fine sand is gone - and I keep the coarser sand to add as a top layer of ALL my plants. (Fine sand compacts too hard when wet.) Rocks or gravel fail because there are still crevices gnats climb through. The larva can't seem to come up through the slightly coarse sand - and the adults don't seem to want to lay eggs in the sand. If wick watering, the sand never gets disturbed and rarely gets moist. NEVER TOP WATER THE SAND. Top watering with sand will fail - as the dirt will mix and the gnats will party again.
Two a couple years I was gnat free. I didn't repot any plants during the entire time - because all the soil I could buy was infested. Just a couple weeks ago, I had to repot - I was losing plants to being rootbound. And guess what? The new soil - despite solarizing it on a south facing 130 degree black roof for 2 months - still had viable gnat eggs!!! Grr. So I will restart my method again - sand and wicks. I'd dismantled it when I was free from gnats for 2 years. Live and learn!
I love your channel! Subscribed. Love your gentle humor too! The captions get me laughing. (The free / Asian comment you posted made me think I could be Asian despite me being ridiculously pasty and northern European looking! But I'm not that lucky - I guess I'm just a wanna-be.)
PS: I rejected the products mosquito bits / Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis strain EG2215 etc. Search for medical studies of "rare" infections after influenza and then search for the regulatory agency approvals and removals in the US. Often, even if the BT isn't the culprit, 90% of the other ingredients in the product ARE troubling. Plus, BT contains bacterial proteins which can cause sensitization in those exposed to it frequently - causing allergic reactions. Not worth the risks for me. I'll stick with your and my methods instead. :-)
Interesting about the BT… bottom watering with wick is also an interesting concept 😀
The new soil must dry out completely. sun, temps, anything else they'll survive
I sprinkle play sand on the top of the soil it works and also 3 percent peroxide in the bottom water 2 parts water to 1 part peroxide
So glad I stumbled onto your video and now convinced this is what I’ll have to do for awhile…. I brought my plants in bf a frost, close to 100… AND THEN HELL BROKE LOSE!! .. is about the correct way to put it.. I did the Neem oil and sticky tape and the smell was atrocious.. then peroxide, no help!! Then Mosquito Bits, a lot of help but they didn’t hesitate to live on…. I’m in South USA and well humidity is our middle name and by now plants were pretty drenched…. So, I’m like the guy I read that said, “hell no, I’ve got Raid” (insect spray)!!! No, but I did use Ortho Home as I fluffed up the soil around my plants and they were still there!!!! By now, it’s whatever plant lives through this..(and I have more outside!!). Until you have fluffed your soil and seen the live crawling things, is when I hit the point of INSECTICIDE!!!!
Now, I’m lucky enough to have a dehumidifier, so have been running that to dry out the soil along with a fan and grow lights…. With the bottom watering way, well, that just might qualify me as a slight expert on this issue, especially living in the South!!!
Sry so long but as you can see, you’re not the only one that can run on……
Again, thank you for your video and I think/hope we will survive 😎👍
(I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you on other videos…. Lots of plants and you moved??). Yea, enjoyed those also!!!!
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Eager to try this as I’ve tried everything else and had no success lol thanks for the help!
The whiskey feels very fitting for talking about fungus gnats :)
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I’ll have to try bottom watering. I use mosquito bits and sticky tape and so far that really has worked well for me.
Thank you for the video.
Whoaaa i wish we have mosquito bits here but we dont. Give bottom watering a try, its good for the plants too!
You are funny and knowledgeable at the same time
👋🏽new subscriber 😊
Haha thank you 🙌🏽
Ha... a little drink and night time filming does a lot to brighten up a video about fungus gnats! Scientific information is so much easier to digest coming from an unintentionally hilarious speake. Thanks, Sean!
Thank you Natali 🤗
This was the best video on how to get rid of fungus gnats. Thanks!
Thank you so much
@@onlyplants Yes of course 😊 I usually never comment but I want more people to find your videos 😉 keep it up plant king!!
