Have you ever had a houseplant fail to thrive despite your efforts to provide it with the best possible care?You may be able to solve this problem
06.06.2023 - 18:16 / gardenerspath.com / Sylvia Dekker
How to Identify and Control Fungus Gnats on Houseplants Bradysia spp., Orfelia spp.Once you notice them, flying slightly above your plants or in your face, you can’t ignore fungus gnats.
Somehow, these quiet, tiny flies are as annoying as noisy house flies, and you’re on a mission to deal with them once and for all.
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Luckily, there are a variety of options for safely and effectively ridding your houseplants of the little flies that are emerging from the soil medium.
Everything you need to know about these little maggots is laid out for you below!
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Are Fungus Gnats?Fungus gnats, also sometimes called dark-winged fungus gnats, are small flies in the Sciaridae family and Bradysia and Orfelia genera.
They can be irritating and look dirty, flying around your plants, your head, and light sources, but these flies are mainly a nuisance pest.
The adults are harmless. However, their maggot-like larvae which live in the soil can cause damage, especially to young plants.
The larvae feed on fungi, algae, and decaying organic matter in the growing medium, but they may snack on root hairs and roots if populations are large.
Through feeding, they can transmit plant diseases such as black root rot caused by various species of Thielaviopsis, Pythium, Verticillium, Botrytis, and Fusarium fungi.
Severely damaged plants may wilt. However, you will usually notice the fungus gnats themselves resting on the growing medium or flying about before this happens, giving you time to deal with them.
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