Tiny whiteflies in the dirt of my indoor potted plants

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Elena Middle, TN(Zone 6b) Jun 16, 2009

Tiny whiteflies in my indoor potted plants...I have the tiniest little flies just teaming in the topsoil of some of my indoor potted plants. I have used house and garden spray on the soil but to no avail. What can I do to get rid of them? Any help will be most appreciated.

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trackinsand mid central, FL(Zone 9a) Jun 17, 2009

they sound like fungus gnats. a liberal topping of sand on top of the soil should stop them from breeding. if they are really white and are under the leaves of your plants, then it's whitefly. if it is whitefly, you need to take the plants outside and spray them with a light oil spray (available at garden centers) or spray with neem. they are harder to control than fungus gnats and do more harm to a plant than the gnat. also let the soil dry out pretty much before you water again if they are fungus gnats.

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Elena Middle, TN(Zone 6b) Jun 17, 2009

Thank you so much for that advice. They aren't under the leaves but just quite plentiful on the soil and in the air. I will try the sand and also the oil spray. They are outside now and I am not panicing as much as I was with them inside. LOL Thankfully it is not winter time and I have a good chance of solving this before they head back inside. Since they are all small plants (newly started cuttings), I have even considered removing them from the soil, rinsing them and then soaking them in soapy water for a few hours. That has worked for me in the past with some things but it might not work with this situation.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jun 17, 2009

Also when there are fungus gnats, it's often a sign that things are just a little too wet, so you might check up on your watering too. Even if you get rid of the gnats, if you're watering a bit too much that can cause other problems down the road. You can use yellow sticky traps to catch them too, and get some Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis, same stuff that's in mosquito dunks) and water with that to take care of the larvae in the soil (the adults don't hurt your plants, it's the larvae in the soil that can do some damage to the roots so they're the ones to worry about the most)

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Elena Middle, TN(Zone 6b) Jun 17, 2009

Great tips. I appreciate all of them and will start tomorrow with my efforts, Many thanks,

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trackinsand mid central, FL(Zone 9a) Jun 17, 2009

skip the oil if it's gnats then.

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Elena Middle, TN(Zone 6b) Jun 17, 2009

After looking at the ones still hanging around the kitchen sink, they aren't white at all. They are dark. Hubby says he has some of the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) and we will use that today. Thanks so much for all the help everyone.

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