Question
Hi,

I just repotted several plants, using soil bought at the drugstore, and after repotting I now have these tiny - super tiny, smaller than a gnat - bugs that so far I see only on the pot, I haven't noticed them on the leaves, nor am I seeing any damage yet.

What might these bugs me, and how can I get rid of them or discourage them from making a home on my house plants?

The plants in question are what we call "wandering jews", I think maybe they are also called "iron plants"?

Thank you for any light you can shed on this. Do you know of a good web site that shows the types of bugs on house plants like these and how to deal with them?

Thanks!

Jim

Answer
Hi Jim
The 'wondering jew', aka, 'Zebrina pendula' is a fairly easy houseplant to grow.  They can take from a medium high to low light.  You can allow the soil to dry out to the touch between waterings.  IT is good to 'leach' the soil every 3rd or 4th watering-do this by placing in the sink and watering until the water is pouring out of the drain holes.
It sounds to me as if you got a bad bag of potting soil, which can happen.  When buying potting soil, always make sure it says 'sterilized' on the bag.  It is easy, though, for buggies to get into a bag of soil, especially if the bag had been torn or something.
What you have is called 'soil gnats'.  They are gnats that live in the potting soil and feed off of the fungus growing in the damp soil.  One of the best ways of elimination is by allowing the soil to dry out before watering.  You can mix together in a spray bottle some rubbing alcohol, dish soap and water and mist the plant, being sure to get the soil area real well.  You can also purchase a houseplant bug spray.  Soil gnats will not really hurt the plant, they are more of a nuisance to us, they fly in our faces, get into our glasses of water, etc.  Treat all of your plants as they will land in those also and begin breeding.

"Soil gnats are also mobile, but they do not kill plants. They do not bite people, but they fly around your nose and eyes. They live in soils that are kept moist and soggy. They lay their eggs in the top two inches of the plant's soil. One good control method is to dry the plant's soil out. This will destroy their habit. A soil drench will also kill the larva that hatch in the soil. The flying adults do not live very long."  

Above taken from:
http://www.evergrowing.com/tips/bugs.htm

I hope this has helped you Jim, good luck!
Leslie