Fungus Gnats Driving You Crazy? Diatomaceous Earth will cure what ales you!

Fungus Gnats Driving You Crazy? Diatomaceous Earth will cure what ales you!

Are fungus gnats driving you crazy? A layer of diatomaceous earth is the way to go.
Diatomaceous Earth (often referred to as "DE") is an off white talc-like powder that is the fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton (sea shells).
Fungus gnats lay their eggs on the surface of the soil. The larve hatches and digs into the soil an inch or so. Once they hatch the gnats come to the surface to lay more eggs and the process repeats. Diatomaceous earth breaks this cycle because the gnats have to travel through it to complete the reproduction cycle. Diatomaceous earth acts like little razor blades to the gnats essentially cutting them as they go through it. It works great but it will take a week or two to work completely. You need to go through a few reproductive cycles to get them all. This is a very effective, all natural method for treating fungus gnats.
To treat add a 1/8" layer of diatomaceous earth to the top of your soil covering the entire surface of the soil. If possible "bottom water" your plants for a few weeks. Diatomaceous earth loses it's effectiveness when wet so minimize exposure to moisture if possible or water and re-apply once surface of soil is dry. You can also add a layer of sand to the top of your soil first and then add some Diatomaceous Earth on top of the sand layer. This will help keep moisture from coming into contact with the DE. It also acts as a deterrent to pests.

 

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