I have to do my herbal garden in my apartment. I have fungus gnats, ugh. I got the little yellow flags that are sticky traps. However, it only catches them after they hatch, not while they are in the soil.
Because these are my herbs, I do not want to put chemicals on them. Can someone help me? I do not want to throw them out. I have a nice little garden, and I don't want to buy new plants and pots. Thanks.
By Phyllis from Oshkosh, WI
You could try making an insecticidal soap spray using Dr. Bronners liquid castile soap. I found it in the health food section of my Kroger market. (06/12/2009)
By JoAnn Snow
I have had very good luck keeping bugs away from my plants using mint and/or rosemary spray. It is home made. Put leaves and stems in your blender with some water and a few tablespoons of cooking oil. Blend the heck out of it. Strain into a gallon jug and add water to fill the jug. (06/12/2009)
I had great success following this tip when I had the fungus gnat nightmare.
Get a bag of sandbox sand from your home improvement center. If you can, cover the top of the soil of each plant pot with at least a 1/2 inch thick layer of sand. If your pot does not allow that minimum depth of a layer, you may have to re-pot and then top with sand.
If you feel that there are "critters" in the bag of sand, use a large disposable aluminum baking pan (you can re-use it for this process) and heat the sand in you oven for about 30 minutes at 350 F. Cool completely. Place this flexible pan on an old cookie sheet or pizza pan for stability before you put the sand in the pan and then into the oven.
I sure do hope these hints from the folks who responded help you with this frustrating and annoying problem. (06/14/2009)
By Joan Greer
All you need is a potato slice. Place it on the soil of the potted plant and the larva will bee line to it. Once they are gone the problem will be solved. Works every time. Good luck. (07/11/2009)
By Jerry
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