8 Scents You Can Spray for Plants To Repel Gnats

It’s no secret that nobody likes to have gnats in their home. The obnoxious buzzing these tiny flying insects produce enough to drive people crazy.

Unfortunately, gnats have a knack for finding their way inside your home and killing your plants.

So it’s essential to keep them away from your plants as much as possible. And there are plenty of ways to do it. But what can you spray for plants to keep gnats away?

If you want to ensure no gnats will come close to your plants, the scents below should help.

8 Scents You Can Spray for Plants To Repel Gnats

If you have spilled sugary drinks and didn’t clean right away, waited too long to take your thrash, or overwatered your plants, you already know what pests you are inviting.

One simple household mistake, and you can hear a swarm of gnats buzzing inside and around and attacking your plants.

So to prevent that, below are some scents you can spray for plants to repel gnats:

1. Peppermint

Peppermint is probably the universal natural animal repellent. Animals like deer, raccoons, and flies hate the scent of peppermint. And gnats are no exception.

So, mix peppermint oil and water in a spray bottle and spray the solution on your plants. About ten drops of the oil would be good. But if you want something more permanent, you can plant peppermint around your plants to repel gnats.

There are also peppermint sprays available in stores. So if you don’t like the hassle of making one yourself, you can buy one.

2. Lemon and Eucalyptus Oils

Lemon and eucalyptus oil are also great at repelling gnats. Each is good on its own. But you can also combine both to make a more concentrated solution. So you can add these essential oils to your stock for natural repellents.

Lemon and eucalyptus oils have long been used as natural insect repellents, keeping gnats away.

The same as the peppermint solution, mix both oils with water in a spray bottle. Again, it is to avoid using too much oil and incurring more costs. Plus, spraying the solution makes it easier to spread to your plants.

3. Lavender Spray

Gnats are not a fan of lavender. It may smell nice, and you can use it for aromatherapy, but gnats don’t like its smell even though they love the sweet-smelling scents.

There’s just something about lavender that lets them go running. You can use lavender oil and water solution in a spray bottle to spread the scent to plants to ensure no gnats will come to them.

But if lavender oil is too expensive, you can buy premade sprays in stores, which are cheaper than buying a whole bottle of oil.

4. Vanilla

It’s quite surprising, but vanilla’s scent is also a good repellent for gnats. In addition, this scent is readily available with products from body lotions to favorite desserts and candles. So it’s understandable for people to be skeptical about this scent.

But an article at the University of Illinois claimed that vanilla is an effective repellent.

While gnats love sweet-smelling scents, vanilla is not on their list. So vanilla lotion may have more use than just being a simple moisturizer.

But how can you spread the smell of vanilla to your plants? Well, with the help of essential oils.

Heavily concentrated vanilla oil is more than just an ingredient in your recipe. And it can last long when you dilute it water.

5. Geranium

Geraniums are colorful and fragrant flowers. But it also contains citronella, which you can use to repel gnats.

There are plenty of products, like candles and sprays, which use the smell of geranium. So it’s safe to assume that its scent is harmless to humans.

You can buy commercial geranium spray in many stores to spread its scent to your plants and repel gnats. You can also plant geranium to have a more permanent solution.

6. Lemon Thyme

Lemon thyme is another citronella product you can use to repel gnats. You can buy its oil and mix it with water in a spray bottle to spread the scent to your plants. Or place the plants in your garden.

But it can be tricky to plant lemon thyme because you must ensure it receives all the sunlight it needs to thrive.

7. Cedarwood Oil

The sweet smell of cedarwood can be pleasant. But it’s also annoying to many animals and insects. That is why this scent is a good repellent against gnats.

You can buy cedarwood oil in stores and make your spray or buy premade ones. Any of the two will do well at repelling gnats.

8. Rosemary Oil

Gnats also do not like the soothing aroma of rosemary oil. So spreading its scent among your plants should keep them away. You can also plant rosemary around your property.

Conclusion

Gnats are annoying pests that can destroy your plants. So it’s essential to keep them away from your plants.

But, if you are worried about chemical repellents and their environmental impact, you can use natural ones like peppermint, lavender, vanilla, and lemon thyme solutions and spray them on your plants.

These natural repellents will not harm your plants and give a pleasant smell, making garden visits more pleasurable.

So if someone asks what you can spray for plants to keep gnats away, sharing this article should give them the answer they need.