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I can't believe I'm asking this but.
We have a Yuka plant that's rather large.
Mrsstu has owned it since she was a teenager. So it's quite old...
Just recently though it has attracted some Knats in it's soil.
We've tried the sticky trap things which work to an extent but there always seems to be a few hang on in there.
We've been told gravel on top of the soil can help stop them?
Any recommendations for anything specific or any other way to get rid of the pesky little blighters?
Watering from the bottom can help break the life cycle too, so stand them in a dish of water for a bit rather than getting the surface wet. Also improving drainage will help, either repot into fresh free draining compost or elevate the pot.
We are currently bottom watering.
It helps but doesn't completely get rid of them.
I use super ninja sticky fly traps, an alternative is to run with dryer compost but that may not favour the plant.
Neem oil.
Will kill the gnats and the larvae in the soil.
It's natural too.
70% isopropyl alcohol will kill them as well.
I fixed gnat issues with gravel on the top and sticky patches, also helps to just water less for a bit if the plant can take it. The gravel holds moisture better once the gnats are gone, too
Thanks all.
I'll try some IPA and gravel.
Had a similar issue with a big old yukka, the spindly type. We repotted it, or at least changed the soil. It has come back really healthy looking. The old soil was pretty tired so two birds killed with one stone
Also a little pot with a splash of beer in seems to attract the bugs pretty well. Then they get drunk and drown
Don't bother wasting time with any of the above. Once you have an infestation none of those will stop them. Order nematodes for fungus gnats online and do the 2 required applications. It sorted out my problem.
(a) They are only fungus gnats, you could just ignore them.
(b) Yucca could probably stand being dried out for a bit, especially this time of year in a reasonably cool spot. The gnats wouldn't like that.
We get them off and on, they come and go, don't do any harm. Mostly when I fail to empty the compost bin for a loooooong time, but also sometimes in pot plants. Forgetting to water things for a while generally sorts them out!
Another vote for nematodes, they sorted out our fungus gnats. The sticky traps get most of the living ones, but there's still an army of them waiting to be born. It only takes a tiny percentage of them not to land on the stick traps to lay a whole other generation of them.