Indoor flowers white mold on the ground. Mold in a flower pot: why it appears and how to deal with it

Many owners who grow indoor plants are faced with the formation of a fungus on the ground. If there are favorable conditions for the development of mold on seeds, earth, flowers and leaves, then it begins to spread throughout the house. Since pathogenic microflora can have a negative impact on plants and the human body, you should immediately use effective means to get rid of her.

Mold on the ground can appear for many reasons. Most often, hosts are found in flower pots or boxes of a white variety of fungus.

White mold appears on the surface of the soil if the room is cool enough. For example, you could often see how such a microflora appeared in basements or cellars, where it is cold and damp. The development of the colony begins after the spores fall into the ground or onto the plant itself. It is necessary that the room is constantly kept high level humidity is the main condition for the active growth of a colony of the fungus.

The reason may be the accumulation or stagnation of water in the flowerpot. A shallow drainage system in a pot can lead to clogged holes, and excess moisture will remain at the root system of the plant.

Common reasons include the wrong mode of watering indoor flowers or the characteristics of the substrate. The likelihood of white fungus appearing in the ground is higher if the soil is acidic enough or has a lot of heavy substances in its composition. White mold can appear regardless of the variety of indoor plants.

For the same reasons, mold can appear on the surface of the earth in vegetable gardens and orchards.

Video "Causes of appearance"

From the video you will learn why mold appears on the ground.

Negative effect on seedlings

Mold can appear in your home if there are fungus spores. When it enters the active growth phase, it begins to harm plants. For young seedlings, the formation of mold on the surface is very dangerous. After a while, she starts to rot. This pathogenic microflora is able to absorb a lot of moisture, depriving flowers of juices. Fungal infection reduces plant oxygen supply, impairs regeneration.

As a result, plants may die.

Effective methods of struggle

If the owners noticed that the earth is moldy, then you need to know what to do in such a situation. There are many different ways and methods for the destruction of pathogenic microflora, but their effectiveness will be influenced by various factors.

First you need to replace the infected soil with new greenhouse soil. After that, you need to carefully loosen it so that air easily penetrates into the lower layers of the soil. The frequency of watering is reduced, and a small layer of quartz sand is poured onto the surface of the earth.

removed fungus and old earth must be taken out of the apartment or garden (greenhouse).

The owners must remember that drying the earth does not guarantee the absolute result of getting rid of the fungus. If mold has appeared, then it is not easy to destroy it. Drying may give a little time, since during this period the colony of microflora will stop spreading.

A certain positive effect can be given by the introduction of carbon fertilizers - charcoal. If you grind this coal into dust and sprinkle it on the plant, it will be able to absorb excess moisture stopping mold growth.

Activated charcoal is used to control yellow mold in flower pots. To do this, even in the process of planting the plant, pieces of sphagnum moss and several tablets of grated activated or charcoal are added to the ground. They can also be added to the ground with which you will replace upper layer. When, along with the appearance of mold on the ground, indoor flowers begin to fade, Fundazol should be used.

How to remove mold in a flower pot or garden so that it no longer appears on seedlings? The emerging fungus must be treated with special chemicals directed antiseptic and antibacterial action.

It is possible to effectively get rid of a fungal infection with the help of such drugs: "HOM", "Oxyhom", "Fitosporin-M", "Fundazol". These products are dissolved in water, adhering to the dosage indicated by the manufacturer. The solution is shed beds in which mold development is observed. After watering with medicinal preparations, the soil must be loosened, allowing it to dry faster.

When preparing seedlings in greenhouses, care must be taken to ensure that good, clean soil is taken for cultivation. The room should be periodically ventilated. It is advisable to provide sunlight to the seedlings, as this measure prevents the formation of colonies of any kind of fungus. So that the earth in the flower does not become moldy, it is recommended to use a solution of lemon juice or acid for irrigation once every two weeks instead of plain water. In a glass of water, dilute either a pinch citric acid or a teaspoon of juice.

If mold appeared in the garden on the bark of trees or shrubs, then you can cover it with a solution of limestone. Not only the focus of the spread of the fungus is covered, but also the adjacent area so that it does not become diseased after treatment.

Video "How to fight"

From the video you will learn how to deal with such an unpleasant phenomenon as mold.

Many flower growers, both beginners and experienced growers, are faced with such a problem as mold in flower pots. Where does it come from and how can you get rid of it without harming the houseplant? We will talk about this in detail in the article below.

The appearance of mold in the pot says about the presence of fungal spores in the soil. There are many reasons for its development.

The actual plaque can appear for a number of reasons.

Therefore, we will consider the most common reasons why the earth can “bloom” and become covered with bloom.

