How To Control Fungus Gnats The Fun Way - This Plant Eats Fungus Gnats

[@stormingalaska3110]

Yes! Finally nature’s solution to pest control. In south central Alaska, I often find these growing in the wild on the bogs and on muskeg. I now have the perfect companion plant for my indoor plants. Thanks!

[@MidwestGardener]

That's pretty cool! I wasn't aware that you had a sundew species that far north. I hope they do well indoors. Like you said, they would be a perfect companion for those indoor plants.

[@sunshinecarnivores1919]

Saying Darwin loves Drosera is an understatement! Drosera are fun to grow I have several species.

[@MidwestGardener]

Probably so. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine.

[@sunshinecarnivores1919]

@@MidwestGardener Try some Mexican Pings because they catch as many fungus gnats as Drosera.

[@MidwestGardener]

@@sunshinecarnivores1919 I haven't tried them yet, but my son has some.

[@julioaugusto1529]

Mine is always catching lots of fungus gnats from one of my orchids nearby, that way my sundew managed to flower three times in six months!

[@MidwestGardener]

Nice! I recently saves seeds when mine flowered. They are very easy to start from seeds.

[@jennifersauer3257]

My guess is that every house, shed, greenhouse, etc has fungus gnats. Great way to keep them in check! I’ve never run across info on this plant. Thanks for the lesson, Jim. 😊

[@MidwestGardener]

You're probably right about fungus gnats being in lots of places. So far my two little plants are keeping up pretty well. I've been experimenting with propagating them by leave cuttings. That was surprisingly easy to do....so far. I moved 5 tiny plantlets into the pots. We will see how they do.

[@greenthumbelina7331]

Wow, I had never even heard of this plant! It was fascinating to see how fast it attracted fungus gnats. Sometimes we get more than we bargained for when we bring potting mix into our homes. Jim, thanks for sharing this. ~Margie

[@MidwestGardener]

Yes, we probably bring them in more ways than we realize. I'm enjoying how these work so far.

[@CBsGreenhouseandGarden]

That is such a cool plant. Never seen or heard of these before. That thing is shonuff working awesome!! I will have to read up of the special care they need to see if it would work where I need one to be. Thanks for the info! Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks CB! It's been fun learning about them as I go. You have a great week too!

[@CBsGreenhouseandGarden]

WOW the bad reviews of getting a good live one shipped in is off the charts. Where did you get yours from?

[@MidwestGardener]

I got mine on Ebay. There were a bunch of different sellers, and a bunch of different types of sundews too.

[@aldinsmore3675]

Fascinating , pitcher plants are similar and some are hardy .best in a terrarium

[@MidwestGardener]

I have those on my list of things to try in the future. I think all of the carnivorous/insectivorous plants are fascinating.

[@rosea830]

This is amazing and my son and I agree that we need a couple. We usually get Venus Flytraps in the spring and love them! Thank you so much for showing us this plant!

[@MidwestGardener]

You're welcome, Rose! It's a fun plant to grow. If you are used to growing Venus Flytraps, you should do ok with one of these.

[@AnOldSchoolHome]

This is by far the most awesome plant I’ve ever seen!

[@MidwestGardener]

I agree. It is pretty awesome! You won't believe how easy it is to make more plants. You can just cut up leaves and float them in distilled water, and each cutting grows a new plant....it's really cool to see.

[@SashaDeKasha]

@@MidwestGardener that’s awesome!

[@FullmetalAngyl]

I just added a pinguicula gigantea to my terrarium, but I love drosera! Trouble is I keep isopods in the terrarium where I'm having problems with fungus gnats. I was worried that a sundew plant might be too aggressive for the isopods so I opted for a butterwort and gigantea doesn't have a winter dormancy. But years ago I kept cape sundews and I loved my drosera. The flowers were so tiny but so very pretty and I'd sometimes feed them a tiny piece of milk chocolate or baby-bel cheese and they'd legit drool over it. They'd move so fast to wrap around it that you could actually see it without time laps, if just barely, but that's still so cool! Loved being able to tell people that my pet plant drools for chocolate and cheese. I miss that crazy thing. 🥰

[@MidwestGardener]

Lol, I never thought of feeding them chocolate or cheese :) That's pretty cool I might have to give it a try.

[@stoptheinsanity]

I got a pitcher plant and that took care of the fungus gnats too. I love these plants!

[@MidwestGardener]

That's great to know. Thanks! I want to get one of those too at some point.

[@Swarmstead]

Wow that plant catches a lot of gnats. I could use some for drain flies. I've had Venus fly traps, but they always die for some reason. I might have to look into these.

[@MidwestGardener]

It might have been the water you were using to water them. Water with any type of minerals in it will usually kill them in time. Tap water is especially bad for them. I'm really enjoying seeing these eat fungus gnats so far.

