Question
I have a small ivy plant that I pinched off of a friend of mines, the roots are mature and I've planted it in a small pot. It's growing well and even has a new bud, the only problem is recently I noticed some small black gnats flying around it.  Is there any way that I can get rid of the bugs without killing the plant?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Neisha

Answer
Neisha,

The bugs are fungus gnats. They are there because the soil is too wet and the roots may be beginning to rot. Set the plant in the sink and remove the drain tray to drain as
much water as possible. Then do not water the plant till the soil feels very dry. Ivys need to be dry in the top inch of soil before being watered again.  

You can also pick up a bag of horticultural charcoal and a bag of perlite at you garden center. Then gently unpot the plant and remove as much potting soil as possible without disturbing the roots too much. Then mix the soil with the same amount of perlite and add a handful of charcoal. Then repot the plant with the newly mixed soil. Your soil will
drain better and not attract fungus gnats in the future.

Just drying out the soil will get rid of the gnats if you can be patient. If not put some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray the surface of the soil with it. You will kill any fungus gnats that it hits on contact. But that is only a temporary fix. Keep your plant dryer and they will go away. Two hours after you water your plants dump the water out of the drain tray so the plants are not sitting in water and they are less likely to be overwatered. More plants are killed by too much water than by too little! Good luck.

Darlene Kittle