Mold comes in different forms. If you suddenly find mold in a flower pot, you need to take action immediately. One of its fairly common types is white, which often affects flower pots. Almost every novice gardener sooner or later faces a similar problem.
mold in a pot is not a rare phenomenon
It is important to know why mold appears in a flower pot, how to get rid of it, and how to prevent it from appearing again. To answer all these questions, it is necessary to delve a little deeper into the distribution of characteristic light spots.
Why does mold form in a pot?
As mentioned above, there are a sufficient number of different types of fungus:
- Black mold. Most often it affects the walls and ceiling of a house or apartment.
- Blue mold. Mainly attacks wooden products.
- Mold rotting. It can occur both in wood and in ordinary food products.
- White mold. It is precisely this that arises on flower pots. Because of it, the ground under the flower is covered with characteristic light or grayish spots.
If a whitish coating appears on the pot or directly on the soil under the flower, it is necessary to take appropriate steps to eliminate it as quickly as possible.
The main reason for this situation remains excessive watering.
When a flower receives too much water, it does not always have time to absorb it in time. Then another watering occurs, again and again. The constant accumulation of excessive moisture, insufficient drainage and blockage of the lower holes in the pot lead to the creation of a favorable microclimate under the plant for the development of mold.
Poor air and water circulation are conditions that remain ideal for fungal growth.
However, not all white mold is harmful spores. Some of this light coating is formed after the evaporation of excessive amounts of water. Microelements settle on the pot and penetrate into the soil.
In this case, water for the plant is excess and leads to a similar result.
Why is white mold dangerous?
In any case, you need to get rid of mold on the ground in a flower pot, however, many novice gardeners do not fully understand the danger of such damage to the plant.
For older flowers, such a coating may be almost harmless. However, if white mold appears on young green “pets” of a person, then very soon the young plant may simply wither.
Fungal infection changes the metabolic process in the soil. As a result, the flower does not receive the required number of microelements and actually dies from a kind of hunger. In addition, fungal spores can even physically affect young roots, which causes the entire plant to wither.
How to get rid of mold in a flower pot?
One of the most pressing questions for any gardener remains: “How to get rid of mold?” On this moment There are several simple and accessible ways to everyone. It’s worth starting with the very common ones.
To carry it out successfully, you will need some additional accessories and substances, more precisely:
- New clean land of high quality.
- The flower pot is smaller than before.
- Water, standing for 2-3 days and filtered.
- A little citric or oxalic acid.
You can get rid of white mold in a flower pot using the above devices in several stages:
- You should start by changing the watering regime. You can replace frequent but small portions of water with rare but abundant drinking for plants. Plaque is often caused by excessive moisture, which evaporates and creates a corresponding picture on the pot.
- If adjusting the watering mode did not solve the problem, you can try removing upper layer soil and replace it with a new one from the store or site. It is important to do this on early stages the problem develops until mold spores penetrate deep into the soil. In this case, it will be necessary to transplant the flower into a smaller pot with new and clean soil.
- An old vessel for the plant must be thoroughly doused with hot (boiling) water and cleaned very thoroughly. If possible, it is best to boil it entirely in a saucepan. It is necessary to pour a little ground brick into the bottom of the pot to ensure normal drainage. Regular gravel is also suitable for this purpose. All holes in the vessel also need to be thoroughly cleaned.
- Before filling the pot with soil, it should be properly treated. Sometimes even soil sold in stores remains contaminated with spores and harmful microorganisms. To eliminate them, you can bake the earth in the oven or steam it over boiling water until it becomes hot. Thus, it will be possible to destroy harmful microbes and fungi in the soil.
- To water the plants, you should only use water that has stood for 2-3 days. Some gardeners like to add egg shells to this liquid for better mineralization of the watering. Do not use tap water for flowers. It contains a lot of unfavorable microelements that damage the root system of the plant.
- To improve the quality of the soil, once a month it is recommended to water the flowers with water containing citric acid at the rate of 2 drops per 1 liter.
- In order for the flower to feel comfortable in the room, it is advisable to monitor the general humidity. This will be useful for both the plant and its owner.
