sciara fly on Greenovia
Quick answer
If your Greenovia has sciara fly, the most likely cause is: Sciara fly, sometimes called Mushroom Flies, lay their eggs in damp peat-based seed and cutting mixes, and on hatching the small white grubs tunnel into the roots and basal tissues of fleshy seedlings such as Greenovia, eating their way into the base of the plant where the succulent tissues offer little resistance.
Start here:
- 1. Switch Greenovia propagation and growing mixes away from peat-based soil-less composts toward a coarse inorganic gritty blend so the sciara fly adults do not find a suitable egg-laying medium around the roots.
- 2. Apply a commercially available sciara fly treatment to the surface of the compost, and remove any heavily damaged seedlings with their grubs before the grubs can migrate to neighbouring offsets.
Why Greenovia gets sciara fly
Greenovia
Sciara fly, sometimes called Mushroom Flies, lay their eggs in damp peat-based seed and cutting mixes, and on hatching the small white grubs tunnel into the roots and basal tissues of fleshy seedlings such as Greenovia, eating their way into the base of the plant where the succulent tissues offer little resistance.
How to reverse sciara fly on Greenovia
- 1
Switch Greenovia propagation and growing mixes away from peat-based soil-less composts toward a coarse inorganic gritty blend so the sciara fly adults do not find a suitable egg-laying medium around the roots.
- 2
Apply a commercially available sciara fly treatment to the surface of the compost, and remove any heavily damaged seedlings with their grubs before the grubs can migrate to neighbouring offsets.
Keep sciara fly off this Greenovia
Use a top dressing of sharp grit on Greenovia pots, allow the surface of the compost to dry between waterings, and avoid leaving soggy peat-based seed trays standing since the moisture is what draws the adult flies to lay.