how do I kill these flies? Does anyone know what these flies are? They’re deep into my soil
Hello @Chrysanthemum
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about the flies in your chrysanthemum.
We've had several discussions about flies or tiny flying insects flying around plants. The most common culprit found is often the fungus gnats. They are often seen when using organic potting mixes that retain a lot of moisture. It is the perfect breeding ground for these types of insects. The suggested solutions are to swap the mix the plants are potted in for Scotts Osmocote 10L Indoor Plants Premium Potting Mix which is specially designed to minimise gnat's populations. Another option is to use https://www.bunnings.com.au/yates-4-5l-gnat-barrier_p0170990 .
Here are some of the discussions I spoke about:
I also suggest looking at this guide - How to get rid of flying bugs on indoor plants by @Adam_W.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
Thank you for the suggestion, EricL.
I've been using the orange bag with the flower logo ever since my chrysanthemum cutting has been growing out of the cutting soil. I also first time used the pyrethrum solution on the soil.
The Scotts Osmocote 10L Indoor Plants Premium Potting Mix comes in a grey bag and is formulated to be less prone to fungus gnat infestation. Using the Yates Pyrethrum is also an alternative, please make sure to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a mask. It may require several applications to get rid of the fungus gnats, please make sure to follow the application instructions on the back of the packaging.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Thank you, @EricL .
So, after I purchased this specific soil, do i put the one that the Chrysanthemum has been sitting in, in the bin? Then i also reuse the granules ontop the soil and then use the pyrethrum solution on my chrysanthemum? Let me know.
Your suggested steps would be the most secure way of guarding against the fungus gnats. However, I believe you can get away with using just the new potting mix and the granules. If you happen to still have flies showing up, then that would be the time to use the Yates Pyrethrum.