In addition to this set of measures for removing white mold, there is another good way. It provides for the additional use of Fundazol. This product allows you to remove white mold without harm to the plant.
It is necessary to dilute 2 g of the drug in 1 liter of water and water the flower with this solution according to the established schedule. If the wilting process has begun, you can additionally spray the leaves with the same liquid.
In any case, you need to fight white mold. The choice of a specific method depends on the individual preferences of each grower. The main thing is the health and beauty of all plants in the house.
The appearance of a white coating on the ground in a flower pot does not bode well. This is mold that needs to get rid of! Of course, there is no need to panic and go to great lengths: throw away a flower, a pot, or treat it with pesticides. But you shouldn’t ignore it either. Indifference will lead to the death of the plant.
Why the enemy does not sleep
Mold in flower pots appears in favorable conditions, namely:
- Frequent watering. The accumulation of water creates high humidity - an ideal environment for fungal growth.
- Cold in which the ground does not have time to dry out.
- Absence or poor quality drainage system. Small holes in the pot become clogged and prevent excess moisture go out. Lack of drainage layer (expanded clay, pebbles).
- Contaminated soil.
- Watering with cold, unsettled water.
- Insufficient ventilation of the room.
Most often, the appearance of mold in flower pots can be observed in spring and autumn, when there is no heating, the room becomes cool and the soil in the deep layers dries out slowly. Ideal conditions for the development of fungal infections.
In summer, with high humidity, they appear.
What is the danger of fungus
Mold disrupts the environment inside the soil, indoor flowers do not receive enough useful material, the roots rot due to lack of oxygen. The plant begins to hurt and dies.
If there is even a hint of mold on the surface of the soil in a flower pot, get rid of it immediately before it spreads further.
Operation Rescue
If there are single manifestations of mold on the soil, it is enough to stop watering, dry the plant and replace the surface layer of soil (2-3 cm) with fresh, calcined soil. Be sure to add “medicinal” charcoal or sphagnum moss, which will help absorb moisture. Pour in a solution of “Fundazol” (2 g of powder per 1 liter of water).
The longer mold remains on the soil, the deeper it goes.
At mass destruction, you can get rid of mold in flower pots only by completely replacing the soil. To do this, remove the plant and set it aside to dry for a day. Rinse the container to remove any remaining soil, pour boiling water over it, and dry thoroughly. If the drainage holes are too small, enlarge them to prevent them from becoming clogged again.
On plastic pots, mold spores can survive and even after treatment with soil replacement begin to multiply again.
Place a drainage layer of pebbles or crushed bricks at the bottom. Before backfilling new land needs to be disinfected. Steam in a water bath, heat in a frying pan, in the oven, or pour over a solution of potassium permanganate. After planting a flower, pour a thin layer of sand on top or spread expanded clay, which will help draw in excess moisture.
Flower care
Water only with settled water room temperature, tap water harms plants. Occasionally loosen the soil so that moisture does not stagnate in surface layer. For prevention, water 1-2 times a month with the addition of 1-2 drops of lemon juice per 1 liter of water. Ideally, install an ionic humidifier nearby.
One of the fairly common problems when growing indoor plants is fungal disease. If mold appears in a flower pot, this is a sign improper care behind the flower. A whitish coating on the surface of the soil sometimes does not cause concern among gardeners, and this moment is precisely the beginning of the development of a fungal disease.
Why does mold appear in a flower pot?
White mold in flower pots is an unpleasant and dangerous phenomenon. Fans of growing also face such a problem. Both cases have the same source: fungal disease. There are several main reasons why there is mold in the pot:
- the air temperature in the room is too low (if you have noticed, in damp and cold basements there are almost always similar white deposits);
- high humidity air (it is moisture that is the main condition for the successful growth of mold);
- constant stagnation of water (as a rule, this is facilitated by too small drainage holes in the flowerpot or their periodic blockage);
- incorrect watering regime (the flowerpot is often or too abundantly filled with water);
- properties of the substrate (if the soil is too acidic or heavy, it is more susceptible to fungal growth).
