Simply bake your own remedy against an infestation of the fungus gnat. As always, baking powder should not be missing. The effective household remedy can also convince with a high probability of success in pest control. This page tells you everything you need to know about the application.
Baking soda is not the best home remedy for fungus gnats
How does baking soda work against fungus gnats?
Many people consider adult fungus gnats to be the biggest problem. Although the fully grown animals are very annoying, they do not pose any danger to the plant. On the one hand, they have a very short lifespan at this stage, and on the other hand they show no interest in feeding on plant parts.
The larvae of the fungus gnat are completely different. These usually stay in the substrate of the plant and cause great damage here. Female fungus gnats lay their eggs in the potting soil so that the hatching brood can later feed on the sugary plant sap. The larvae thus deprive the plant of the power reserves for growth.
By covering the substrate with baking soda, you prevent the females from laying more eggs. On the other hand, the larvae absorb the household remedy. However, they don't get the ingredients, so they die from the baking powder after a short time.
If you want to be gentler against the fungus gnat, it is best to use bird sand or coffee grounds instead of baking powder. This only prevents the pests from spreading further.
Baking soda as a home remedy
benefits
- Baking powder is usually available in the household.
- Plant is not damaged
- very cheap application
- targeted combating of the main problem, namely the larvae in the potting soil
- long-term effect
disadvantage
- only works after a while
- Application must be repeated with high probability
- They kill the larvae when used (other home remedies only drive the animals away).
method
- Put some baking soda on the potting soil of the affected plant.
- Isolate the growth from your remaining plants.
- Spray water atomizer onto the substrate.
- Watch the fungus gnat infestation.
- If there is no improvement after a few days, repeat the application.
- Only put the plant back in its old location when you are sure that there are no more fungus gnats on the leaves.