There are tiny crawling bugs on my plant!
The most likely intruders are gnats or spider mites. You'll want to act fast. Replace the top couple inches of soil and give every surface of the plant a once-over with diluted neem oil.
If any leaves are badly infested, go ahead and cut them off.
Keep this plant quarantined away from other plants until you know the pests are gone.
What is the best way to keep gnats away?
Soil gnats are SO annoying. They love to lay their eggs in moist soil. They do no harm though.
You can remove the top few inches of soil and replace with fresh soil to get rid of any larvae. Diluted neem oil works wonders — spread along the base of the plant and the soil. You can try covering the base of the soil with rocks or sand.
There is also a plant called butterwort (or pinguicula) which attracts and absorbs them!
What cause a thin layer of mold to form on the soil?
Mold is caused by not allowing the soil to dry completely before watering. Make sure to let soil dry completely before re-watering. It also may be that the soil isn't draining properly. To remedy, replace the top few inches of moldy soil with new soil.
Feel free to send us a picture on Instagram and we can help troubleshoot specifically. Find us at @forageplants.