Flying bugs like fungus gnats can make an appearance in or around your spider plants for several reasons although most tend to do with the soil and how well you maintain it. Here are the steps for quickly getting rid of the tiny flies before the infestation becomes an even bigger problem.
Over-watering tends to be the main culprit for the development of fungus gnat infestations on spider plants. Fungus gnats and other similar flying bugs love moisture and dampness. Spider plants don’t require excessive moisture to thrive. You are overwatering your plant if the soil remains super soggy and develops tiny puddles of water. The simplest solution to getting rid of fungus gnats on spider plants is to reduce the amount of watering. You only need to water the plant when the top layer of the soil looks dry.
If you are using self-watering pots or automated plant watering systems, you may want to re-configure the frequency of watering the device is set to. These devices add a lot of convenience but can introduce fungus gnat problems as they are designed to keep the soil damp at all time.
Fungus gnats will also appear around spider plants if the soil quality is poor. You might have brought in spider plants that have been potted in gnat-infested soil. The existing soil may also not be draining well and this adds to the problem we highlighted on over-watering. If you suspect that the soil is the problem then you will need to repot the spider plants in high-quality potting mix that drains well and is free of pests.
Placing a few yellow sticky traps around the spider plants may help get rid of adult fungus gnats but they won’t resolve the originating cause of the bug infestation. To completely get rid of the flies around the spider plants, you need to also eradicate the larvae and eggs in the infested soil.
Repotting, however, isn’t an easy step as household plants like spider plants can be quite sensitive to a change in environment and may end up going through transplant shock. Instead of repotting, one alternative method to consider is using mosquito bits. Let it soak in the water used for the spider plants. We would suggest letting the mosquito bits or dunks soak for at least 24 hours in order for this method to be effective.
No idea how to get rid of all these damn flies around my spider plant. Please help!!! I have isolated the spider plant from the rest of my other lovely greens.
I tried using some hydrogen peroxide solution to kill off the flies from the spider plant. It seems to work. Spotted a few dead adult flies this morning.
There’s one method here not suggested yet which is to use diatomaceous earth. I’ve had luck with getting rid of the gnats from my spider plant after applying some of the powder consistently on the soil.
I’ve used countless number of methods including the ones mentioned here like mosquito bits but the fungus gnats just don’t seem to be going away. How do I save my spider plant from this irritating infestation?
I would just add further note to what Jennifer mentioned about diatomaceous earth. You need to make sure the soil is completely dry before you apply it. Otherwise, it’s useless and the gnats will never disappear from your spider plants.