Makes sense. I've tried everything else. I'll give it a try. Thank you. 😊🙏
Amazing! I just saw another video on how to do a treatment by bottom watterting, but I did had the question on how much to bottom water the plants. Meaning how much water and all, then I saw your video, and you taught me how long to leave them in water. Thank you! 😊 but I have a question how fo you bottom water you big plants 🪴🤔🤔🤔
I dont bottom water the big plants, rather I keep them dry much longer periods. Big pots retain a lot of water in the bottom you’ll be surprised to know that they can live 2-4 weeks without being watered sometimes
Thank you, I’m literally cracking up at your wifi jokes. So true! If it ain’t wifi there nobody is gonna stay! 😂
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most of my stuff is in leca atm so i havent seen fungus gnats all that often. i sometimes see 1 or 2 who like my mosspoles but thats about it. what i have tried a while ago with soil plants what worked quite nicely was to put sprinkle some cinnamon poweder on the top soil layer and then wiggle it in a little bit. i m not 100% sure on that but i somewhere heard that cinnamon is a natural antifungucide so it neutralizes the stuff gnats eat, and indeed the plants with some cinnamon on were alot less interesting for fungus gnats. little bit of cinnamon+bottom watering i would do. sadly bottom watering is way too time consuming with alot of plants. running around the house and giving every plant some water is so much easier than collecting all the plants and putting them in a container to bottom water. i found those saucers you put below pots to catch water just not tall enough to really work for watering, the water lvl is too low and the pot wont really wick it all up.
i agree that plants prob need alot less water than we think they do sometimes. i have a epipremnum devils ivy here and i kind of ignore her because i found her to be a little boring and i also dont like the soil shes in but i couldnt be bothered to repot all those stems so i literally just ignore her. i think i forgot to water her for like 1 1/2 months maybe...AND SHE STILL DOES FINE. like no real crispy leaves, new growth here and there. its kinda funny
Wow, nice share. Thank you 😀
I can't really pinpoint exactly why....but this guy makes me smile and giggle. This video is chalked full of great info.....why I kept anticipating a punch line....Idk....maybe Jackie Chan resemblance??? Hmmm..
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I've tried a teaspoon of organic vinegar, teaspoon dishwashing soap soaked with real lemons, water and a spray bottle. I sprayed the top soil and dig small holes with a stick a couple of times a day switch on the fan let the soil dry. And the fungus gnats were gone in a week's time. They hate the smell of that solution.
Whoaaa thats the first time i heard this technique. Letting the soil dry faster by poking holes and using a fan is pretty smart!
I had a food production curriculum way back in college, digging through the soil helps oxygen flow through the roots. Thought that might work with my indoor plants along with that solution and it did.
Hmmmm the hint was about vining plants??? I'll see on your next upload, aha. Thanks for the laughs as always 🙂 I appreciate you
Haha the next episode is quite long! And interesting
A gnat nearly crash-landed in my eye as I'm watching this.... definitely switching to bottom watering from now on!
Whoaaaa your eyes must be really moist... maybe you should look into glasses 🤓😅
I enjoyed that. I've been dealing with these little buggers for over 2 years. This is not going to be easy as I have over 100 plants.....dreading this. I guess it will be worth it. Thank you
Good luck! Most people have success with this method but there are others too.
Thanks for this informative video. I have a question,...there are plants whose roots apparently do not like to sit in water, I think like palm trees? Does this change the bottom watering method?
As long as it is only for a period of time it is ok. Just dont bottom water all year round. You’ll find it tiresome too 😀 bottom watering helps flush out excess minerals and nutrients too so theres some good in that
grateful for the video, especially the parts about bottom watering!
Thank youu. Hope you have good luck with it.
Great video...I’ve spent a small fortune on Neem oil and mosquito bites and barely made a dent...Starting tomorrow, only bottom watering
Let us know if you have success!
So that's what it is, have been wondering about them but just been too scared to try anything. Thank you for this, now I can try out this method. Look forward to your nxt upload🙂
Thank you so much
I know this sounds too easy, but I put up bug zappers & they started to ZAP right away! It was gross emptying the dead ones from the trays, but worth it! I smiled at every zap! I also cut back my watering to once a month, but I only raise sansevierias so they didn't mind! No gnats, over 11 months now! Took lites down 2 months ago. Not smiling from zaps, but happy! Hope this helps buddy plant lovers! Remember..zap, crackle pop brings smiles! Rev. J 😂😂❤
Great share haha. Thank you
I have bottom watered for years simply because its the best way to get water to the root section. But doesnt stop fungus gnats, as the water is drawn to the top of soil gnats will find it as they are drawn to it. For me I will use a decoy pot with moist soil with yellow sticky cards. It helps a lot. The adults that get stuck on the cards cant lay more eggs in the soil. If you have house plants only you can mix systemics in the soil and eggs wont survive, but I dont use it as my plants will go outside for pollinators.