[@HiThereImFootloose]

If you put a promotional link in there, you might be able to get a kickback from the vendor. You convinced me to buy one and I'd buy the one you recommended. 👍

[@MidwestGardener]

I don't really have a link that I could use. You can usually find some on etsy or ebay. Mine has flowered a few times, and I've discovered that starting them from seeds is very easy. I also started some from leaf cuttings.

[@davannhuynh4279]

Wow, that's so awesome! Thank you for sharing, will need to find out where I can get some.

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks! I'm sure there are probably lots of places that sell them. I got mine from a well known online auction.

[@RiazUddin-sk3uw]

Always learn something new from your video. Thanks 🙏

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks a bunch!!

[@shirleyk623]

Absolutely amazing! I've been fighting those critters for awhile now. I've gone so far as watering with a neem oil solution. It's working somewhat, I only see a few occasionally. I'm going to look into those for sure. I don't like to use the neem on my microgreens. That's where they seem to be migrating too. Great video. Thanks for sharing🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks Shirley! They are working for me so far. And I'm trying to figure out ways to make more, so I will probably update on that later on. I understand why you would want to put to much stuff on your microgreens.

[@Biophile23]

I have been using Sundews to control fungus gnats for years. Just resurrected some of my plants in time for starting seedlings this year. They're cleaning up! I use Drosera binata for my sundew. Looks like you got a Cape Sundew.

[@MidwestGardener]

That's awesome! I wish I would have known about them year ago. I'll have to go read up on Drosera binata now. Yes, I got a Cape Sundew because it sounded like a good one for a beginner.

[@Biophile23]

@@MidwestGardener I had a cape sundew but it ended up dying on me. Ive had my D. binatas for years and I've propagated quite a few. I'll see if I can propagate some more this spring. The main issue with sundews is needing a ton of light and super pure water. But they have almost identical care to venus flytraps so it's not too hard once you figure them out. :)

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks for the tips. I've been using distilled water, and so far so good. I noticed there are several ways to propagate them. I've tried leaf cuttings, and that seems to be pretty easy to do. I have one that looks like it is getting ready to flower, so I might try to grow some from seeds if I get some.

[@lar113]

Thank you for this video. I am dealing with a fungus gnat issue right now. I am using two different liquid solutions to get rid of the gnats. I am winning the war, but this is frustrating. I will research the information on this plant. I have never had a plant that eat insects. I think this will be really cool to grow.

[@MidwestGardener]

You're welcome! It is a pretty fun plant to grow. I'm thinking about doing another video about basic care for this plant. They like poor acidic soil and hate minerals in their water. They also like very moist/wet soil.

[@marisaportera455]

Would you consider doing an update video on these plants now that it’s been a few years? Size, care tips, etc?

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks for the idea, Marisa. I will keep it in mind, but I can't guarantee when or if I will do it. I still have them, and they still do eat fungus gnats. I also have a couple other types of sundews and a couple of flytraps.

[@nwbatman6117]

I just got a carnivorous plant kit I'll probably wait till spring to plant them, but it came with sundews and Venus fly traps. Still deciding how to pot them. It came with this little glass Igloo looking thing.

[@MidwestGardener]

Nice! I hope you enjoy growing them as much as I do. I now have 3 species of sundews, and a couple of flytraps, along with one pitcher plant.

[@nwbatman6117]

@@MidwestGardener how cool! My Husband says I have too many plants, but i'd love more variety!!

[@MidwestGardener]

@@nwbatman6117 I understand. Growing things can become addictive. It always seems like there is room for one more.

[@nwbatman6117]

@@MidwestGardener Always room for more! lol I may have taken over half his desk... I only have one plant stand and it has about half of them and his desk and the other. lol

[@MidwestGardener]

@@nwbatman6117 OK, now I'm starting to understand your husband's position, lol.

[@mtb4thefun]

This plant was something I had never seen before. God's creations never cease to amaze me!

[@MidwestGardener]

Very true, Steve. Nature is full of amazing and fascinating things.

[@RobertaHoyle]

Hi there, new subscriber here. I found your channel yesterday while searching for reviews on tomatoes. I live and garden in zone 7b, in North Carolina. I am really enjoying your videos. I am amazed by this plant and really want to order one. I have not been able to find one online. Would you share a link with me or point me in the right direction where I can order one of these amazing plants? I look forward to watching your videos! =)

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks for subscribing, Roberta! I really do appreciate that. I got our Cape sundew plant on ebay. There are quite a few sellers on there, so I usually go by price and overall ratings for the sellers. I really need to do an update on this one. I have about 9 or 10 baby ones that are growing now from those leaf cuttings I did. Thanks for watching!

[@RobertaHoyle]

@@MidwestGardener Thank you for the reply! I never thought to look on ebay, I'll check that out. Thanks 😊

[@MidwestGardener]

@@RobertaHoyle You're welcome. I'm guessing they probably have some on etsy too.

[@justbeachy2031]

I had a Venus flytrap and it was doing extremely well until I watched a video about how you can divide them but it didn't survive when I made the attempt. I purchased it at a market called sprouts it was only $3.95. They no longer have them and now I have fungus gnats and fruit flies. Thank you for the information I'm going to look into your plant.