As you can see, mold can appear in indoor flowers at any time and it doesn’t matter at all what type of indoor plants you choose. So you should clearly know what to do in such a situation, because some flowers are not just a decoration for a room, but also a very expensive pleasure.
How to remove mold from flowers?
The first thing to remember is that mold in a flower pot will not go away if you remove a small lump of earth. It spreads not only in breadth, but also in depth. You will have to completely remove the entire top layer so that the disease does not take hold of the roots.
Most often, flower growers encounter this problem during the off-season, when the temperature drops noticeably and central heating not yet included. Evaporation occurs more slowly and processes of water stagnation and soil decay begin. To prevent mold in a flower pot, constantly loosen the top layer of soil to ensure full breathability.
To prevent the soil in the flower from becoming moldy, it is recommended to use a solution of lemon juice or acid for watering once every two weeks instead of plain water. Either a pinch of citric acid or a teaspoon of juice is diluted in a glass of water. This helps neutralize fungal spores that lie dormant in the soil.
Activated carbon is used to combat yellow mold in flower pots. To do this, even in the process of planting the plant, pieces and several tablets of activated charcoal or pieces of charcoal are added to the ground. They can also be added to the soil with which you will replace the top layer. When, along with the appearance of mold on the ground, indoor flowers begin to fade, foundationazole should be used. This drug has proven itself as a remedy for fungus. They use it to cultivate the soil and the plant itself.
White mold in flower pots: prevention methods
As you know, prevention is always better treatment. To prevent the problem of fungal infection from affecting you, it is enough to follow a few simple rules. If you just notice that the soil in the pots is becoming moldy, immediately treat it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This procedure is also carried out for healthy flowers once a month. Well, the simplest and fairly reliable way is garlic cloves. Simply cut them into large pieces and bury them as close to the flower as possible, then water the plant. As soon as the soil dries, remove the garlic. This procedure can be carried out during each watering and mold will not appear in the flower 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, ensuring favorable conditions for the life of the flower and are the key to the growth and flowering of the plant.
Alexandra
Mold on the ground in seedlings: why does the ground become moldy, what to do and how to get rid of it?
When planting seedlings in greenhouse soil, mold often appears on the surface of the soil. Why does greenhouse soil become moldy? Is any gray coating that appears on the ground mold? This article contains qualified answers to questions asked, as well as recommendations on how to get rid of mold on seedlings.
Is gray or white coating on the ground mold?
The deposit that appears on the surface of greenhouse soil is not always mold. Often, this is simply a salt crust that has protruded to the surface, which is formed when there is an excess content of mineral substances in the soil. The layer of saline soil should simply be removed by adding a new portion of soil. It is useful to sprinkle the top layer with coarse quartz sand, which will protect the delicate stems of seedlings from the formation of hard salt rings that injure young plants. Water for irrigation should be settled; such water will contain a smaller amount of dissolved salts, which precipitate when settled.
Advice! When settling, you can put a gauze bag of peat in a bucket of water - this will help reduce the hardness of the water for watering plants or seedlings.
Mold appeared between the seedlings
The appearance of real mold is caused by the rapid growth of the mycelium of moldy fungi that have entered the greenhouse soil. Mold cannot cause much damage to adult plants, but for young and weak seedlings it is a real disaster.
Mold on the ground
The following reasons can provoke the development of mold:
- Overmoistening of the soil in a greenhouse bed.
- The soil is too heavy.
- Musty air, lack of periodic ventilation of the greenhouse.
- Thickened plantings of seedlings.
- Contaminated soil.
There are several ways to get rid of mold, it all depends on the degree of contamination of the soil. General steps to take when soil is contaminated with mold:
Advice! The development of mold is directly related to the high content of silt and humus in the soil. Prepare the soil for seedlings in correct ratio, add sand.
We should not forget about ventilating greenhouses and providing adequate lighting for planted seedlings.
Particular attention should be paid to the soil with which greenhouse beds are filled. By inspecting the soil in advance, you can promptly notice traces of mold and take timely measures before planting greenhouse plants in the soil.
How to deal with mold on seedlings: video
