Indoor Plants

[Kritters]

Well, Kat sez we shouldn't even HAVE any live house plants. I say she is correct.

Here are two tales for you I had been meaning to post:

I purchased a really pretty little table plant from a well-known home improvement center (not Home Depot) a few months ago. So, when I took it into the kitchen to give it water, ........



tiny, long, skinny, gray and black striped.....WORMS. I mean....LOTS of worms. I felt like I was in a horror movie!!!

I had NEVER in my life ever seen worms in potted soil or any that looked like THAT!!!

I called to tell them and asked what THIRD WORLD COUNTRY the store bought them from!!! Reply was the US. (close)

SECOND TALE:

So, having the memory of an Anterograde Amnesiac (50 First Dates - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on stupifying drugs, I again go to that store to get some last minute Christmas supplies and on the way in, saw on a rack, this adorable Christmas plant I was going to give as a gift.

The handle was coming out of the basket on both sides, so I spent some time while walking into the store with it trying to put it back together (which is why it was probably on sale). Finally did and all of a sudden noticed a stinging on my hand on the outside edge of the palm. Looking at it, I saw a few black specs and a fine white hair (no one in the entire store except moi would have noticed that, but being the Morg pro that I am....) I got my hand sanitizer spray and sprayed the %$#&@ out of it and it took a few hours for the swelling to go down.

What can I say? When Kat's right, Kat's right!

Kritts

[Bee]

I never heard of anything like that ! It just reminded me though, the County Extension Offices here in Florida would be most intested in that. Do you have a local government ag dept.? Here they identify plants,pests,diseases,etc.
Free

[Kritters]

Bee,

They didn't come from my neighborhood ;-)

[Bee]

Doesn't matter, they were brought into your neighborhood.
Here in Florida you can't give away plants without getting an education and a certificate. Not allowed to sell at yard sales or anything.Not allowed to dig up and give to your neighbor even. In order to keep a handle on foreign pests and disease from spreading.

[Katinka]

Originally Posted by Bee

Doesn't matter, they were brought into your neighborhood.
Here in Florida you can't give away plants without getting an education and a certificate. Not allowed to sell at yard sales or anything.Not allowed to dig up and give to your neighbor even. In order to keep a handle on foreign pests and disease from spreading.

hmm..that's interesting, Bee..!..wonder why?..sounds like they know what's going on?..sort of?

Kat

[Kritters]

Well, I guess someone ought to tell one of the largest chains in the country about that rule in Florida. Or maybe someone isn't doing their job.

[Jo]

tiny, long, skinny, gray and black striped.....WORMS. I mean....LOTS of worms. I felt like I was in a horror movie!!!

Hi Kritts - you're description above (and where you found them) certainly fits fungus gnat larvae.

I've been thinking about the plant thing this week. Ninja said about finding a balance between us and our environment. He advised some morgies to get more plants for indoors - I presume so that they would become the hosts rather than us.

- I see the logic, but am not confident to try it.

Facinating Bee about the laws in Florida.

Jo xxx

[Kritters]

Hey Jo~

Really? long, skinny, gray/black striped, ewwww......? fungus gnats? they were about at least an inch long.

Hey that's great about Ninja's suggestion. Are you in touch with him? I really wonder what happened to him and I was very worried. He was supposed to get back to us about WHAT THIS IS.....

Glad to keep the plants I do have if he's correct, but....what about the flies that might come from them? (soil being different hosts than humans...or is it the plant itself?)

xoKritts

[Jo]

Originally Posted by Kritters

Hey Jo~

Really? long, skinny, gray/black striped, ewwww......? fungus gnats? they were about at least an inch long.

Hey that's great about Ninja's suggestion. Are you in touch with him? I really wonder what happened to him and I was very worried. He was supposed to get back to us about WHAT THIS IS.....

Glad to keep the plants I do have if he's correct, but....what about the flies that might come from them? (soil being different hosts than humans...or is it the plant itself?)



xoKritts

Yeh, most likely fungus gnat larvae.

Tricky thing is IDing the species. Here's a picture of Orfelia fultoni (mainly found in footprint of the Appalachian Mountains and at Dismals Canyon (Alabama):



any good? these can grow to 30mm in length and only 1-2mm wide.

They have turned to a carnivorous diet and make fine web strands.

I agree about them breeding and flying...repeating life cycle laying eggs. I think maybe ditch the plant if you see any fine webs on soil surface and if the plant begins to wilt for no apparent reason.

Jo xxx

[Kritters]

Too bad it's so windy here and the northeasters we've had were like dermabrasion, cause after I saw the worms, I took them out and sat them down and ran away screaming and jumping around. ew. ew. ew.

That sure seems possible to me. What ELSE could they be for? I have NEVER seen a worm in a potted plant unless an earthworm was caught in soil I used. I so hate worms. I hate slugs more.

My plants are very healthy and strong, probably because the fly is fertilizing the soil with ..... ME!!!

XOXOKritts