[@MidwestGardener]

Well, that's sad to hear. I haven't really researched Venus flytraps very much, but the sundews can be easily propagated by leaf cuttings.

[@justbeachy2031]

Would you mind telling me who you purchased your plant from? I kept coming up with negative reviews and people commenting they are too fragile to mail but yours looks great. On a side note, I have some purple potatoes growing that I got from Trader Joe's on your suggestion. 👍

[@MidwestGardener]

@@justbeachy2031 I got mine on ebay. They were priced just a bit cheaper than some of them I saw, so I guess I got lucky on the price. I saw some sellers that had sold quite a few, so they must ship pretty well for them.

[@Tatusiek_1]

you probably forced the rhyzome to break which would effectively kill the plant. you only divide it if the 2 bulbs give away easily.

[@justbeachy2031]

@@Tatusiek_1 Thank you

[@ryemuehlmeyer192]

hope you enjoyed the flowers it was producing

[@MidwestGardener]

I did. I grew some from seeds and leaf cutting also.

[@BobMelsimpleliving.]

Good morning Jim. I was not familiar with sundew plants. That is totally awesome. Some years I get a load of the fungus gnats. So far so good this year. Thanks for the show and tell. Now I'm wondering what you need to feed it if you don't have any gnats. Best wishes Bob.

[@MidwestGardener]

Good morning Bob. They don't need much to eat. I'm thinking a small fly once in a while would work. Mine are getting plenty to eat right now :)

[@claudiabiancadarocha5059]

Hi again! Where did you get them from? I have never seen them in common garden catalogues.

[@MidwestGardener]

We got ours on ebay, but I've also seen them on etsy.

[@amintirifrumoase2252]

May I ask you where did you get that plant from please?Thank you!

[@MidwestGardener]

We got ours on ebay.

[@Pennsylvania343]

Do these work on fruit flies too?

[@MidwestGardener]

I've never had fruit flies in the same room as our sundews are in, but I'm assuming they would work. Small yellow sticky traps work for both fungus gnats and fruit flies.

[@joshuavarney2346]

I've always wondered about this. If carnivorous plants like moisture, and so do the gnats, then you could create a self feeding plant!

[@MidwestGardener]

It seems to work that way around here. Sometimes the leaves on the sundew plants are full of them. Very small flytraps also catch them.

[@runawayfaeIX]

Wish I had known about this for my grandma... she always kept produce on the counter and had gnats like crazy! 😬

[@MidwestGardener]

Yes, it could have gotten a few.

[@UT33200]

This is an extremely triggering video. Super interesting grow and great info. Will be looking into that one and the fly trap for future grows. Thanks for the share!

[@MidwestGardener]

I understand. They really are interesting to learn about. I might branch out into other carnivorous plants when I have time.

[@AAHomeGardening]

Very interesting, thank you

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks....and your welcome!

[@AAHomeGardening]

@@MidwestGardener I brought one on Amazon just after watching your video Thanks again

[@MidwestGardener]

@@AAHomeGardening Nice! I hope it works as well for you as it did for us.

[@AAHomeGardening]

@@MidwestGardener thanks Much appreciated

[@canadiankabingurl9782]

That is very cool! 👍

[@MidwestGardener]

Thanks!

[@beyblademaster123]

Can you give a link to buy the plant

[@MidwestGardener]

Sorry, but I don't have one. I got ours on ebay, and things change constantly on there. I'm sure they still have them. I'm not sure the deals will be as good as the one that I got during the off season.

[@MidwestGardener]

I forgot to mention that etsy usually has some too.

[@beyblademaster123]

Ok thanks

[@Betty-qd8st]

My mom had these, I might get one 👍

[@MidwestGardener]

You're mom knew what she was doing.

[@Betty-qd8st]

@@MidwestGardener my mom n dad lol

[@MidwestGardener]

@@Betty-qd8st Even better.

[@remi930]

They will have plenty of gnats to feed on since they live in moist soil. Mine are covered in gnats from them living in the same soil

[@MidwestGardener]

I understand. Sometimes they almost look like they have fur :)

[@gaminggodxxlx5991]

Ive grown a few but they keep dying

[@MidwestGardener]

Interesting. I guess I've been lucky so far.

[@Tatusiek_1]

@@MidwestGardener it’s not luck, some people just don’t know how to care for things before getting it

[@al3xor337]

These plants are the best for killing fungus gnats in a fun way my room was absolutely full of fungus gnats like I couldn’t go on my computer or watch tv without having at least 10 buzzing on my screen and in my face and if I when I opened my curtains in the morning I would be able to easily count 20 so I bought 3 of these as there was a deal on Amazon and these plants literally caught all of them so now I can finally watch tv and go on the computer in peace

[@MidwestGardener]

That's great! Sounds like you are loving them as much as we are. Thanks for sharing how they've been working for you!