Question
I accidently over watered one of my plants and gnats started showing up inside. How can I help dry out the soil and get rid of these yucky things. I've tried placing a bowl of apple cider under my plant but; no luck. My poor plant was in bad shape as it was (I accidently forgot to bring it in from the cold), and new leaves are beginning to pop out. I'm worried that they may kill it and I really want to save my plant.

Answer
Nea,

Remove the drain tray under the plant and set it in the sink overnight so as much water as possible drains overnight. It needs to be dried out as quickly as possible. The roots are rotting and that is what is attracting the fruit flies just as they are attracted to rotting fruit sitting on your kitchen counter. The gnats (fruit flys) are not causing the problem, the water is. When you have a plant that is stressed from being out in the cold you should barely  water it until it is back to fully growing. You should also cut back on the amount of and frequency of watering during the shorter days of the winter months. Plants should not be watered until they feel very dry and light weight. When you water you should pour all excess water out of the drain tray an hour after watering the plant.

If your plant is in a pot that does not have a drainage hole with a drain tray under it you should repot it tomorrow into a smaller clay or plastic pot that will fit inside the pot with out the drain hole. Then you can allow it to sit and dry out in the new pot and set it down inside the old pot. When you overwater you can remove it and let it drain. It will slowly regrow roots and eventually it will be fine. Good luck.

Darlene