If in the room air temperature is very low, and even increased humidity, fungus spores actively begin to germinate in the ground. It is this environment that is favorable for them.
Plaque may appear from stagnant water in a pot. Therefore, do not forget about the drainage holes when planting. If there are already such, but the fungus still appears, then you have made poor drainage or the holes are very clogged.
Fungal diseases can provoke too frequent or heavy watering.
Most often, mold can appear on acidic and heavy soils.

Happens different types, and therefore the measures of struggle will be different.

It is worth noting that such a plaque can appear on soils of any variety, from a banal cactus to a beautiful orchid. The main thing is to see it in time and take measures so that it does not bring harm.

Fungus spores don't care how expensive or rare your pet is

Types of mold: white, efflorescence

On the surface of the soil in a pot of flowers, there are most often two types of fungi:

white color- very similar to fluff and easy to rub in your hands;
efflorescence- such a crystalline coating can be white, gray or green.

Efflorescence is more dangerous, since this plaque develops not only on the surface of the soil, but can also affect inner part soil.

How can it harm a plant?

Besides that white coating spoils the aesthetic appearance of the soil and affects it with fungal spores, it also affects the plant itself.

If you do not fight, then the potted dweller may die.

White coating on the soil surface can lead to to the following consequences:

the flower will stop developing;
oxygen access will decrease, and the roots will no longer receive nutrients;
the acidity of the soil will be disturbed and the mineral composition soil;
pets can get sick with fungal diseases and perish;
most often the plant begins to drop leaves due to a lack of useful substances in the ground.

As you can see, a seemingly harmless white coating can lead to death. Therefore, it is worth not starting the situation and immediately start fighting mold on the surface of the soil.

How to remove mold from flowers

So, the ground was covered with a white coating. What to do?

First of all, you need to define causes of mold, and after that start fighting with it.

To clean in a pot of flowers, you should follow these steps:

Keep track of temperature in the room. It is important that the humidity is moderate. In winter, you need to install additional lighting.
The top layer of soil should be carefully removed. This will help prevent the penetration of the fungus into the soil.
The removed layer of soil is necessary replace with a special bactericidal substrate which is rich in nutrients. If one was not found in the store, then you can replace it with peat or charcoal. Experienced flower growers also recommend using activated charcoal.
To kill all the fungal spores that are in the soil, the soil should be treated with a solution of Fundazol (2 g of the drug per 1 liter of water).
Loosen the soil regularly to saturate it with oxygen.
If the soil is very heavily affected by the fungus, it is best to transplant the plant into a new substrate that previously need to treat with fungicide.

We gave a detailed use of one of the fungicides in the article.

These control methods are the most effective and will help you save the plant from death.

Prevention of the earth against white plaque

To prevent the appearance of white plaque in flowerpots, preventive maintenance should be carried out and the condition of both the soil and the plant itself should be monitored.

Prevent mold simple rules will help:

water only with warm filtered water in moderation;
keep an eye on the drainage holes in the pot so that they do not clog;
stick to temperature regime in the room, monitor the humidity of the air;
regularly loosen the soil;
as a preventive measure, you can periodically water with a solution of citric acid;
use activated charcoal for disinfection once a month.

Each plant is individual. Therefore, this should be taken into account when using one or another method of struggle.

As you can see the appearance of mold on the surface of the soil very dangerous and may lead to his death. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, you need to constantly monitor the condition of the plant and carry out regular prevention.

A whitish or brown coating on the surface of the soil in a flower pot is not necessarily mold, but almost always an indicator that the plant is not properly cared for. To determine the nature of the raid, you need to put on rubber gloves, take a little suspicious substance from the surface of the soil and rub it between your fingers.

If the colored plaque crumbles, we have efflorescence, that is, the result chemical reaction. Mold, unlike efflorescence, is moist and soft, easily rubbed on the glove.

Clear signs mold

Causes of mold in the pot

There are always microspores of molds in the air. But growers themselves sometimes create favorable conditions for the development of mold:

waterlogging of the soil and stagnant water due to excessive watering and inefficient drainage. Most plants only need to be watered when the topsoil is completely dry. At the bottom of the pot, it is imperative to put drainage (for example, expanded clay);
high humidity at low temperatures and insufficient lighting. Most often, mold in a flower pot appears in autumn or spring;
contaminated soil. Sometimes mold spores can even be contained in a purchased soil mixture, and they are always present in the ground collected in the garden or on the lawn. That's why experienced growers it is recommended to fry the soil in the oven or steam it, and only then use it for planting.

Mold damage

The mold crust looks unaesthetic, but the harm of pathogenic fungi is not limited to this. There are types of mold that cause allergies in people and even provoke the development of cancer.

Due to the fungus covering the surface of the soil, the plant receives less oxygen and nutrients. The fungus that penetrates the soil will sooner or later provoke rotting of the roots.

