Question
I have a terrible mold problem. I get the common mold that grows on the top of the soil. This I can handle easily. I just scrape off about the top 1 inch (sometimes more) of soil then spray the the top of the soil and the exposed sides of the pot with Consan 20. I wait about 10-20 minutes before I add fresh soil to replace the soil I removed.
The real problem is I have started getting a different mold down in the soil. It grows around the sides of the pot between the soil and the side of the pot. Although I have seen the mold deeper into the soil (On one plant the mold was all through the soil and was even growing on the plant's roots), the mold mostly grows around the sides.
The mold looks like little white balls. Some of them are fuzzy and some are not (are the fuzzy ones active and the non-fuzzy ones inactive?). I have looked at them with a strong magnifying glass and saw that most of them have a little stem like thing sticking out of them (sort of like an apple). Most of them are white but under the magnifying glass I saw that some of them are actually a light grey color.
I have used Consan 20 and used diluted white vinegar but I have not been able to get rid of this mold. I have even let the soil dry out on a couple plants and have kept several other plants on the dry side (I watered them just enough to keep them from wilting) but nothing has worked.
I use Miracle Grow potting soil. I add extra perlite to it to help with drainage and aeration.
What kind of mold is this and how can I get rid of it. Does this mold have anything to do with the mold that grows on top of the soil, even though they look completely different?
It has spread quickly and now I have found it growing in most of my plants (I have 43 houseplants).
Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.


Answer
Melina,

Do your pots all have drain holes and a drain tray under the pot? An hour after you water you should be emptying the drain tray so the plants are not sitting in trays full of water. Then you should insert a bamboo skewer into the soil of each plant and when you think it needs watered pull the skewer out and check it. If it is moist higher thatn the lower 2 inches of the skewer you should not water it for a few more days until it is dry down to the 2 Inch line.

For mold I spray with plain old lysol spray. I have found that brings it under control faster than anything else. spray it every 3 days making sure you got both sides of all the leaves. Continue adding esxsggstra perlite to the soil. Good luck.

Darlene
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