Ways To Get Rid Of Mold Growing In Your Houseplants Soil
Getting rid of mold is not a particularly difficult task, if you know what to do. Most people see mold and assume that it means the end for their plant, but its really not. Mold usually grows for a number of common reasons such as overwatering, poor drainage, and sometimes even using soil with soggy decaying organic matter or previously contaminated soil.
If your plants already have mold, growing on the soil, it is too late to start preventative care, but its not too late to start reversing the situation. First, you have to rid the soil of the mold and then you can start creating an environment that is uncomfortable for mold to grow. You can get rid of the unsightly white mold in your plants soil in the following 5 ways.
Neem Oil Homemade Spray To Kill Powdery Mildew And Mold On Plants
This image shows powdery mildew spots on acer leaf
You can try using neem oil in another type of spray to attack powdery mildew on plant leaves. Neem oil is a well-known natural insecticide, and it could be effective in wiping powdery white mold from leaves. The neem oil antifungal spray will help resolve your mold problems and, at the same time, kill off common houseplant pests.
Many studies show that neem oil has fungicidal activities. For example, in a spray solution, neem oil was effective in eliminating powdery mildew from ornamental plants. The organic insecticidal and fungicidal solution didnt harm the plants. Neem oil was also effective against plant rustanother fungal disease that affects plants.
Ensure Proper Soil Drainage To Prevent Mold
Another way to prevent mold on houseplant soil is to make sure water drains properly. Fungus thrives in damp, dark conditions. So, if you have houseplants that sit in waterlogged soil and have dense foliage hanging over the pot, you are bound to get fungal problems.
How can you ensure proper soil drainage to prevent mold from developing? Here is a checklist for white fungus prevention:
- Make sure pots have drainage holes in the bottom.
- Never let pots sit in a tray of water.
- Use the appropriate type of soil for your plant.
- Work perlite or sand into the potting mix to increase airflow.
- Let water completely drain from the pot after watering.
Read Also: Boat Seat Cleaner For Mildew
Why Your Potting Soil Might Become Moldy
If you love gardening and pot new plants now and then you may have come across moldy potting soil. So, heres the reason behind it.
The mold you see on your potting soil is white mold which thrives in humid and moist conditions. This may be caused by overwatering the plants, inadequate drainage, and using old or impure potting soil.
If mold appears on your indoor plants potting soil it could be due to excessive anaerobic conditions . It means that the soil is not receiving enough air which encourages the growth of mold in it.
Another reason could be the lack of sunlight. When the indoor plants dont get enough sunlight, they do not get sufficient nutrients required for them to stay fresh and healthy. Insufficient sunlight results in damp and moist conditions that promote the growth of mold.
If you use organic fertilizer for your potting soil, it could be another possible cause of mold. The ingredients present in the fertilizer contain all the essential nutrients that the existing bacteria need to thrive. When the bacteria start flourishing it gives rise to what you see as white mold.
Now back to the main question, what happens if your potting soil grows mold on it and how to get rid of that mold?
Getting Rid Of Mold On Cannabis Plants
As discussed in great detail, prevention is the best treatment hands down. However, if you do find yourself dealing with moldy weed plants, quite honestly, you are in some trouble.
No, of course there are some treatments and solutions, although they are limited in number and effectiveness.
The big problem with mold is that once your plants have it, even if you manage to get rid of some of it, or even treat a whole plant, mold spores are quite resilient and numerous.
Permanently getting rid of mold is exceedingly difficult. If one plant has it, chances are that it has already spread to the others in the vicinity.
Also Check: How To Clean Mold Off Bathroom Ceiling
Ensure The Potting Mix And Pot Drain Sufficiently
Even if you develop a healthy watering pattern, if the soil holds water or if the pot doesnt have drainage holes, you are going to run into wet soil problems and eventually mold growth.
It is important to plant your houseplants into well-draining soil and to make sure that the pot or container used has sufficient drainage holes. If the water can drain out of the pot correctly, there is less chance of mold finding the potting medium suitable for growth.
Remove Debris From Potting Soil To Prevent Mold
Mold on houseplant soil also forms when dead leaves and other organic material is left to rot on it. These decaying bits of plants increase moisture levels in the top layer of your soil. This creates the optimal setting for white mold to grow.
When checking your houseplants to see if they need watering, remove any debris from the soil. This way, you can help to avoid white fuzz from growing around the base of your plants.
You May Like: Black Mold Removal On Wood
How To Remove Mold From House Plants Naturally
Once youve spotted the dreaded mold on your favorite houseplant, youll want to get rid of it immediately.
As well as ruining the aesthetics of the plant, mold is dangerous and spreads quickly, so you dont want to let it go any further.
Follow these four steps to get rid of it and bring back the health of your plant:
Why Mold Appears In The Plant Soil
Before getting rid of mold in the plant soil, it is necessary to find out why it appeared there. Only after that, you can create such conditions in which the fungus does not even think to reappear.
So, the most common causes of mold:
Insufficient ventilation and high humidity favor mold growth on plant soil. It is most often seen in spring and autumn. This is due to the fact that the room is cold enough, which causes the moisture to evaporate slowly.
Poor air and water circulation are ideal conditions for fungal growth.
It is normal for a gardener to be afraid of drying out their plant. Therefore they water too often and more importantly incorrectly.
The main reason for mold in plant soil is excessive watering.
When you overwater your plant, it does not always have time to absorb it in time. Next comes another watering, more and more.
