Mold on soil in house plant pots?

[mcubb]

So there's a lot of white mold growing on the surface of the soil in a pot I have inside. my avocado tree is currently in it so I don't want to do anything that'll harm it. How can I get rid of this mold?

[nk]

I would suggest taking off the top layer of soil/where the mold is. Then mix up the soil, make sure it's loose and water less.

[PunkRotten]

Are you sure it is mold? It could be salt, it builds up on top of the soil sometimes in potted plants.

[mcubb]

yes it is definitely mold. its soft, furry and white

[rainbowgardener]

agree with nk. If your soil is growing mold, it sounds like it is staying too wet, too much of the time. Let it dry out between waterings and don't let your pots sit in saucers of water.

[garden5]

That sounds to me like a moisture problem. Namely, too much moisture.

Do like the others said and let it dry out for a few days, than make sure that you don't water it too much.

If it keeps retaining too much moisture, you could try replacing some of the mix with a different type, but that's more of a last resort.

Hope this helps .

[mcubb]

alright I'll hold off watering for a while

[john gault]

Speaking of too much water....I got some pots/containers that have bottoms that snap in place and when they are snapped in place they don't allow water to drain. I learned that the hard way, because I alway thought that you couldn't water too much in containers because of the holes, but not so with these locking bases. And if you leave them snapped on for too long they can be VERY tough to remove.

[carolyn137]

alright I'll hold off watering for a while

I still suggest taking off the very top layer of soil in the pot b/c most of those common white fuzzy fungi make spores and once you start watering again those spores will germinate and you'd be back to square one again.

Long ago I used to breed African Violets and would have that problem a lot.

Carolyn

[mcubb]

oh yeah I took off the top layer of soil too

[jal_ut]

Mold is a tough one. It can grow on about anything that has carbon content. It does require water and the right temperature. Mold spores are airborne and are found everywhere. When the spores find suitable conditions they begin to grow and form a hypha, which is a series of threadlike material. When it reaches a certain size, it sends up a Mycelium, which is the part you see, and it is the part that makes the spores to start the cycle over. I suggest topping your soil in the pots with some fairly coarse sand so it will quickly dry out. As others have said, a different watering regimen may help.

[applestar]

Closely related to what jal_ut said, but this may not be mold as in moldy fruits and bread, but mycelium from mycorrhiza intentionally added to premium potting mix, especially if you recently transplanted. A colony of mushroom mycelia look white and furry too.

[carolyn137]

Closely related to what jal_ut said, but this may not be mold as in moldy fruits and bread, but mycelium from mycorrhiza intentionally added to premium potting mix, especially if you recently transplanted. A colony of mushroom mycelia look white and furry too.

But, but, I never used any mix that mycorrhizae has been added to and often did get white fuzzy mold on the top of the mix.

Mycorhizeae ( I'll get the spelling coorect without looking it up one of these times) parasitize the roots and don't form arial mycelia.

Heaven knows there are enough fungi in the air everywhere that have white mycelia and spores that can mess up the surface of our seedlings.

As well I know that from the Mycology courses I took in college where alians would show up just taking the lid off the petri dishes that had been innoculated with the desired fungi as well as the mycology courses I taught to Med students all those years where they too grew known fungi.

Oh, am I happy that I'm retired.

Carolyn