FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I've got Fungus gnats like nobodies business. Is it safe to cover my top soil with perlite (What i have on hand), or silica sand? I'm wanting to prevent their larvae from producing.

I'm worried the larvae are messing with the new growth because it's not nearly as vigorous as a few weeks ago.

What kind of plants are we talking about?
The sand would probably be better. The gnats would have a harder time trying to get down through it to lay eggs. But, depending on the plant, and the size of it, you would need to be careful.
If it's a ground hugging rosette, then you might have to be gently creative to get sand under the leaves. If it stands up then it'll be easier, unless they're seedlings.
If your plants are bigger, the fungus gnat larvae shouldn't affect them as they generally only feed on the root hairs of seedlings.
Another option would be to get another carnivorous plant like a sundew or a Ping. I had a fungus gnat issue last year, but my Capes grew enough, and I got a Ping at the same time. Between them, no more fungus gnats.
Good luck.

I bought about 11 VFT in the past month or so once i felt comfortable growing them. (My thinking was to own a bunch of young plants now, so i can enjoy their more grown selves next year)

In "FlyTrapStore" terms they range from "Starter" to "Young" no seedlings.

I guess the real problem is that some of my leaves are yellowing too early it feels like. Also dying too early. I got to enjoy a trap that got really big, really colorful. Then it just began to die, and i have no clue why. I thought the huge influx in fruit flys had something to do with it maybe.

If you've bought them in the last month or so, then I don't think you have a fungus gnat problem. Your plants are simply stressed, and need time to recover. Stress from shipping, repotting, and acclimating to a new environment. I'm assuming you're keeping them outside. It's summertime, so they have to deal with the heat on top of that too.
Keep them moist at all times, I would only give them direct morning sunlight (until about 10 AM for now), then dappled light or shade the rest of the day.
They should be fine, VFT's are tough little plants.

Thank you for the reassuring message. I wish they were outside. I have them under grow lights. It's not safe for me to place them outside where i live. An apartment ground floor.

FunkeePanda wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 1:40 pm Thank you for the reassuring message. I wish they were outside. I have them under grow lights. It's not safe for me to place them outside where i live. An apartment ground floor.

Understood.
In the meantime, if the fungus gnats are bothering you, hang a fly strip above the plants. That should give some immediate relief. However, that only catches the dumb ones, the smart ones avoid it and breed some more.
Look at getting a Capensis to put in the middle of your VFT's. That will go a long way in catching the rest.

@ChefDean[/b],

They are fine in the same pots? Almost all are the pots from the "FlyTrapStore".

I would put the Cape in its own pot and arrange the flytrap pots around it. That way, if the Cape decided to put up a new plant from its roots like mine did while I was away, you won't have the added hassle of trying to untangle them when the time comes to repot the Flytraps.
If you were to get a Cape, the only other thing I would suggest is that you cut any flower stalk that forms. Unless you're good about collecting the seed, you could have hitchhiker Capes all over within a couple of years.
Good luck.

@ChefDean,

10-4 Thank you for that.

Do you happen to know somewhere dependable to obtain Sundews?

Tell you what, I'll do you one better.
I'm planning on thinning out my sundew herd next year, let's get a jump on that. I have some mature D. Intermedia that I can send you. It is a temperate sundew, it needs a dormancy, so it will be happy right next to your Flytraps when they go down for their winter nap.
If you let them go to seed, they can become a weed. But they're short and could perhaps be a nice companion plant for a Flytrap. However, they're big enough to easily take down a fungus gnat.
I have six of them, I'll send them to you not quite bare root, there will be some moss around the roots, to help them undergo less stress with the repotting at least.
If you're interested, PM me your address and I'll get them to you.

Buy a package of "Mosquito dunks" at the garden center. It is BT. Put one quarter of one in your watering can or a small chunk of it in the water tray. This will kill the larvae in the soil and stop future generations. It is all natural and safe. But give it some time to work. Use sticky traps and manually kill the adults.