Gardening With Allen: Easy fix for houseplants with gnats
Allen Wilson is a gardening specialist based mostly in Vancouver. E mail Allen Wilson at allenw98663@yahoo.com.
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I’ve an issue with annoying mosquito bugs on my houseplants. I’ve tried a number of issues, a few of which had been briefly useful, however the bugs will likely be again in a number of days. Is there any solution to eliminate them without end?
The mosquitoes that you simply see flying round your houseplants are the grownup type of the fungus mosquito. Every grownup lives 8 to 10 days and lays round 300 eggs within the backside of the vegetation. The eggs hatch in about 4 to 6 days and turn out to be larvae that feed on fungi and natural matter within the soil. To a restricted extent, in addition they feed on plant roots. After 12 to 16 days, the larvae rework into pupae. The pupae mature into adults who hatch out of the bottom in 4 to 6 days and the life cycle begins over again.
There are a number of strategies of controlling the adults and larvae. Nonetheless, most of them don’t have any impact on the eggs or pupae. Subsequently, your strategies solely took a number of days. You’ll need to repeat your remedy each 5 days to kill the newly creating larvae and adults.
Mushroom mosquitoes are drawn to moist, water-saturated soil. You should change your watering practices in order to not get them again when you eliminate them. It is not uncommon for individuals to water all of their houseplants on the identical time, both on a schedule or when the driest plant turns into dry. We are able to get away with it as a result of most potting soil is effectively permeable and the roots are nonetheless adequately equipped with oxygen even when they’re overwatered. Crops ought to solely be watered individually when the highest of the soil is dry.
I’ve discovered that the grownup mosquitoes are straightforward to manage with an everyday family spray – the type you possibly can use to wash your counter tops. Normally, you may spray this round vegetation with out harming them. Moisture can harm vegetation with fuzzy leaves, equivalent to African violets. So do not spray them. Actually, it’s best to water them above floor to keep away from water getting on the leaves.
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