Houseplants have always been popular in all countries. Beautiful flowers in pots, neatly arranged on a windowsill or special shelves, not only bring joy to their appearance, but also saturate the air in the room with oxygen. But sometimes the cultivation of indoor plants can bring some inconvenience. Very often midges settle in flower pots. These small and annoying insects can significantly worsen not only your mood, but also the health of your flower garden. And how to get rid of midges in indoor flowers, what are the methods?
Where do midges come from and are they harmful?
Midges in indoor flowers, how to get rid of them - before answering this question, you should find out where they come from and how harmful are these insects... By themselves, these "creatures" do not do much harm to the plants themselves, and for humans they are practically safe. But the fact is that the fly hatches from eggs that are deposited in the ground where the flower grows. The larvae living in the soil can harm the root system.
Where the front sight comes from is a difficult question. These insects are very small and easily penetrate any room, even with tightly closed windows and doors. And if at least a few individuals get into an apartment or house where there is a pot with a flower, then they will begin to reproduce at high speed. Especially if favorable conditions have been created for this. Flies appear quickly, but it can be very difficult to remove them.
Getting rid of insects
There are midges in flower pots, how to get rid of them - this question may arise for many lovers of home plants. These insects have been accompanying humanity for many centuries. For such a long time, the people have invented hundreds of ways to get rid of such an unpleasant neighborhood. Let's name only the most popular and effective ones:
- The most popular way is to use a potassium permanganate solution. This technique has been used for many decades. But here it is very important not to overdo it. A solution of potassium permanganate can harm the root system. Therefore, it is better to dilute small doses, but pour this product several times;
- Another old way is watering with soapy water... But even here you should not make a highly concentrated solution, otherwise you will spoil the quality of the soil and destroy the plants;
- You can also get rid of midges with garlic. To prepare the solution, four heads are taken, they are cleaned and passed through a garlic press. The resulting mass is poured with a liter of boiling water and settled for four hours. The resulting solution is sprayed on the crown of the plants, and then the soil in the pot is watered. This method will help get rid of midges in just two procedures. The disadvantage of the method is the presence of a smell, which may not please everyone;
- If you are faced with the question of how to get rid of midges in flower pots, then you can use a not quite traditional method. You need to take four regular matches and stick them into the ground with their heads down. After that, you should periodically water the flowers until the sulfur completely dissolves, then the matches are changed to new ones. This "replacement" should be done five to six times. Sulfur in the soil allows you to destroy the larvae of midges;
- To get rid of midges in flower pots you can use tobacco too, or rather, a tincture from it. A small amount (about 20 grams) is poured with half a liter of water. After two days of settling, another liter of water is added to the solution and the lower leaves of indoor plants are sprayed with the resulting mixture.
In addition to these methods, there are many others, less laborious, but not so effective. For example, you can take zest of any citrus and stick pieces of it around the perimeter of the pot. Peeled and cut garlic cloves can be placed in the same way.
If you do not trust a folk remedy, then you can use chemicals. There are many solutions and powders on the market today that help get rid of insects. But you have to be careful here. When buying a product, carefully read the recommendations for use. Otherwise, along with the insects in the flower pots, you can get rid of the houseplants themselves.
Preventive actions
As you know, prevention is always easier to do than to deal with the problem in the future. The same goes for fighting gnats in flower pots. Here it is worth following some recommendations from specialists, and then the problem of how to remove insects will not arise.
If you do not want to be tormented by the question - midges in flowers, how to get rid of, then observe the following simple rules:
- A midge in flower pots starts if there is a lot of moisture in them. Therefore, you do not need to get too carried away with watering. It is better that the soil in the pots is slightly damp;
- So that the water does not stagnate in the pots, which means that a favorable environment for midges is not created, periodically loosen the soil;
- Many "folk" recipes recommend using a tea solution when watering. But such an environment is most favorable for the reproduction of midges;
- Do not leave fallen leaves and inflorescences in pots. Do not think that this will enrich the potting soil. It is better to additionally feed the flowers. Let you spend a little money, but avoid the appearance of midges;
- Cover the potted soil with marble chips, ash, or sand to cut down on where gnats can lay their eggs;
- When transplanting, do not forget to treat the pots with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boiling water.
By following these simple rules, you will avoid the appearance of midges in flower pots.
Conclusion
How to get rid of midges in flowers - this question torments many indoor plant lovers. These insects do not do much harm to humansbut their presence can be very annoying. You can get rid of the presence of midges in different ways. Treatment with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or soap, the use of garlic, tobacco or citrus peel are all effective and long-used methods. But all these methods of getting rid of gnats in pots will take you a long time. Therefore, it is better not to allow such a situation. To do this, it is worth following a number of recommendations, and small and annoying midges will not threaten your flowers and your nerves.