Therefore, it makes no sense to find out exactly what type of fungus hit the soil and how harmful it is. If mold has appeared in the pot, it must be destroyed.

Methods for removing mold in a flower pot

If the mold is visible only on the surface of the soil, this does not mean that the mycelium has not gone deep. Sooner or later, you still have to transplant a flower, and the sooner the better.

However, if the fungus appeared in winter, when the plant is not recommended to be transplanted, then half measures can be dispensed with for several months:

remove and remove the top layer of soil. Spill the soil remaining in the pot with a solution of "Fitosporin-M" or potassium permanganate;
pour a layer of new soil on top, previously calcined in the oven. If the plant likes a neutral or slightly alkaline soil, mix the top layer with ash or crushed activated carbon. For lovers of acidic soils, cover the ground in a pot with a layer of sphagnum moss;
if signs of wilting or decay are noticed, pour the flower with a solution of "Fundazol".

Transfer to new ground is the only way to save indoor flower from mold

But as soon as spring comes, the flower will need to be transplanted. The pot is cleaned of infected soil and washed with household chemicals containing chlorine. The old soil is discarded and replaced with new.

The roots of the plant are shaken off the ground and washed in a solution of "Fitosporin-M" or potassium permanganate. If at least one root is rotten, it is cut out, and the remaining roots are treated with Fundazol. The transplanted plant is carefully observed, when rot appears, it is sprayed and watered with a solution of "Fundazol".

Prevention of mold in potting soil

When the fungus is destroyed, the root system is always injured to one degree or another. It is better to use one of the simple methods of prevention and prevent the appearance of mold in the pot:

once a month, water all plants with a solution of "Fitosporin-M". This biological product contains a strain soil bacteria destroying pathogenic fungi. "Fitosporin-M" is harmless to plants and is suitable for watering any indoor flowers;
4 days before watering, insist garlic water. Grind (with a knife or with a press) 3-4 large garlic cloves and pour 3 liters of boiled, settled water. With this infusion, water the plants once a month. Especially beneficial garlic water affects phalaenopsis;
once a month, water the plants with a solution of 2 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide in 3 liters of water;
once every 2–3 months, water the flowers with a very weak (barely pink) solution of magnesium chloride;
meet advice once a month to water houseplants acidified water: 2-3 drops of lemon juice per liter of water. Indeed, mold does not develop well in an acidic environment. But this method is applicable only to flowers that love acidic soils. For example, for phalaenopsis and azaleas, water with lemon juice is a balm. For pelargoniums, not everything is clear: they love slightly acidic soils, but not acidic ones. Acidified water can damage laurel, hibiscus or milkweed. So when choosing a method of prevention, you need to take into account the characteristics of a particular plant.

In no case should you pour flowers. When transplanting a plant into a new pot, you should make sure that it has drainage holes in it (if not, cut them out yourself). Expanded clay or at least brick chips are used as drainage. The minerals perlite and vermiculite, which absorb excess moisture, and then gradually giving it to the plant.

The fight against efflorescence

There are several reasons for the appearance of efflorescence (salt deposits):

too hard water for irrigation, with high content chlorine;
too heavy soil;
the volume of the pot is much larger than the plant needs;
stagnation of water in the pot due to poor drainage;
fertilizer overdose;
excessive dryness of the air.

When efflorescence appears, you need to change the irrigation regime. The top layer of soil in the pot is removed and replaced with earth mixed with calcined river sand. To avoid the reappearance of efflorescence, expanded clay can be decomposed on the soil surface.

Have you noticed a whitish coating on the ground in flower pots? These are the first manifestations of mold, which is very dangerous for plant health. Here's how to get rid of this mold with home remedies and make the flower healthier

Beautiful flowers on the windowsill give you a lot of positive emotions, but at one fine moment, while admiring your wards, did you find a whitish coating on the ground? This is the beginning of mold development in the flower pot. How to deal with mold in flower pots and prevent its further development, you will learn from this article.

Causes of mold in a flower pot

Disputes grow much faster in such situations:

relative air humidity above 95%;
poor ventilation in the room;
low air temperature in the room;
blockage drainage system in a pot;
flower overflow;
heavy or acid soil.

Very often, the development of mold falls on autumn period when the heating has not yet been turned on, it is chilly in the apartment, and it is raining outside.

Important! If you notice that a fungus has begun to multiply on your flowers and you don’t know how to deal with mold in flower pots, don’t delay resolving this important task and immediately start taking action to destroy it! If this infection penetrates deep to the root of the plant, then soon it will simply die.

Signs of mold on plants

Surely, you know very well what the natural color of your plant is and what the soil in which it lives looks like. If you notice one of the following signs of the appearance of a fungus on your flower, then you should think about how to deal with mold on plants.

