A ZZ Plant

Question

My beautiful AZZ plant has micro fly’s. Which have spread all over my house; What to do??

I had to take it outside, will it survive? It’s in the exterior patio and in the shade.

please advise and Thank You

Helga at: [e-mail]

Answer 1

This are fungus gnats. These come out of the soil when it remains too moist for too long. They are a natural part of the soil ecology, and help to eat any rotting material in the soil, which will keep the plant from getting infections. If there are so many that they are swarming, it could mean that the soil has been moist for long enough for roots to start rotting. I recommend only watering once the top two inches of soil are dry.

If you still want to get rid of them, then you may put several drops of rosemary oil in some water for the next time you water the plant. You may also want to put a teaspoon of peroxide with it to make sure that any infection gets taken care of since there won't be as many organisms to eat any rotting material.

Here is an article for more information on the care of these plants: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/zz-plant/caring-for-zz-plant.htm