Hello,
I am sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find it on here.
I am growing some chillies (red Savina habenaros) and I have just reported them. I used some brand new compost and the top of the compost has just started to grow a white fluffy mould (see pictures)
What is the mould? Is it doing any harm? How do I get rid of it?
Many thanks,
Tom
It is definitely fungal from the fine hairs. I don't in pure compost and I prefer to use vermicast in potting mixes. I just have less issues with it holding too much water. Your media is staying too wet for the fungus to be able to grow. the fungi are feeding on the decaying organic matter in the compost.
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- Green Thumb
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- rainbowgardener
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Are you in the UK? Are you using compost to mean what in the US we call potting soil or potting mix? (I'm guessing that is the case, since you also spelled mold with a u, which is British style.) Or do you really mean compost as in the product of a compost pile?
Either way your potting medium is too heavy/ dense, moisture holding and is staying too wet, too much of the time. At this point, I would pitch it and re-pot in a potting mix that is lighter and fluffier. If you can't find such, take a fresh batch of what you have and mix it half and half with perlite or coarse sand. Re-pot your plants into your new mix.
Either way your potting medium is too heavy/ dense, moisture holding and is staying too wet, too much of the time. At this point, I would pitch it and re-pot in a potting mix that is lighter and fluffier. If you can't find such, take a fresh batch of what you have and mix it half and half with perlite or coarse sand. Re-pot your plants into your new mix.