Mold is one of the worst things you can find on your indoor plants, whether they’re grown hydroponically or in soil pots.
When mold enters your plant’s soil, it can be very tricky to remove and can eventually kill your pants while most times, if not stopped before time, it will spread over thereby causing more harm.
In this article, we will enlighten you on the best tips that you can use to prevent this pest and how best to treat the other major plant pests.
Tips For Mold Prevention On Indoor Plants
Below are the 8 Best Tips that you can use to prevent molds from damaging your indoor plants or garden.
They include:
Stop Mold On Indoor Plants
It is important when you are starting up a new garden or bringing a new plant home to grow indoors. There is a need for you as a gardener to buy soil that has been sterilized at your favorite gardening supplies store.
If you want to properly find out if it has been sterilized, you can do so by placing the soil on a tray in an oven.
Afterwards, you should gently remove all the soil from around the roots of the new plant and replant it in your sterilized soil.
If it grows properly, it is an indication that it has been sterilized.
2. Let The Sunlight In
The next tip that will help in preventing mold from afflicting diseases on your plants is by making sure that all your houseplants are getting the amount of sunlight exposure that it is required as well as the soil.
Without sunlight, a plant can’t grow properly as it should and it will also be subjected to heat which will attract pests of various kinds.
You can place your plants near the windows or you can use supplemented lights.
If the weather is nice periodically, you take the places outside to get direct sunlight.
3. Air Circulation
If you are so concerned about your plants being feasted on by molds, then you may open up your windows and doors whenever you can.
As you know, proper air circulation or air flow goes a long way in discouraging the growth of molds on your plants and soil.
So if you are unable to open up your apartment or house, then you should apply this simple method of using a fan. Turn on the fan in your house and allow air flow into the soil.
Another way is by spacing out your plants in order to provide adequate air circulation between them. It will also help the soil to dry out more quickly after watering.
4. Keep Your Plant Tidy
Before and after planting season, you should try and remove the dead leaves as well as any debris that could accumulate on the soil surface thereby preventing it from fungal growth.
The unwanted stems aren’t excluded.
Do well to also inspect any new plant that is coming into your home against molds or any other signs or symptoms of diseases so that it doesn’t spread out to the existing plants.
5. Use Natural Antifungals
There are many different types of natural antifungals that you can use to prevent mold such as sprinkle cinnamon, baking soda, white or apple cider vinegar on the soil surface.
All these three items are safe to use in a small amount and won’t pose any risk to your plants.
Let’s go through how each one of them can be used for the treatment and prevention of molds.
A. Use White Vinegar
If you have noticed signs or symptoms of mold growing on your plant or you just need an effective preventative measure.
Then, you can use the white vinegar to fight it.
Just get 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and add it in a quarter of water in a spray bottle and spray it on your indoor plants.
This will help to get rid of any existing mold and will also prevent mold spores from multiplying on your indoor plant.
B. Use Baking Soda
Another useful natural antifungal that you can use to stop mold on indoor plants is to apply baking soda.
All you need to do is to add a tablespoon of baking soda to a gallon of water and spray it on your plant.
You should sprinkle some of the baking soda on the soil as well. This will effectively take care of any mold spores that are present.
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6. Conservative Hydration
This is just an indirect way of saying to you that you should avoid overwatering your plants.
You should only water your plants when you notice dryness on the soil.
You can also stick your finger in the topsoil to know if you need to water your plant especially if the soil does not retain moisture for a long period of time which will encourage the new production of mold.
Furthermore, you must ensure that as you are watering the plants, you need to make sure that the containers have good drainage holes. It will help to prevent too much soaring with
7. Use Neem Oil
The most effective and natural method that you can use which has been tested is by applying Neem oil in the plants.
It is a powerful insect repellent with antifungal properties.
To form this: you need a few drops of the Neem oil in a half gallon of water. Then, you can mix it up and spray it on the plants.
8. Reduction in Humidity
If you reside in an area with a high humidity, your houseplants’ soil may be predisposed to a mold problem.
You can use a dehumidifier to reduce the relative humidity around the plants.
Let’s look at the various ways of getting rid of all the basic types of molds
Different treatment methods vary slightly depending on the type of mold you have growing on your house plant soil.
They are as follows:
A. How To Remove A White Mold
If you notice white fuzzy mold on your indoor plants it’s best if you get rid of it as quickly as possible. But there is a way to go about this.
Firstly, before trying anything, just take the plant outside and let it sit where it can get natural sunlight and also plenty of air movement.
A full day outside is enough to achieve this. Then you can bring it indoors at night if the temperature drops too low.
If putting your plant outside doesn’t work, or isn’t feasible. Then, you’ll need to tackle the removal yourself.
