Vicious Vinegar and Your Houseplants
While vinegar is nontoxic to cats and humans, it is harmful to plants because it contains 5 percent acetic acid. If you spray vinegar on the leaves of your houseplants, it will destroy their cell membranes, warns the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides.
Likewise, people ask, what can I spray on houseplants to get rid of gnats?
Mix one tablespoon of lemon-scented dish soap with two liters of water. Pour into a spray bottle. Spray the infested houseplant liberally with the soap mixture. Be sure to coat the soil, stem and leaves thoroughly.
In this regard, how do I get rid of gnats in my plants naturally?
Here’s how to naturally treat your houseplants and get rid of gnats in the soil.
- Make the Natural Habitat Inhospitable. …
- Use a Soap-and-Water Mixture. …
- Use Sand or Gravel. …
- Dispose of the Top Layer of Soil Outdoors. …
- Don’t Overwater Your Houseplants. …
- Water From the Bottom. …
- Store Extra Potting Soil in an Airtight Container.
What happens if I put vinegar on my plants?
Vinegar concentrates make effective organic weed killers with almost immediate results. … This causes the weed to dry out down to the root. Unfortunately, if the spray touches a valued garden plant, it will kill that plant as well through desiccation.
Will diluted vinegar hurt my plants?
The acetic acid of vinegar dissolves the cell membranes resulting in desiccation of tissues and death of the plant. … A higher acetic acid (20 percent) product can be purchased, but this has the same potentially damaging results as utilizing vinegar as a herbicide.
How do you get rid of gnats in soil?
Keep soil dry: Fungus gnats seek out moist soil, so allowing your houseplants to dry out a bit between waterings can slow down or stop an infestation. Let the top inch or two of soil dry out before watering again, and try to go as long as possible between waterings.
How do you get rid of little flies on houseplants?
How To Get Rid Of Fungus Gnats In Houseplants Soil
- Control soil moisture. …
- Water plants from the bottom. …
- Use yellow houseplant sticky stakes. …
- Apply organic pest control products. …
- Remove the gnat infested soil. …
- Use soil covers. …
- Store unused potting soil in a sealed container. …
- Never reuse potting soil.
Why does my indoor plant have gnats?
Because gnats in houseplants typically result when the potting mix contains too much moisture, the best way to prevent gnats from taking over your home is to avoid over-watering in the first place.
