Certain species require indirect or even very little sunlight and may start to wither, dry out or die if given too much sunlight. Note: This may not be a good idea for some plants. Put your plant closer to a window during peak sunlight hours and let their soil conditions dry out and warm up a bit. Nothing scares mold and mold-producing conditions better than good old fashioned Vitamin D. To give them more space and a better chance at soil aeration (decreasing anaerobic conditions), try giving them a larger environment and potting with fresh soil. Your plants and soil might be a little claustrophobic in such close quarters. Once the biomatter is completely decomposed in your soil, that mold will eventually disappear!īut if it bothers you, or you’re concerned about the spores potentially irritating an existing asthma or bronchial sensitivity, then fixing the issue is fairly straightforward. Do you care if there’s a bit of white fuzz on top of your soil? If not, then go ahead and let Mother Nature get on with it. So, to reiterate: if you see white mold on the top of your garden/potted plant soil - this is just the next step of the natural decomposition process going on in your soil as the organic fertilizer releases its nutrients to the soil and your plant roots. However, it’s not impossible.īecause electric composters essentially reverse and speed up the process of traditional composting, the by-product (or fertilizer) produced by the compost machines requires a curing period in the soil before being equally broken down. Once the compost has broken down into soil, it has been digested by fungi to such an extent that these bacteria are unlikely to produce mold after being added to your soil. Seeing mold from actinomycetes in your compost is fairly normal. However, just know that mold is often a symptom of this natural and positive phenomenon. You absolutely want to encourage the health and diversity of these bacteria and fungi. If you add an organic fertilizer to your soil just before planting or after you’ve already planted, you are increasing the risk of seeing that white mold on the top of your soil.įertilizer produced by an electric composter, or a material such as PittMoss, is a regular suspect for feeding the existing bacteria in your soil.īecause the powerful biomatter introduced into your soil is still in the process of decomposing, it is providing all the necessary nutrients for these bacteria (and your soil) to thrive. However, if the environment is not comfortable for them - lacking sufficient moisture - they will not propagate and develop into mold. Fungi generate spores which float on any small air current and land nearby (for the most part). The same could be said for poor drainage in your soil. Insufficient natural light will also encourage the dark-and-damp conditions that mold loves so much. Not allowing your indoor plants to bask in the sun will limit the nutrients made available to these plants through photosynthesis. If you’re seeing white mold on your soil, this could mean that there is an excess of anaerobic conditions - too little aeration - and actinomycetes are taking advantage. Actinomycetes thrive in anaerobic (no air) conditions. There could be multiple reasons for seeing mold. The soil is closed-in, regularly dampened, and is not usually turned or aerated by either bugs, animals or gardeners. Indoor plants are unfortunately (or fortunately, depending whether you’re looking at this scenario from the soil’s perspective) nearly a perfect environment for saprophytic fungi to develop fruiting bodies - mold. But not all soils have visible proof that these fungi are indeed present. We’ve learned that the fungi which results in this type of mold (or “fruiting bodies” of fungi) is naturally-occuring. Now, we’re not expecting you to remember that fancy word, but just know that these guys are naturally occurring in soil and that their presence is a GOOD THING. They essentially eat garbage and poop out gold.Ĭompost fungi that result in mold are most often actinomycetes. Saprophytic microbes are therefore very important to composting, as they break down the organic material added to compost piles to turn it into rich soil. By eating dead organic material, they literally change the chemical composition of that material into something valuable for the soil. Saprophytic fungi are known as “litter transformers”. When you see mold in your potted plants, this is essentially your plants going “wow, this soil is LIT!” Saprophytic means: an organism which consumes decaying organic matter. If so, then this is almost certainly something called saprophytic fungi (mold).

Stop mold on seedlings