If the house is filled with indoor flowers, then with a white or gray film on the surface of the soil in flower pots the owners have already met. 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 for mold in a flower pot is a fungus. It arises due to such factors:
- Increased indoor humidity.
- Low temperature in the apartment.
- Small drainage holes that clog and prevent excess water from draining out.
Starts up white mold in pots and improper care behind a flower. Each plant requires its own conditions of detention: lighting, watering and fertilizer.
How to remove mold from flower pots?
The fight against mold begins immediately, as soon as it appears in a flower pot. To do this, remove upper layer soil. The longer the mold stays in the pots, the deeper it will go into the soil. This only makes the plant worse. The same amount of soil as was removed is added to the soil, but this is new earth, 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 of these soil components prevent mold from developing, as they absorb excess water if the soil is waterlogged. In addition, they are bactericidal.
After replacing the infected topsoil, the plant is watered with such a tool that is easy to prepare with your own hands: 2 grams of Fundazol are dissolved in 1 liter of water. If, along with the mold that has appeared, the plant begins to wither, the flower should be sprayed with a solution of Fundazol.
If all the measures did 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 it must be thoroughly washed and rinsed with boiling water, and then dried. new earth should also be disinfected.
This event can be done in 2 ways:
- Baking in the oven or on the stove.
- Steaming. Soil is poured into a colander and placed over a pot in which water boils. It is necessary to hold until the earth becomes hot.
Land sold in stores can also be contaminated, so it must be further processed before use.
What to do if mold has started in pots with houseplants, see also the video:
Prevention of mold in flowers
In order not to have to deal with mold in pots with indoor flowers, you can prevent its occurrence. To do this, the following activities are carried out:
- cleaning of all openings;
- installing good drainage. Ground brick, gravel, expanded clay is used;
- instead of frequent small waterings, carry out rare waterings, but so that the soil is completely washed out;
- water with filtered water (in no case with tap water!);
- carry out regular watering of plants with a weak solution of manganese.
If there is no filter in the house, then the water must be defended. Water is poured into a 3-liter jar and set 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 upper layer of soil and left until the soil is loosened according to the schedule. When the soil loosens in the flowers, 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 are added. Oxalic acid is used instead of lemon.
The room should not be very damp, but not dry, since dryness also contributes to the pot with indoor flower mold formation. Don't have time to monitor humidity? Get a humidifier.
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 mold, the spores of which can 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 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.
If it is not possible to purchase the right soil, you can disinfect the old soil by calcining it in the oven or steaming it in a water bath.
You can disinfect the old soil in the microwave
Video: how to deal with mold in a flower pot
Prevention
To prevent the appearance of fungal colonies, proceed as follows:
- regularly loosen the substrate in a 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 is the earth moldy? How to fix the situation? Read our review.
DETECTING THE CAUSE OF MOLD
There are several factors that contribute to the formation of plaque in a pot. Here are the most likely ones:- Heavy mechanical constituents of the soil, leading to a 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 flower container.
- Non-compliance with the schedule of watering the plant. The lack of moisture leads to the 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 settling.
- Using hard water to water a flower.
- good soil;
- a smaller pot;
- filtered water (previously settled);
- lemon juice or oxalic acid;
- pan;
- colander.
1. Provide good drainage (gravel, crushed brick). Clean the hole in the bottom of the pot. Try to change the nature of watering the flower: water less often, but more abundantly - the inner layers of the soil will also be moistened. Do not overdo it, make sure that all the water is absorbed into the soil. To reduce the degree of hardness of water for irrigation, place a peat bag in it - the salts are absorbed and will not settle in the soil. The ideal option will be filtered water.
2. If the previous measure did not work, the culture must be transplanted. If the plant's root system is "lost" in the ground, use a smaller pot. Wash it well and pour boiling water over it. There is time and desire - you can boil the whole pot. After drying, lay gravel on the bottom, providing good drainage. In some cases, you can limit yourself to replacing only the topsoil.
