Post a reply

Avatar for alymaek
Jan 14, 2019 9:35 AM CST
Thread OP
Alberta
Hello!!

I got a couple new plants about 3 weeks ago. I repotted them since they were in such small pots with potting soil and now my kalanchoe and lemon gold crest cypress have fungus gnats!! I haven't watered them in 2 weeks and the soil is still a little moist. I'm thinking I should put them back into smaller pots but I honestly don't know what size or why soil to use. I tried to just leave the plants to dry out but the fly problem has just gotten so much worse over 2 days!! What do I do because I don't want these flies around my house!!
Image
Jan 14, 2019 9:41 AM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Butterflies Bee Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
Can you post photos of your plants? Did you repot because you felt the containers the original containers were too small? Fungus Gnat larvae is often found in bagged soil and although the gnats don't harm plants, they are a nuisance. They are usually present when soil stays very wet.

A couple of articles here on the site with information on Fungus Gnats and other houseplant pests:
https://garden.org/learn/artic...
https://garden.org/learn/artic...
https://garden.org/learn/artic...
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


Avatar for alymaek
Jan 14, 2019 1:50 PM CST
Thread OP
Alberta
Thank you for your reply, I'm currently not home but I do have a picture of the kalanchoe plant from yesterday so I'll post that! Yes, I repotted them because there roots were growing through the drainage holes in the bottom.
Thumb of 2019-01-14/alymaek/2b2f5d
Thumb of 2019-01-14/alymaek/63581c
Image
Jan 14, 2019 1:56 PM CST
Name: Will Creed
NYC
Prof. plant consultant & educator
This is such a common problem when new plants are unnecessarily and/or incorrectly repotted.

The fact that they are not drying out after two weeks is evidence that they are in pots that are too big. Beyond the fungus gnat problem, there is real danger that the roots of your plants are starting to suffocate (rot) because of the excess soil that takes too long to dry out. That is a much bigger potential problem than the fungus gnats.

As Lin pointed out, the gnats were introduced with the potting soil that you used. Some photos would be helpful, but in their absence, I suggest that you undo the repotting that you did by carefully removing the contaminated soil your added but leaving the original rootball intact. Then put the plants back into the original pots or ones that are of similar size without any added soil.

For future reference, it is much better to double pot your new plants rather than repotting them. If you do have reason to repot, you might try using a potting mix of 4 parts peat moss and 1 part perlite. Bagged potting mixes are too often contaminated.
Will Creed
Horticultural Help, NYC
www.HorticulturalHelp.com
Contact me directly at [email protected]
I now have a book available on indoor plant care
Only the members of the Members group may reply to this thread.
  • Started by: alymaek
  • Replies: 3, views: 1,014
Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by mcash70 and is called "Blueberries"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.