Property News · August 13, 2016

Gnats, be gone! | Alys Fowler


Houseplants under attack? Get yourself a pinguicula, says Alys FowlerTiny little flies buzzing around my houseplants; it’s not the welcome home committee I’d wanted. Fungus gnats, or compost flies, are small, dark, short-lived gnats that love houseplants. The adults are annoying but harmless; the larvae, however, feed off the roots of houseplants. They are particularly fond of tender roots, fungus and other rotting material. An infestation can do considerable damage to seedlings, young plants and cuttings. Often it’s a sign that you’ve been overwatering and the roots are rotting a little. You can put out yellow sticky traps to catch the adults, but you may trap pollinators, too.The best solution is to grow butterwort. Pinguicula (pings for short) are a genus of carnivorous plants that have sticky, glandular leaves that trap and eat their prey. Look closely and you’ll see little gnats struggling away, much like the yellow sticky trap, except more exciting. The leaves emit a faint rotting smell that attracts insects to the glistening pools of digestive enzymes. They get stuck and the plant turns them into a digestive soup to sup. Continue reading…

Source : theguardian.com
Read more…Gnats, be gone! | Alys Fowler

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