If the house is filled with indoor flowers, it means with a white or gray film on the surface of the soil in flower pots the owners have already faced each other. We are talking about salt deposits or ordinary mold. There are many reasons for the appearance of such an unpleasant and harmful phenomenon.
You need to know how to get rid of mold so as not to lose young seedlings.
Causes of mold
The most common reason why mold appears in a flower pot is fungus. It occurs due to the following factors:
- Increased humidity in the room.
- Reduced temperature in the apartment.
- Small drainage holes that become clogged and do not allow excess water to drain out.
Starts up white mold in pots and improper care behind the flower. Each plant requires its own conditions: lighting, watering and fertilizer.
How to remove mold from flower pots?
The fight against mold begins as soon as it appears in the flower pot. To do this it is worth removing upper layer soil. The longer mold remains in pots, the deeper it will go into the soil. This only makes things worse for the plant. The same amount of soil as was removed is added to the soil, but this is new soil, saturated with special additives.
To remove mold in indoor plants, the following useful additives are added to the soil:
- Activated carbon;
- charcoal;
- crushed sphagnum moss.
All these soil components prevent mold from developing, since they absorb excess water if the soil is waterlogged. In addition, they are bactericidal.
After replacing the infected top layer of soil, the plant is watered with this product, which is easy to prepare with your own hands: 2 grams of Fundazol are dissolved in 1 liter of water. If the plant begins to wither along with the mold that has appeared, the flower should be sprayed with a solution of Fundazol.
If all measures do not give the desired result, the plant must be transplanted into another pot, replacing all the soil.
Don't have a new pot?
You can use the old one, but you need to wash it thoroughly and rinse with boiling water, and then dry it. New land must also undergo disinfection.
This event can be carried out in 2 ways:
- Calcination in the oven or on the stove.
- Steaming. Pour the soil into a colander and place it over a pan in which water is boiling. It is necessary to hold until the ground becomes hot.
The soil that is sold in stores can also be contaminated, so it must be further treated before use.
What to do if there is mold in pots with house plants, see also the video:
Preventing mold from growing in flowers
To avoid having to deal with mold in pots of indoor flowers, you can prevent its occurrence. For this purpose the following events are carried out:
- cleaning all holes;
- installation of good drainage. Ground brick, gravel, expanded clay are used;
- instead of frequent small waterings, carry out rare waterings, but so that the soil is completely washed;
- water with filtered water (never tap water!);
- Regularly water the plants with a weak solution of manganese.
If there is no filter in the house, then the water must be settled. Water is poured into a 3-liter jar and left to settle for 2-3 days. At the end of this period, you can water the plants with this water.
It has long been known how to get rid of mold folk remedies. 2-3 cloves of garlic are buried in the top layer of soil and left until the soil is loosened according to the schedule. When the soil in the flowers is loosened, the garlic cloves are thrown away.
Once a month, plants can be watered with water to which 1-2 drops of lemon juice per 1 liter have been added. Instead of lemon, use oxalic acid.
The room should not be very humid, but not dry either, since dryness also contributes to the pot indoor flower mold formation. Don't have time to monitor humidity? Buy a humidifier.
Mold in a flower pot is a visible coating formed by colonies of microscopic mold fungi. It not only looks extremely unaesthetic, but also has a negative effect on plants.
Why does the soil in potted indoor plants become moldy?
Fungal spores are constantly around us, these microscopic particles are easily transported by air and wait favorable conditions for reproduction.
Mold is a colony of fungi
The appearance of mold on the ground in a flower pot is most often caused by errors in care and unfavorable conditions:
- Incorrect moisture regime, in which the soil in the planting container does not dry out, but remains constantly wet.
Mold most often appears from improper watering.
- Poor drainage. Clogged, overgrown with roots or simply very small holes do not allow excess moisture to drain into the pan, causing stagnation of water.
Roots coming out of the pot may block the drainage hole
- Cold and damp indoors.
- Watering with unsettled cold tap water.
Tap water for indoor flowers is too cold
- Poor quality or unsuitable soil for the plant.
The soil in the pot may be of poor quality
- The planting capacity is much larger than the size of the root system of the flower, which is why the roots are not able to absorb all the liquid.
The root system of a flower can be much smaller than the planting capacity
In pots, indoor flowers can develop not only the usual white mold, but also black mold, the spores of which can provoke allergic reactions and even breathing problems.
Mold most often appears due to improper care.
The risk of mold growth increases in the summer, when there is no heating in apartments and houses and the air is quite humid. It is at this time that you need to water the flowers especially carefully. Watering is carried out only after the top layer of soil has dried out. Rarely does a plant easily tolerate constant humidity.
Video: where does mold come from in a flower pot and how to remove it
Fighting mold in flower pots: basic methods
At the first sign of a fungal colony appearing in a flower pot, you must immediately take active action:
- Remove the contaminated top layer of the substrate.