Wear a mask to your face and carefully scrape the mold off the top of the soil surface using a spoon, putty knife, or something similar.
Dispose of the mold in a zip-top bag in the trash.
You can also use a soft clean cloth dampened with a diluted dish detergent solution. Use it to wipe down the plant to remove any mold growing on the foliage. This will help to prevent reinfection of the potting soil.
After you are done removing the mold manually and cleaning the plant’s leaves, you can opt to apply a fungicide to treat the mold that is beneath the surface, down in the root zone.
There are many options available, including a variety of organic formulations.
All you need to do is to make sure to apply at the rate recommended on the product label.
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B. How To Remove A Sooty Mold
First things first, you need to treat the insect infestation in your houseplants or the sooty mold will continue to spread.
If the population of insects is low, you can manually pick them off with your fingers or a pair of sterilized tweezers and then dispose of them afterward.
You can also dab them with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab.
If the population is heavier, then, you can apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to treat the plant.
Once the scale has been treated you can wipe the sooty mold off your plant’s foliage with a clean, damp cloth.
A diluted soap solution may be used if the sooty mold is persistent. Then place your plant in the kitchen sink or bathtub and gently rinse all of the leaves.
C. How To Remove A Gray Mold
Botrytis can harbor in the soil, so it’s important to make sure it is treated thoroughly to prevent reinfection.
To treat this, you need to isolate the plant from your other houseplants and remove any infected or diseased plant tissue using sterilized scissors or a razor blade.
Afterwards, you should dispose of the used tissue in the trash.
Apply a biological or copper-based fungicide to the plant following the manufacturer’s directions on the product label.
Make sure to thoroughly soak the soil as well.
Most importantly, treating a mold can’t be solved one day so you need to reapply the chosen fungicide every 1-3 weeks or as needed until the fungal pressure has completely subsided.
D. How To Remove Powdery Mildew
Different strains of the fungus causing powdery mildew are responsible for the infection of different houseplants.
For instance, the fungus that causes it in African violets is different from the fungus that causes it in your jade plant.
This implies that transmission from one plant to another is low but it’s still important that you treat it before it severely damages the infected plant.
To do so, you need to remove any infected or diseased plant tissue using sterilized scissors or a razor blade and dispose of tissues in the trash.
Spray infected plants with a bicarbonate solution: 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a quart of water or a sulfur-based fungicide according to the label directions.
If the problem is severe or widespread regardless of the type of mold, you should try repotting your plants.
Repot them into clean, sterilized containers.
These containers should be soaked in plastic pots, in a solution of 9 parts water and 1 part bleach. Afterwards, rinse them thoroughly with clean water or with fresh potting mix.
If you want to reuse the contaminated potting mix, you can sterilize the soil to kill any pathogens in it.
FAQs
1. Is Moldy Soil Bad For Houseplants?
Generally speaking, moldy soil is nothing to panic about.
Mold is a sign that your plant’s soil is rich with organisms.
However, it is possible that excessive mold can compete with your plant for the soil’s nutrients over time which could hinder your plant’s growth.
The real problem with mold on houseplant soil is that it’s usually an indication that your plant is growing in overly moist conditions, which can result in more serious ailments like root rot.
2. What Causes Mold Growth On Plants And Potting Soil?
The most common reasons you will find mold on your houseplants or in the soil they live in are as follows:
Inadequate sunlight
Over-watering
Poor ventilation
Lack of drainage
Mold thrives in cold, damp conditions pretty much anywhere those conditions can be found.
If your plants are providing a suitable environment for mold spores to grow and multiply, you’re going to have a mold issue.
3. How Exactly Do I Prevent Mold Growth On Or Near My Plants?
The simplest answer is to make sure your plants, pots, and soil aren’t providing a hospitable environment for mold.
4. Do I Have To Throw Away A Houseplant With Mold On The Soil?
There’s no need to throw out your houseplant if you notice mold on the soil.
You should just simply remove the moldy patches and apply cinnamon as a natural fungicide, or replace all of the soil with fresh soil if you desire.
How Do I Stop My Plants From Molding?
Mold grows on houseplants when there isn’t enough light or ventilation, so make sure your houseplant has plenty of sunshine, airflow, and space to grow.
Also, move your plants to a well-lit room, open windows, place an oscillating fan near your plants, and don’t put too many plants in one pot.
Conclusion
It is quite uncommon for mold to surface on your plant soil. But if it does, you should follow the tips which we have provided for you to get rid of them.
You can use any of the tips that suit you, the most important thing is that it is resolved before it spreads out and afflicts more of your plants.
Have you tried out any of these tips?… How was it?….. Leave your comment and thoughts in the comment section below.
