Question
I noticed today an orange and white fungus on the soil of my d. spatulata. It has a sort of crusty or dusty consistency. It is not on the plant which is on a southern windowsill, watered by tray with distilled water, and growing in Sarracenia Northwest's growing medium. I live in Maine. My question is if this is detrimental to the plant?

Answer
Hi Campbell,

Most likely this is not fungus, but mineral deposits accumulating on the surface from evaporation.  Peat moss almost always has some mineral content to it with some brands being worse than others.

It's not directly harmful, but if it's present it means some minerals are there.  What you can do is top water your soil regularly, and empty your water tray periodically.  This will help flush the minerals out.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com