- Spill the remaining soil with a weak (slightly sour taste) solution citric acid. Fungi do not reproduce well in an acidic environment.
- Pour fresh clean soil to replace the old one. To increase the protective qualities, small pieces of sphagnum moss or charcoal are added to the new substrate.
- Water the flower with a solution of a fungicidal preparation (Fundazol, Topsin-M, Vitaros, etc.).
Fundazol is effective against various fungi
If the fungus is on the plant itself, then it is also sprayed with antifungal drugs.
If the measures taken are ineffective, the following will be done more radically:
- Remove the plant from the pot, and remove the contaminated soil from the roots as thoroughly as possible.
The plant is removed from the pot and the soil is removed from the roots
- The planting container is washed and treated with disinfectants, doused with boiling water or calcined in the oven (ceramics only).
The pot must be thoroughly washed and disinfected
- A drainage layer is placed on the bottom of the vessel.
Be sure to add a layer of drainage to the bottom of the pot.
- Fresh soil suitable for the given crop is poured and the flower is planted. Before planting, you can treat the root system with a fungicidal preparation.
The flower is placed back in the pot and covered with fresh soil.
If it is not possible to purchase the right soil, you can disinfect old soil by calcining it in the oven or steaming it in a water bath.
You can disinfect old soil in the microwave
Video: how to deal with mold in a flower pot
Prevention
To prevent the appearance of fungal colonies, do the following:
- regularly loosen the substrate in the pot;
Often a white or gray film appears in the pots of indoor plants. We are talking about mold or salt formation. Adult crops will not suffer from this phenomenon, but young plants may die. Why does the earth get moldy? How to fix the situation? Read our review.
IDENTIFYING THE CAUSE OF MOLD
There are several factors contributing to the formation of plaque in a pot. Here are the most likely ones:- Heavy mechanical components of the soil, leading to the gradual accumulation of liquid in the soil.
- Evaporation of most of the moisture from the surface of the earth due to poor drainage at the bottom of the container with the flower.
- Failure to adhere to the plant watering schedule. Lack of moisture leads to drying of the inner layers of the soil - only its surface is moistened.
- Excess fertilizer.
- Too much big sizes pot.
- High/low humidity in the room.
- Soil subsidence.
- Using hard water to water a flower.
- good soil;
- smaller pot;
- filtered water (previously settled);
- lemon juice or oxalic acid;
- pan;
- colander.
1. Provide good drainage (gravel, crushed brick). Clean out the hole in the bottom of the pot. Try changing the nature of watering the flower: water less often, but more abundantly - the inner layers of the soil will also be moistened. Don't overdo it, make sure all the water is absorbed into the soil. To reduce the hardness of water for irrigation, place a peat bag in it - the salts will be absorbed and will not settle in the soil. Ideal option will be filtered water.
2. If the previous measure did not produce results, the crop must be replanted. If the plant's root system is "lost" in the ground, use a smaller pot. Wash it well and pour boiling water over it. If you have time and desire, you can boil the whole pot. After drying, lay gravel on the bottom to ensure good drainage. In some cases, you can limit yourself to replacing only the top layer of soil.
3. If a lot of mold has formed in the pot, it is better to change all the soil. Before pouring the soil into the prepared pot, it is necessary to heat it in the oven - all harmful microorganisms will die. Even if you are confident in the quality of the purchased soil, do not neglect the described procedure. You can also steam the soil. To do this, pour it into a colander and place it over steam (a pan of boiling water). Wait until the ground gets hot.
4. Do not water it immediately after transplanting the crop. Watering can begin in about a day. For these purposes, it is recommended to use settled water (within 1-2 days).
5. Once every 30 days, water the flower with water and lemon juice (1-2 drops per 1 liter). Oxalic acid can be a juice substitute, but it is important not to overdo it.
6. Make it a habit to control the humidity level in the room. The ideal option would be to use an ionic humidifier. The device can be replaced with wet sheets on batteries.
Actual question flower growers - why the soil in a pot grows moldy - was not left without an answer. The reasons for this unpleasant phenomenon often seem banal. However, providing favorable conditions for the life of the flower is the key to the growth and flowering of the plant.
Mold in pots.
How to deal with fungus in pots
How to deal with mold
on the soil in flower pots
Flower growers, as a rule, always take good care of the condition of their green pets, constantly inspecting their leaves and stems for all kinds of diseases and lesions. But the moment when a whitish coating appears on the surface of the soil is something that many people miss. But, if you want to know, it is precisely from this moment that mold begins to develop in a flower pot.
If you notice that mold has appeared on the soil, do not expect it to go away on its own, find out the formation of mold in the flower pot and learn how to eliminate mold. It would also be nice to know methods of prevention.
Why does mold appear in a flower pot?
