Little black flies in hibiscus

This is my first winter at attempting to hold over 2 Hibiscus plants. One came through with flying colours and is now getting buds. The other is a sorry looking speciman.

I have these little black flies that persist. Yellow stickies are catching them but they're still here and have destroyed the one hibiscus. The other plants are fine.

Your help/advice would be much appreciated.

Joan

I'd love to know the answer to this, too.

I housed my versacolor in my hoop house this winter and by Jan the black flies were all over it. I drenched it with horticultural oil and then with Neem oil and neither seemed to do any good.

Joan... Your fungus nats are coming from your soil being too rich in organic material and too wet and damp.

They are like aphids in that they can lay hundreds of eggs in a matter of days. They lay the eggs which you can't see in the top of the soil. They love wet organic material and wil feed on it and your plant roots and the adults wil feed on the top of your plant.

Some of your leaf loss may be due to th roots being destroyed and damage to your xylem and phloem systems. Leave your sticky tapes on and if at all possible get yourself a big trash bag and transplant your plants holding the plant over the trash bag.

Make yourself some new soil that will have good drainage in it. Add some sand and perlite and even a little vermicultie if you have it anythign to make your soil not so heavy.

Also if your havign to over winter indoors let the soil dry out almost completely between waterings. This will help kill the eggs. They don't survive for long periods without water.

If you can't transplant, there are a couple of things you can do:

1. Let the soil dry out.

2. Spray with a fungicide.

3. Cut potato slices 1/2" thick and place all around the top of the soil and change every day or so. You wil see the larvae crawl up onto the potato to feed.

4. let the soil dry out and then water with a camille tea.

5. Go to Walmart and buy a product called Rose and Fower Insect Spray. It is made by Schultz and is called Garden Safe. It's about 6 bucks. It is a kinda Teal green bottle with a pic of a rose on it. Lightly spray your plant and the top of the soil. It kills fungus gnats and the eggs too, but ya don't want to use to much, but you'll still have the problem if ya continue to overwater.

Hope that helps and good luck with your babies.

Thanks, starlight!!

To starlight1153: Thanks a lot for taking the time to give me all this great information.

I will be transplanting the scraggly one tomorrow. Since the healthy one is in bud, I think I'll just hope for the best and not over-water.

Joan

I'm going to try the potatoe trick.... thanks starlight