How to Get Rid of Gnats in Plants Using Coffee Grounds


Coffee grounds on the article How to Get Rid of Gnats in Plants Using Coffee Grounds

Often, people view gnats as harmless houseplant pests that should not be much of an issue. Even so, these pests can infest your home and damage your plants.

That’s why you should keep an eye out for any increasing numbers and figure out how to deal with them in time.

We have compiled a guide on identifying these pests, preventing them, and eliminating them. We have also included some simple hacks to help you solve your gnat problem without reaching for chemicals.

Gnats do not like the scent of coffee grounds. You can use the coffee grounds by spreading them around the areas you do not want the gnats to visit to repel them. 

What are Gnats?

Lots of coffee groundsDealing with pests is not that different from going to war. Why? – you need to understand your enemy for you to have a fighting chance.

Otherwise, you will not even know that you’re facing a threat even when you are face up against it. Moreover, you will be clueless about how you can deal with the threat. So, let’s start by how you can identify gnats.

Have you ever seen a fruit fly? Gnats are about the same size with a length of about one-sixteenth to an eighth of an inch. Their larvae measure about an eighth of an inch.

They feature a grayish-black color and have long legs and antennae, akin to mosquitoes. They even fly at slow speeds like mosquitoes. Given their weak flying capabilities, they often walk on the soil and fly over short distances.

In most cases, they will attack your indoor plants. But it’s also likely that they might take up home among your outdoor plants.

These pests love the moisture in potting soil and lay their eggs near the soil surface. In about three days, these eggs hatch into larvae which sink deeper into the soil and feed on fungi and decaying plant parts.

The process does not end here. In about two weeks, the larvae metamorphose into adults that now come above the soil surface.

Once again, they lay eggs near the soil surface, and the process continues. Adults live for about one week, so each week, you get a fresh batch of gnats. You can imagine how long this pattern can continue.

Do Gnats Harm Plants?

The good news is that gnats will not feed on you and do not carry any diseases affecting humans. So, you are safe. But your plants are not. Gnats do harm plants

Remember the life cycle we covered earlier? Well, if you don’t do anything to stop it, the gnat population increases with each cycle.

Keep in mind that an adult can lay as many as 200 eggs at a time. It can get to a point where the larvae are so many that the fungus and decaying plant parts are insufficient.

They then start feeding on the roots. With the roots weakened and exposed to diseases, it’s only a matter of time before your plants start becoming weaker and even dying.

How to get Rid of Gnats in Plants Using Coffee Grounds

Once gnats have made a home in your potting soil, the way to get rid of them is by managing their population and preventing the production of more larvae.

Can you get rid of gnats on plants with coffee grounds? Sure you can get rid of gnats using coffee grounds! What’s the point of the coffee grounds, though? – To deter pests.

You may have noticed that most pests do not enjoy coffee grounds and will remain at bay for as long as the grounds are in the soil.

That should keep the gnat larvae out of your potting soil long enough and prevent the production of more gnats.

One mistake that people often make to get rid of gnats on their plants with coffee grounds is placing them directly on the soil. Doing this harms the plants instead of helping them.

Think about it this way. Coffee grounds are a source of nitrogen, but this is not immediate.

They still need to undergo decomposition to release this nitrogen into the soil. But that’s not the only reason you should not use them at the top.

Using the coffee grounds directly on the surface creates an ideal environment where mold and bacteria can thrive. They also encourage the production of more fungus gnats, which is the problem you want to avoid.

So, how do you avoid adding insult to the injury? You have two options. The first is to add them to a compost pile to decompose and blend with other key nutrients.

When adding this final pile to your potting soil, ensure that it only accounts for not more than 20% of the total soil volume.

Otherwise, you will create room for moisture problems, encouraging more gnats to take up home in your plant.

Of course, using an entire compost pile might feel like a lot of work. You can skip it and instead use the compost to make tea.

You see, the compost will already have soluble nutrients. All you need is to steep it in water to release these nutrients and acidity and add it to the potting soil.

If you’re enjoying this article, check out our article on are coffee grounds good for fig trees.

How to get Rid of Gnats in Plants Naturally

Dealing with gnats will not be a one-day job. Instead, you will need to remain consistent with your efforts. Let’s look at some of the methods that have worked in traditional and modern settings:

Using Sticky Cards

Coffee beansDid we mention that gnats fly erratically? They can even fly right into your drink or eyes. That’s a good thing to note about our enemy in this case because we can use this against them.

This method is very easy and works in trapping adult gnats to ensure they cannot lay eggs that can hatch into larvae. All you do is cut some sticky notes and place them in a sticky adhesive.

You then place these pieces of notes directly above the potting soil using sticks positioned in the soil.

The adults will either walk to the notes or fly into them and will not have the chance to escape because the adhesive will keep them in place.

Oh, and gnats seem to love yellow. If you want to catch more adults, go with bold and bright colors like this.

Using Cider Vinegar

Cider vinegar has been a gem for tons of reasons. It does not run out of possible uses, from helping people manage their weight to helping us craft amazing meals.

Now, it’s about to work wonders for your gnat problem. All you do is mix equal parts of water and apple cider vinegar in a shallow container, ensuring that the liquid comes to at least a quarter of an inch.

Then add a few drops of liquid detergent and stir the mixture. Place this solution near the potting soil or on it.

The gnats cannot help but feel attracted to the apple cider vinegar and will try to get some of it. As they do so, their wings will get caught and bound in the soap, and they will be stuck in the solution, unable to escape.

Using Rotten Fruit

Gnats love sweet things, and the presence of rotting fruit will have them excited for the food. We did mention that they feed on decaying plant matter, yes? Now, here’s an easy trick.

Allow some fruit to go bad, then place it in a container. Wrap the container in plastic wrap before piercing some small holes on the surface.

These holes should be big enough for the gnats to get in but small enough to trap them inside. After a few hours, you should have caught quite a lot of gnats.

Using Red Wine

This trick works like the apple cider vinegar trap. If you don’t have any vinegar in the house, you can use red wine instead. Pour some into a container and follow up with a few drops of detergent.

As the gnats feast on the wine, they will get caught in the soap and will not have any means of escape.

How to get Rid of Fungus Gnats

The sure way to get rid of gnats is to keep them from reproducing. We mentioned that it takes only two weeks for adults to emerge from the soil and lay more eggs.

To ensure that this does not happen, you must make the potting soil unconducive for their growth. How?

Keeping The Soil Dry

Gnats thrive in moist soil and will always gravitate towards potting soil that is almost always wet. You might be triggering gnats by watering your potting soil more often than necessary.

Instead, allow the soil to dry between watering and space out the schedule even more. If gnats see a dry surface, they will lay their eggs elsewhere.

Keeping the House Dry

Think of the area where you have located your plant. Is it generally moist? You might need to get rid of damp features like wet clothes, wet sinks, etc. These might also be to blame.

Getting Rid of Rubbish

Coffee beansYour waste bin can be a food source for the gnats, encouraging them to take up residence in your home. You need to get rid of the trash and messes in the house.

You also need to keep food in the fridge, clean your dishes often, and eliminate any gnat triggers.

Final Thoughts: How to get Rid of Gnats in Plants Using Coffee Grounds

While you might not kill all gnats in one move, making the conditions unfavorable to their growth will reduce their numbers over time. Happy Gardening!

If you enjoyed this article, check out our article on how to get rid of thrips on monstera.

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