As a result, the constant accumulation of excessive moisture, insufficient drainage, and blockage of the drainage holes in the pot leads to mold development.
So the mentioned situation creates a favorable microclimate for the development of mold.
Now, Lets know the influencing factors of growing mold in plant soil:
You May Like: How To Clean Mold Off Bathroom Ceiling
How To Remove Mold From Soil
If there’s mold growing under your houseplants, or in any container plant for that matter, here’s what to do:
Potted plants are prone to mold. Impermeable plastic containers and pots without holes retain moisture.
How To Get Rid Of Mold On Cannabis Plants
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. more info
So you have been growing your own marijuana at home, and things have been going quite well, until now. Oh no, you have spotted what appears to be mold on your weed plants. Yeah, its a big deal, something that needs to be taken care of ASAP.
Today we want to talk about how to get rid of mold on cannabis plants. Something you need to know is that mold multiplies fast and it can have disastrous effects on your cannabis crop.
Using fungal sprays or getting rid of infected leaves, even full infected plants, are about the only options you have at your disposal.
Therefore, one of the best things you can do is to prevent mold from growing on your weed plants in the first place.
Contents
You May Like: Can You Kill Mold With Uv Light
Repot New Houseplants Immediately With Sterile Soil To Get Rid Of Mold Contamination
When you buy new houseplants or receive them as gifts, you will undoubtedly be eager to get them into their new positions, decorating and adding a bit of color to your home.
Unfortunately, as a new plant that you didnt grow from seed yourself, you dont really know what they have been exposed to and where the original potting soil came from.
The soil that your new plant or seedling has been growing in could already be contaminated with mold spores. To ensure that your plant does not introduce mold to the rest of your plants or suffer a worsening case of mold contamination, you can repot the new plant immediately into fresh, sterile soil. You can also use soil that you have mixed yourself and exposed to sufficient direct sunlight.
Discard the potentially contaminated soil without allowing it to come into contact with your other plants. You can also spray down the new plant with fungicide or a solution of baking soda and water, before introducing the plant to other houseplant areas.
Identify The Type Of Mold
Its good to identify the type of mold so you can check the impact and how to get rid of it. If the mold is black, it may be a type of fungus called Botrytis. Botrytis can cause plants to wilt and die.
If you think this might have happened with your plant then remove all affected parts from around its base. Remove any dead leaves or flowers that are touching other vegetation for them not to spread spores.
You May Like: Cleaning Canvas Awnings Mold
Let Potting Soil Dry Out And Place In Sunlight
If you dont want to be bothered with repotting your houseplant, let the soil dry out completely.
Fungal growth and mold cannot thrive in a dry environment. Ultraviolet rays also kill fungus spores.
In order to limit or prevent mildew growth on plant soil, place your houseplant in a sunny location.
The warm sun and the dry conditions will help to limit or stop mildew growth. The reason why this
method that works so well for mold is that when the sun is shining, it will dry out the soil faster and
you only need to wait until the top 2 of soil is totally dry before you move on to the next step.
White feathery residue can be easily scooped up with a sterile spoon. You can also spread out the soil
and leave it in the sun to remove mold however, since you will have to repot the plant later it is best
just to discard the soil and use a fresh potting mix.
Okay, since I mentioned ultraviolet above, it reminds me of this thing. My plants seem to be happy with them. Soil is dried much faster with this device than with blue/red LEDs of the same design.
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Removing Mold From Plants
You May Like: How To Clean Mold From Leather
Repot The Plant With New Soil
Repotting the plant with new soil will isolate the moldy soil from the plant, so you shouldnt have to worry about it regrowing in the new soil. However, as mentioned, there are mold spores in every environment , so if the new soil remains too wet, theres a chance mold will grow again.
While repotting the plant is a great way to resolve mold and stagnant water , this should be used as a last resort since the plant can go into transplant shock.
Id suggest exhausting the other options on this list first, unless your potting soil is smelling like a swamp or is completely collapsed. If it does smell like a swamp, then root rot is likely taking hold, and repotting is the best choice.
You can also try sterilizing your potting soil before using it, but this isnt a guaranteed way to eliminate mold spores. While it may work in the short term, mold spores can be reintroduced rather easily.
If you are interested in sterilizing your potting soil before planting, you can bake the soil on an oven-safe sheet or container for at least 30 minutes on 250ºF. Again, Im not 100% confident this will kill mold spores. However, it did kill the fungal gnats in the potting soil!
Mold On My Soil What Is It Why Is It There & What Do I Do
Scene:
Youre a small-space gardener with a few potted plants. You love your plants – who doesnt? – and you want to see them thrive.
Cut To:
There you are, minding your own business when BLAM! – you notice that there is some mold growing on the surface of your soil.
Next step is, obviously, googling what in the Sam Hill is wrong with your tiny garden.
Well, first thing to keep in mind: dont panic! The mold you see growing there is not dangerous, not usually allergenic, and is actually a good thing for your plants and soil. If you require more convincing, read on!
Note:Experiencing other troubleshooting issues with your plants? Check outEpic Gardening’s Plant Problemsfor some top tips!
Recommended Reading: How To Clean Black Mold On Shower Grout
Remove The Soil Affected By White Mold
If you detect a superficial layer of mold on the top soil of a plant pot, you can remove the affected areas. We can do this with a trowel, i.e. the little spade commonly used in gardening.
For some plants, it might be best to move the plant altogether. We detail how to do this in our article on repotting cacti.