3. If there is a lot of mold in the pot, it is better to change the entire soil. Before pouring the earth into a prepared pot, it is necessary to ignite it in an 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 pot of boiling water). Wait until the ground is hot.
4. Immediately after transplanting the crop, do not water it. 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 substitute for juice, but it is important not to overdo it.
6. Get in the habit of monitoring the humidity in the room. An 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 earth in a pot is moldy - did not go unanswered. The causes of this unpleasant phenomenon often seem banal. However, the provision of 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 ground in flower pots
Flower growers, as a rule, always keep a good eye on the condition of their green pets, constantly examining their leaves and stems for all sorts of diseases and lesions. But the moment when a whitish coating appears on the surface of the soil is overlooked by many. But, if you want to know, it is from this moment that mold begins to develop in a flower pot.
If you notice mold growing on the soil, don't wait for it to go away by itself, look for mold growth in your flower pot and learn how to eliminate mold. It would also be nice to know the 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 on the surface of the soil in a pot appears due to the fact that a fungal infection penetrates into it.
The formation of mold in a pot is facilitated by:
- Low air temperature in the room where indoor plants grow.
- High air humidity.
- Plant overflow
- Stagnation of water in the pot (drainage holes clogged).
- Acidic soil or heavy soil.
Soil mold 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 houseplant, is it an orchid, or is it undemanding plants- cacti, violets or pelargonium.
If mold has appeared in a flower pot,
WHAT TO DO ?
On the ground, mold develops in foci, 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 without fail, 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 and pieces of charcoal (or activated charcoal tablets) to fresh soil as bactericidal agents. After replacing the top layer, it is necessary to pour the earth in a pot with foundationazole (2 g per liter of water).
As mentioned above, mold often appears in the fall, when the air temperature drops and the process of water evaporation from the soil slows down. It is very important during this period, in order to maintain a normal level of humidity inside the pot, the top layer of the earth should be systematically loosened. 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 are 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 the formation of mold on the soil?
Prevention of mold formation.
You can once and for all prevent the development of a fungal infection in a pot with a plant by introducing antibacterial additives into the ground. Such an antibacterial supplement can become a common woody or even Activated carbon. It must be added to the substrate before planting or transplanting 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 to weak manganese solution. They water the plants 1-2 times a month.
In addition, it will also be said - 2-3 garlic cloves, cut into large pieces immediately before watering, dig in a flower pot as close as possible to the plant itself. After that, water the plant, wait until the top layer of soil dries up and remove the garlic from it. Such procedures can be done every time the plant is watered.
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 surface of the soil is overlooked by many. Meanwhile, it is from this moment that mold begins to develop in a 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 pass by itself", and offers to deal with the essence of this phenomenon. This article highlights:
- causes of mold formation 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 equip a garden in a bottle with your own hands, then keep in mind that he is not immune from such a scourge. 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:
I must say that mold can occur in a pot with any indoor plant, whether it's even hoya flowers, even unpretentious cacti, violets or geraniums.
What to do if mold appears in a flower pot?
On the soil, mold develops in foci, 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.
As a rule, mold appears in the fall, when the temperature drops. environment and the process of evaporation of water from the soil is slowed down. During this period, to maintain a normal level of humidity inside the pot, it is necessary to regularly loosen the top layer of the earth. 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. Take a pinch of powdered citric acid or a teaspoon of natural lemon juice for 1 glass of water.
How to prevent the formation of mold on the soil?
You can once and for all prevent the development of a fungal infection in a pot with a plant by introducing antibacterial additives into the soil. Such an additive can be ordinary charcoal or activated charcoal. It is added to the substrate before planting or transplanting the plant. Coal acts not only as a fighter against pathogens, but also as an absorbent, since it absorbs excess moisture well.
As a preventive measure against mold, watering with a weak manganese solution 1-2 times a month is also used. In addition, you can take 2-3 cloves of garlic, cut them into large pieces and, just before watering, put them in a flower pot, as close as possible to the plant itself. After that, watering is carried out, the topsoil is dried, and garlic is removed from it. Such manipulations can be performed every time you are about to water the flower.