These are:

black fluff with spots;
gray threads of mold on the soil;
powdery plaque;
crust;
black dots;
gray or rusty coating.

Important! Never present fresh flowers in a flowerpot to a person who is being treated in a hospital at the time of the gift. The patient's immunity is weakened, and the fungus is a very insidious infection - it is the causative agent of diseases such as:

meningitis;
bronchial disease;
lung damage;
bladder disease.

And this is just the beginning of the list of what can be obtained when fungus spores enter the human body!

Which flowers are immune to mold?

Imagine if nature made certain plant species safe from a fungus problem! If you do not want to take risks, then you can get such flowers and not be afraid of the moldy enemy. These types include:

ardisia;
adenium;
budra;
caladium;
patyphytrum;
neorihelia;
siderasis;
cyperus.

Important! Remember, mold loves moisture and dirt more than anything. The cleaner and drier your home, the less bacteria and fungi live in your neighborhood. Keep clean, and our tips will help you avoid unwanted problems.

How to deal with mold on plants?
There are many modern and folk ways, which will help in the fight against mold on plants and in flower pots. We are happy to share some of them with you.

Method 1

Mold develops in patches. And at the same time, its insidiousness is that you see only the “tip of the iceberg” on the surface of the earth. Not only does it grow in breadth, but also in depth! Once you have found mold, you need to:

Remove the top layer of soil along with the fungi.
Add new land instead of remote.

Important! By these actions, you will prevent the introduction of the fungus into the root system of the flower, which could lead to its death.

Method 2

In this case, you will not only fight mold in flower pots, but at the same time feed your plant:

Remove the top layer of soil.
Add humus and leaf soil.
Fill in new soil.

Thus, you remove the fungus, loosen and fertilize the soil.

Method 3

If you have expanded clay on hand and are ready to make an effort to remove the fungus from plants, proceed as follows:

Remove the top layer of earth.
Add new soil.
From above, cover the earth with expanded clay.
This method will lead to the fact that the white coating will appear directly on the expanded clay.
You will only need to collect and wash it as needed.

Important! Replacing the top layer of the earth works to temporarily stop the development of the fungus. The most radical and effective method would be to remove all the soil and transplant the plant using new soil.

Helpful Hints:

In autumn, when the microclimate of the house changes and favorably affects the development of the fungus on the flowers, loosen the soil in flowerpots more often.
Add crushed sphagnum and activated charcoal tablets to fresh soil.
Pour the earth with a solution of foundationazole (2 g per 1 liter of water).
The development and reproduction of dormant spores of the fungus will help prevent lemon juice (1 teaspoon per glass of water).
Water your flowers with a manganese solution 1-2 times every month.

Follow our advice and your flowers will delight you, your loved ones and friends with their beauty and health.

Mold in a flower pot is a visible coating that forms colonies of microscopic molds. It not only looks extremely unaesthetic, but also has a negative effect on plants.

Why does the earth grow moldy in pots of indoor plants

Fungus spores are constantly around us, these microscopic particles are easily airborne and are waiting favorable conditions for reproduction.

Mold is a colony of fungus

The appearance of mold on the ground in a flower pot is most often caused by care errors and unfavorable conditions of detention:

Incorrect moistening mode, in which the earth in the planting tank does not dry out, but remains constantly wet.
Mold most often appears from improper watering.
Bad drainage. Clogged, rooted, or simply very shallow holes prevent excess moisture from draining into the pan, causing water to stagnate.
Roots that have come out of the pot can block the drainage hole.
Cold and damp indoors.
Watering with unsettled cold tap water.
The tap water for indoor plants is too cold
Poor quality or unsuitable soil for this 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, the spores of which are ways to provoke the appearance of allergic reactions and even respiratory failure.

Mold most often appears with improper care.

The risk of mold growth increases in 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 done only after the top layer of the earth has dried. It is rare that a plant easily tolerates constant humidity.

Video: where does the mold come from in a flower pot and how to remove it

Fighting mold in flower pots: basic methods

At the first sign of the appearance of a fungal colony in a flower pot, you must immediately begin to take action:

Remove the infected top layer of the substrate.
Spill the remaining soil with a weak (slightly sour taste) solution of citric acid. Fungi do not grow well in an acidic environment.
Pour fresh clean soil instead of 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.

In case of ineffectiveness of the measures taken, they act more radically:

The plant is removed from the pot, the infected soil is removed from the roots as carefully as possible.
The plant is removed from the pot and the earth is removed from the roots.
The planting container is washed and treated with disinfectants, doused with boiling water or calcined in the oven (only ceramics).
The pot must be thoroughly washed and disinfected
A drainage layer is laid out at the bottom of the vessel.
A layer of drainage must be poured at the bottom of the pot
Pour fresh soil suitable for this crop, and plant a flower. 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.