Whoaaa thats smart… decoy pot 😀
I will try the bottom watering, because I've "had" an infestation of thousands, because I have about 60 plants.
I used the mixture of apple cider vinegar, water and dish soap. I even combined this technique with the yellow sticky pads, whereas I cut a hole in the middle of the pad, (double-sided glue) then covered the jar of the apple cider vinegar mixture, leaving a small opening into the jar of mixture. The gnats will be attracted to the smell, so 99% will be stuck on the pads, but the 1% will drown, if they bypass the sticky pad.
I bought an electric shock racket that I plug in and sit up by the plants, so at night, the racket will glow blue, and attract the gnats, so you will hear the small crackle of electricity frying the pests.
I also used the diatomaceous earth, which also works to cripple the gnats, by turning legs into jelly, so they cannot run around anymore, but this powder can be messy and is best used after watering.
I used mosquito bits before, and it worked quite well on the gnats, but not so much this time.
I also cut strips of the yellow sticky paper, and placed it on the inside of the pot's rim, because that is where they seemed to congregate, so they will get stuck there, if missed by all of the other methods.
I think we reintroduce these pests into our home, when we buy new plants from the store, as well as soil we buy in bags. The larvae are in most of the soil, then morph in the young, flying gnats and start to breed. You might want to discard the soil that you bought a new plant in, or sterilize it with the peroxide mixture or use your own sterilized soil.
I found that mixing 1 part of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 5 parts water will kill the larvae. After top watering with this mixture, you will see the soil bubble, then the larvae head to the surface and die. The larvae "will" eat your plant's roots, especially seedlings, so the key is really killing them before they turn into adults.
One more thing I've done to discourage egg laying of the adults, is to have 1-2 inches of sand or small rocks to cover my soil. They don't like to lay eggs on grainy surfaces.
I currently don't see any, but I still hear the electric racket crackle every other day, so there are only a few left, probably around the window, which is another hangout for them.
Great tips :) I started to have a small fungus gnat problem and successfully got rid of them by watering ALL my plants with neem. I'm saving this in case I ever need more variety in my methods. Have you experimented with essential oils? I think I will try lavender, rosemary, or tea tree oil with neem, either preventatively or to kill them off next time I get an infestation. After all, those plants produce those oils as defense mechanisms against pests.
Tea tree oil, peppermint oil and neem oil are useful to make them stay away. Just put a few drops on a cotton ball and stick the cotton in the corner of the pot. The neem is great for watering plants, because those bugs like spider mites, and a few others, are killed or repelled when they try to feed off of the plants, which have absorbed the neem oil via their roots. All of your suggestions are actually quite good though; thank you for posting and sharing, because it brought out more suggestions and ideas.
Whoa thank you so much this is so insightful!
I believe essential oils deter them but do not kill them. Wouldnt hurt to add some.
My insecticidal soap has a dash of peppermint on it 🤓
@@onlyplants yes, I agree, but they will die before they lay eggs in the soil, they are repelled from.
How about for the big plants? how to bottom watering ? Thank you!
Unfortunately you cant really bottom water the big plants efficiently. Fortunately they can hold more water at the base, so I would focus on maintaining the top dry as much as I can
@@onlyplants Thank you!
Omg I couldn’t stop laughing throughout specially at the start. Thanks again for this video! Is there a type of soil you would not recommend bottom watering? Like bark or rice hull?
Oh ya rice hulls dont really wick up water that well... you may have to bottom water it for a really long time. Bark too.
Thank you! If you've ever had one fly up your nose and you itch and smash one in your freaking nose....you know the struggle. New sub! You're a delight.
Lol... try to snort it instead... 😅😆
Thank you for the video. Yes I do bottom watering and my plants are free from fungus gnat. Kanpai 🥂to bottom watering.
