The unhappiness caused by mold in houseplant soil can be a real pain for those that love to grow house plants. Luckily, you can usually get rid of it with a couple of easy methods.
The best method to get rid of mold in household soil:
- The plant should be repotted in sterile potting soil.
- Indirect sunlight, dry your potting soil.
- Plants with mold should be removed and sprayed with fungicides.
- Plant your houseplants with a natural antifungal
- New plants should be replanted immediately into sterile soil.
Despite the fact that mold in houseplant soil is usually harmless, it is often a sign that there is something wrong with the way you’re caring for your houseplant. This article will explain the best practices for removing this fungal growth permanently.
What Is Houseplant Mold And Function?
Saprophytic fungi such as the white mold are harmless fungi that consume and break down organic materials. The fungus utilizes the carbon it obtains from organic matter to grow and develop. This is the reason it likes to grow in the damp, dimly lit, soil of your houseplants and plants.
Damp houseplant soil should be the first concern because it is prone to live and feed on houseplants that are consistently damp.
Mold in Your Houseplant’s: 5 Great Ways to Get Rid of it
It is not difficult to get rid of the mold if you know-how. Most people see mold and assume that their plant is doomed, but it is not necessarily the case. Overwatering, poor drainage, using soggy organic matter, and infections from previously contaminated soil are all common conditions that can cause mold to grow.
You cannot prevent mold from growing on your plants after they already have mold. However, it is still not too late to start reversing the situation. You must start by removing the mold from your soil, then you can create an environment that is unsuitable for mold growth. After you have eliminated the white mold you will be able to use the following five methods to protect your plants.
Remove Mold from The Plant by Repotting it
You might choose to eliminate the mold problem in one fell swoop if you are unwilling to do it yourself. You can repot the plant so that there is no old contaminated soil in the equation.
Then, remove your potted houseplant, wash out the container (and even spray it lightly with fungicide), and replace the soil in the container.
In an alternative method, you can soak the container in a solution of 9 parts water and one part liquid cleanser for around 10 minutes to completely eliminate any remaining mold spores. Repotting your houseplant requires simply rinsing it with soap and water and drying it. After the pot/container has dried out, you can fill it with new soil and repot it.
You should thoroughly rinse your houseplant and remove any mold on the leaves before replanting. If any mold remains, you may end up with recontamination. If you repot your plant, you might also want to spray it with a mild fungicide. Once you repotted the plant, you should implement a better watering and care routine to prevent mold growth.
Prevent Mold Spores, Dry out your Potted Soil in Direct Sunlight
The humid soil is a perfect breeding ground for mold, so you need to dry out the soil, consistently, to prevent mold from growing. You can do this using sunlight. UV radiation from sunlight kills mold.
Several methods are available for drying out potting soil using sunlight. One method is simply to move your plant to a sun-filled spot outside so that the sun’s rays can remove moisture from the soil. In non-severe cases, mold works just fine even under the sunlight just as it doesn’t like the warmth of the sunlight. Before placing the houseplant in the sun, scoop out the top layer of soil and discard it.
If your houseplant is really sensitive to direct sun exposure, removing it gently from its container and spreading the soil out on the floor in a sunny spot is a good solution. This way the sun can take care of the mold without burning or drying out your houseplant.
You can even spray water and baking soda over the soil while it is spread out in the sun. Baking soda will help draw moisture from the mold and keep the bacteria at bay.
Spray A Fungicide On The Plant And Remove Mold
It is advisable to remove the mold by hand if the plant is contaminated by mold. This will prevent the mold from spreading to the soil that it grows in, especially if the soil remains damp.
You can scoop out the top layer of the contaminated soil, since mold usually only grows on top of the soil.
Once the mold has been removed from the plant, wipe the actual plant down with a damp cloth or kitchen towel a few time—until there is no sign of mold left on the plant.
It is the next step to apply a fungicide to the soil and plant. You may also choose to apply Potassium Bicarbonate mixed with water instead of a chemical fungicide. It is a powerful biodegradable fungicide that will work well with white mold spores. Spray generously on the plant’s surface as well as on the potting soil.
Use a Natural Anti-fungal on your Houseplant’s Soil
It can be hard to keep mold and fungus at bay when you live in a damp or cold environment. However, you can improve the situation by adding a natural anti-fungal to your soil.
What natural anti-fungal products do you have? Baking soda, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, and honey are all great natural anti-fungal remedies. They will not harm your houseplant.
Add a couple of spoonfuls or sprinkles, according to the size of your houseplant, into your soil mix or on top of the top surface of the soil. You don’t need to put too much in. A couple of tablespoons per houseplant is more than enough.
Repotter New Houseplants in Sterile Soil to Prevent Mold Contamination
You will surely want to arrange and decorate your home with new houseplants when you receive them as a gift or buy them in your local store.
Since they were grown from seed rather than from a bag, new plants have not been exposed to what they were exposed to before.
If you plant a seedling in soil that has already been contaminated with mold spores, the seedling could already be compromised. It is advisable to repot your newly acquired plant immediately into fresh, sterile soil to avoid spreading mold or suffering an even worse case of mold contamination. Also, you may use your own mixture of soil that has been exposed to sunlight sufficiently.
Get rid of the contaminated soil and make sure your plants do not come into contact with it. To get rid of any fungus on the new houseplant, spray the plant with fungicide or with baking soda and water solution before you introduce it to other houseplants.
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