Mold can form not only in an open flower pot. Mold in a pot appears on the surface of the soil in a pot due to a fungal infection entering it.
The formation of mold in a pot is promoted by:
- Low air temperature in the room where indoor plants grow.
- High air humidity.
- Overwatering a plant
- Stagnation of water in the pot (drainage holes are clogged).
- Acidic soil or heavy soil.
Mold in the soil in pots often appears in the fall, when the room becomes cool without heating.
It would be appropriate to say that mold can appear in a pot with any indoor plant, is it an orchid, is it unpretentious plants- cacti, violets or pelargonium.
If mold appears in a flower pot,
WHAT TO DO ?
On the ground, mold develops in patches, and at the same time it spreads not only in width, but also in depth. Therefore, as soon as you find mold in a flower pot, you need to immediately remove it along with the top layer of soil, replacing it with fresh soil. This must be done, because if this fungal infection penetrates too deeply, it will also affect the roots of the plant, and then the death of the plant is inevitable. It is very good to add crushed sphagnum moss and pieces of charcoal (or activated carbon tablets) to fresh soil as bactericidal agents. After replacing the top layer, you need to water the soil in the pot with foundationol (2 g per liter of water).
As mentioned above, mold often appears in the fall, when the air temperature drops and the process of evaporation of water from the soil slows down. It is very important during this period that in order to maintain a normal level of humidity inside the pot, you should systematically loosen the top layer of soil. Once every 2 weeks, it is advisable to water the flowers with water in which lemon juice or citric acid is diluted. Water with lemon juice or acid helps kill mold spores that lie dormant in the soil. For 1 glass of water you need to take a pinch of citric acid or 1 teaspoon of natural lemon juice.
How to prevent mold from forming on the soil?
Prevention of mold formation.
You can once and for all prevent the development of a fungal infection in a potted plant by introducing antibacterial additives into the soil. Such an antibacterial additive can be a regular woody or even Activated carbon. It must be added to the substrate before planting or replanting the plant. Coal serves not only as a fighter against fungal infections, but also as an absorbent, because it absorbs excess moisture well.
Another way to prevent mold is weak manganese solution. Plants are watered with it 1-2 times a month.
In addition, it will also be said - 2-3 cloves of garlic, cut into large pieces immediately before watering, dig in a flower pot as close as possible to the plant itself. After this, water the plant, wait until the top layer of soil dries and remove the garlic from it. Such procedures can be done every time you water the plant.
Fans of indoor floriculture usually carefully monitor the condition of their green pets, regularly inspecting their leaves and stems for various lesions. But the moment when a whitish coating appears on the soil surface is overlooked by many. Meanwhile, it is from this moment that mold begins to develop in the flower pot.
The women's online magazine “The Beautiful Half” recommends in this case not to take a wait-and-see attitude and not hope that “maybe it will go away on its own,” and suggests understanding the essence of this phenomenon. This article covers:
- reasons for the formation of mold in a flower pot;
- ways to eliminate it;
- effective preventive measures.
Causes of mold in a flower pot
Mold can appear not only in an open flower pot. If you decide to arrange a garden in a bottle with your own hands, then keep in mind that it is not immune from such a misfortune. Mold on the surface of the soil layer in a pot appears due to the fact that a fungal infection penetrates into it.
The following factors contribute to the formation of mold:
It must be said that mold can occur in a pot with any indoor plant, be it hoya flowers, unpretentious cacti, violets or geraniums.
What to do if mold appears in a flower pot?
On the soil, mold develops in patches, but at the same time it spreads not only in breadth, but also in depth. Therefore, as soon as you find it in a flower pot, you need to remove it along with the top layer of the substrate. If the fungal infection penetrates too deeply, it will also affect the roots of the plant, and then its death is inevitable.
Typically, mold appears in the fall when temperatures drop. environment and the process of evaporation of water from the soil slows down. During this period, to maintain a normal level of humidity inside the pot, it is necessary to regularly loosen the top layer of soil. Once every two weeks, it is recommended to water the flowers with water in which lemon juice or citric acid is diluted - they help kill mold spores dormant in the ground. For 1 glass of water, take a pinch of powdered citric acid or a teaspoon of natural lemon juice.
How to prevent mold from forming on the soil?
You can once and for all prevent the development of a fungal infection in a potted plant by introducing antibacterial additives into the soil. This additive can be regular charcoal or activated carbon. It is added to the substrate before planting or replanting the plant. Coal acts not only as a fighter against pathogens, but also as an absorbent, since it absorbs excess moisture well.
Watering with a weak manganese solution 1-2 times a month is also used as a preventive measure against mold. In addition, you can take 2-3 cloves of garlic, cut them into large pieces and, just before watering, bury them in a flower pot, as close to the plant itself as possible. After this, water the plant, wait until the top layer of soil dries, and remove the garlic from it. Similar manipulations can be performed every time you get ready to water a flower.