Yaye 🙌🏻
This method works amazing for me! I've tried hydrogen peroxide but it didn't work as good. Just letting the pots dry and bottom watering is enough.
Yeah hydrogen peroxide kills indisciminately. Make you you fertilise the plant after H2O2
Thank you for all this info
If you don't want to lose the top inch of soil - you can spread it out away from any other plants and use a steam cleaner 😉 .... the process kills everything in the soil good and bad and allows you to keep the bulk and rejuvenate it as bulk into fresh soil (or rebuild it totally from scratch).......
Whoaaa i wonder if that will harm the plant though
Yes, do please demonstrate bottom watering. Especially when you have a lot of plants. How long do you keep the plant in water? How long do you then let each plant drain? Can you put more than one plant in a tub of water? Seems so much more time consuming....but I am anxious to watch, learn and try it.
Hello yes you can put multiple plants in one vessel!
Just saw this! Great video! I have liquid fertilizer that I add to my water. Can I still do the bottom watering method? Thank you.
Yes you can bottom water with liquid fertilizer!
Ive been watching your videos and find them so helpful! im starting to have this problem with my ficus microcarpa bonsai, not sure if i can let the tree dry out.
Ooo Im not familiar with that species. But the common ficuses love drought period
You're funny :-) I enjoy your videos, and have found lots of useful information. Envy the space you have and your collection :-) Greetings from across the border in Malaysia!
Thank you so much. Hope you found the information useful 😊
Thanks for the tips. I was letting mine sit in water WAY TOO LONG! Do you use any fertilizer for your plants and if yes, do you bottom water the fertilizer?
I used to bottom water using chemical fertilizer diluted in water. These days I can only spray them down with fertilizer water as I have too many plants.
Great Video! I would think a moisture meter to measure after (or checking) bottom watering would be great! What are you doing with the really large plants behind you in the video? By the way I use mosquito bits for fungus gnats.
Wooh Im not sure if I undrstand the question
@@onlyplantsHow would you bottom water the huge plants?
I use the plastic saucers to bottom water my plants Started that with my African Violets. Most I use a double saucer (from Home Depot) so that if I over fill the smaller saucer. Saves time taking plant to sink!! I enjoyed your video and your jokes were funny. I have also used the sticky butterflies and plants that do a great job catching the gnats.
put a shallow tray of water with a drop of lemon scene dish soap in it, put it beside your troubled plant, the gnats would dive in and kill themselves. helps to keep the population down?
The ones in my house are too smart for that. I resorted to using wine and dish soap, but the second generation ignored it.
Its strange i have never noticed fungus gnats making that noise, that reminds me of mosquitos. Ive sorted gnats by not overwatering and/or bottom feeding. Also a apple cider vinagar trap sorts them out.
u can gauge the amount of water by before and after weight of the pot - just generally by hand, I am not saying get the scales out ha ha
It is true! I bottom watering my plants and i dont get fungus gnat.
The only thing that has worked for me is Mosquito bites, neem oil and sticky traps.
Great Tip, I have been doing this for awhile. I think those gnats like to get in your ears because you are so Sweet to them. Thank You for Sharing.
Haha thank you. Maybe they just want to be inside me... be a part of me
@@onlyplants I want to be a gnat.....
FREE!!! Yeay🙌🏼😂😂😂 Tq Sean, I use Starxle G (bought from Shoppee) seems to work well for me👌🏼 Sometimes I place a tiny cup of Serai Wangi (bought from M’sia) on top of my potted plants soil if it gets too infected, Take care Sean😊
Thanks for the tips! Take care too dear
thanks for review on starxle G - just got it (from my plant guy) so will be doing that on sunday plant day!
Haaa...my fungus gnats are also colorblind for yellow sticky papers in my country. Vinegar, hydrogen, neem oil - nothing. It was necessary to jump on white powder for top of the soil + non organic two - components insecticide during watering. Works for now. You are right for bottom watering but for me takes to long.
Thank you! Its getting cold now and I have found my goji berries have lost all their leaves due to bugs😫 and my room gets humid esp in the winter season so my plants are crazy infested with gnats..thank u for telling me my issue ✊..
Free wifi in your ear 🤣🤣🤣
Great content! Will definitely try :)
Great video. My new watering method will be bottom watering.