Taking care of office plants can be a great team building experience, especially if some of your colleagues are avid plant-buyers in their private lives as well. Some would go as far as calling looking after the plants in their workspace as a self care activity, not only because of the aesthetic benefits, but because they also offer cleaner air and other health benefits that help to improve productivity and job satisfaction. Gnats are a pest that can negatively affect the ability of office plants to thrive, which is why it’s worth knowing how to get rid of them as soon as they pop up. Today, we’ll touch on what they are, how they affect plants, and what you can do to keep them at bay in the long run.
What Gnats Do To Plants
Gnats, more broadly known as adult fungus gnats, are a prominent pest in homes and offices that have a lot of plants. These small flies are usually attracted to potting soil that is slightly moist, which is especially the case in indoor plants that don’t require or aren’t exposed to that much natural light. Similar in stature to mosquitos, the common misconception is that they bite people, which simply isn’t the case. Larvae are far more hazardous to the plant, known for damaging the roots and directly stunting growth at all costs.
Can Gnats Kill Your Office Plant?
Gnats are not known for damaging plant leaves in the same way as larvae might have a detrimental effect on them, but because they feed off the root hairs the immediate impact is that the soil is diminished from essential nutrients. Right away, the plant may wilt unexpectedly and growth will be adversely affected. It would take a lot for gnats to actually kill your office plant, but left to their own devices, this is possible, especially if the infestation multiplies at rapid speed. For this reason, it’s important to know exactly how to get rid of them, to avoid having to replace your beloved plants with something that was completely preventable.
The Different Ways To Get Rid of Gnats
There are a couple of ways to get rid of gnats, each of which might have better results depending on the type of plant you have. Try a solution of soap and water on the top layer of the soil to deter them from settling in the space. An apple cider vinegar trap (made from a few drops of this, alongside dish soap and sugar) can lure them away from the plant and to their own demise. Candle traps are also handy, although it isn’t always practical to be burning candles in a smaller, open plan working space. Last but not least, if it gets too out of control, it’s better to hire a professional pest control company to help take care of the job.
Stocking up on New Office Plants
The Bidvest ExecuFlora team will be able to point you in the right direction to find a pest control supplier in no time, but if the gnats have caused too much damage to your plants as it is, it’s worth looking at buying new plants and getting a fresh start. Office plants add a great deal of value to any operation, and offices that are devoid of these typically have employees that experience lower workplace productivity and job satisfaction. Gnats are a tiny hurdle in the bigger scheme of things, and before you know it order will be restored in the office again, with plants not only allowing the team to bond as they take care of them, but improving the team’s overall sense of wellbeing too.