If tiny black flies rise from your pots every time you water, it’s no coincidence: the top 5 cm of soil that never dries out is breeding what’s eating your roots
Those tiny black flies hovering around your watering can aren’t random—they’re fungus gnats, and their larvae are feasting on your plant roots in the perpetually damp top layer of soil. A single female lays 200 eggs in her week-long life, hatching a new generation every 17 days. The fix is surprisingly simple, but it requires rethinking how you water.