Flying little bugs in potting mix

[roosterlou]

Hi. I have re-potted all indoor plants with Yates Premium Potting mix ( also used a cheaper Bunning mix which had same issue)  and have noticed in the last few months these peaky tiny flying bugs all around the plants & in the mix. Does anyone know why & how I can get rid of them.  Live in Qld.

I've always had indoor plants and never had this issue before?

[BradN]

Hi @roosterlou, and welcome to the Workshop community.

It sounds as though you have fungus gnats, which feed and breed in potting mix. They're generally harmless to healthy plants, but they can certainly be annoying.

@MitchellMc and other posters shared advice on various things you can do to deal with fungus gnats in this thread. I'll also tag our horticultural gurus @Noelle and @Adam_W to see if they have any more specific advice.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Brad

[Noelle]

Hi @roosterlou 

Fungus gnats breed in warm, humid potting mixes and soils that contain a high percentage of composted organic matter.  They have become an increasingly annoying pest over the past 2-3 years and can be difficult to eradicate.

The best way to avoid introducing them in the first place is to use a specially formulated Indoor Plants Potting Mix, which is based on coir fibre (shredded coconut husk) and doesn't contain any composted materials at all.

I would recommend repotting all your indoor plants into an Indoor Plants Mix as soon as possible.  Make sure you remove as much of the old, infested mix as possible when doing this.

If repotting isn't an option at this time, then treat the current mix with either Neem Oil or Eco Oil immediately.  Take the affected pots outdoors to a sheltered spot first, then using a Neem or Eco Oil concentrate diluted as per the label instructions, drench each pot.  Repeat again in 5-7 days - fungus gnats have a very short lifecycle so it's important to eradicate adults before they have the chance to lay eggs in your pots.