Question
I live in southern indiana and recently bought several different flowers for pots& landscaping my potted plants seem to be struggling. In one of the pots there is small (nat like) bugs flying all in and around it and in another the flowers look ok  but once there are visible buds then thats it no bloom. Any and all advise is appreciated.  I would love to do more pots but I will wait for some much needed advise.  As far as bugs go I'm not the best to try to identify what they are and if there is more than one type of bug is there a cure for many types?  Thanks a  bunch

Answer
sounds like gnats.  they are a sign of keeping the soil too wet. they breed in wet soils. let your plants dry out sufficiently between waterings. water by weight. put a saucer under the pot. water and let the plant sit in the excess water for 5-10 minutes. after that time pour off any excess water in the saucer. pick up or lean the pot. it should feel heavy. don't water again until it feels considerably lighter in weight. the soil will be light in color/not dark and wet. outdoors check the plants everyday. indoors check it every 5-10 days. watering frequency depends on many factors(sun exposure, wind, day temps, etc.).
snip off a small section of a branch w/bugs on it and a bud that hasn't opened. seal them in a plastic bag and take it to your local garden center for ID. if they aren't sure what it is go to another garden center that does. it's not wise to just spray when you see bugs on ornamental plants. horticulture people are learning that our best hope to control most bug pest is by utilizing beneficial bugs and let nature do its' work. integrated pest management(IPM) is the big buzz-word in pest control in the new millenium. 1st you have to ID the problem pest so you know how to best get rid of it. chemical pesticides are necessary sometimes, but sometimes they do more harm than good. usually it is not good to indiscriminately spray all bug infestations. many bugs(over 99%) are actually beneficial. ID the problem pest 1st.

hope this helps.
you could buy a safer soap pesticide(professionally formulated) and use that. they make yellow sticky plastic cards to put near the plants to attrack the adults. you could sprinkle a teaspoon of turf lime over the soil to sweeten(raise the soil pH) of the soil. acidic soils attrack gnats.
get to a local garden center/nursery and quiz them on a solution to your problem. buy your products from them and they should be more than happy to help you.
good luck.
rick
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