Remedy to Get Rid of Plant Flies

Soap and Water

• You may not have ever considered giving your plants a bath, but a fly infestation is a good time to start. Combine 1 tablespoon gentle dish soap with 1 pint room-temperature water. Spray down the plant with this solution. Make sure you hit the tops and bottoms of the leaves as well as the base and the top layer of soil. This will kill most of the flies living on the plant and make your plant a less pleasant place to call home. You have to repeat the treatment once or twice a week for at least two weeks, to make sure that you have eradicated the infection, since soap and water generally do not adversely affect fly eggs.

Neem Oil

• Neem oil is a natural pesticide that can be used safely in the home. It should not be ingested by children or pets, so if you opt to treat your plant with this solution, keep it out of their reach. Like the soap and water solution, neem oil should be sprayed on the tops and bottoms of leaves, on the base of the plant and the top layer of soil. Neem oil will smother eggs as well as killing the adult flies. You can purchase neem oil in a ready-to-use mixture or mix your own solution of 1 ounce neem oil, 1 1/2 teaspoon dish detergent and 1 gallon water.

Rubbing Alcohol

• Wiping or spraying the tops and bottoms of leaves down with rubbing alcohol will kill your flies, but it may hurt your plant as well, because the alcohol can break down leaf structure over time. If other methods fail you, then try treating the plant with a light spray of rubbing alcohol. Minimize this treatment to no more than once a week, and monitor your plant's leaves to make sure that they are not turning brown or wilting because of your attempts to kill the flies.

Greenhouse Flies

• If you have a greenhouse or indoor plants experiencing a fly infestation, then you may have fly populations thriving in your soil as well as on your plants. Start allowing the surface of your soils to dry completely before watering and remove any composted plant debris from the general area. This should help eliminate the great egg-laying environments in your greenhouse. If the problem continues, you may wish to consider biological controls like worms or beetles, which eat flies and fly larvae.