fungus gnats, Murphy's Oil, coco peat
arnold trachtenberg (Mon, 30 Jan 2006 04:09:15 PST)

Linda:

I'm glad the Murphy's soap worked for you. I guess I (we) should
always follow the caveat and test a substance on a small part of a plant
before we use it.

The Murphy's soap is a simple carbon chain with some oh group attached
here and there. It works by dissolving the cuticle ( skin) of the beast
and they desiccate and die. There are some potassium ions in the soap
which may be responsible for the damage.

I guess one of the chemist like Jim S. can comment more lucidly on the
effect of a soap substance on living tissue.

It also has a scent of citronella which may be a good way to chase
mosquitos.

Arnold