HELP! First time I’ve ever seen mold on any of my plants. Just went to water my recently repotted monstera and it has mold on it. What should I do? The big spot is from the bottom of the moss pole. I repotted on July 17 and last watered it 3 weeks ago so it was definitely dry between watering. Do I need to repot? A huge leaf grew in that time so I thought I was doing something right! THANK YOU!
I think a repot would be great for making sure there is no mold in your monstera (just make sure your new leaf is done unfurling before you repot so it doesn’t get damaged.) it isn’t completely necessary but would be great, if not just make sure to clean the mold off the best you can. Also if you can maybe tie the leaves to the moss pole to allow for more areal root growth and overall plant health :)
0 J'aime Hi, thanks! I just repotted this though last month, and I got a whole new leaf that’s huge and seems super healthy. Would repotting twice in 1.5 months mess with it? I dumped the soil and restarted so there was no mold when I repotted. The leaves are also tied to the pole, and there’s a new aerial root growing! I wiped the mold off the bottom as best I could but I wonder if I should remove the pole if that’s the issue?
0 J'aimeThis doesn’t look like too much to worry about, but definitely something to keep an eye on! Based on the Plants big new leaf, it probably isn’t bothered by this yet. Assuming you repotted the plant into well draining soil, the plant probably just doesn’t have enough roots for the pot yet. Could you tell us exactly what you used for your soil and the size of the old pot and the pot it’s currently in? I’d recommend letting it dry out well before watering again though, and be sure not to leave water in the drip tray after watering.
1 j'aime Thanks! It was in a 6” terracotta pot for almost two years, barely any growth. I repotted in mid July to an 8” plastic pot, there were a ton of roots, and immediately it sprouted and grew a huge lead and a new aerial root! So I’ve been pretty jazzed. I used a mix of regular potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark. I let it totally dry out so I’m a little confused on why the mold is there but I hear you. I wiped it off the bottom best I could, what do you think?
0 J'aimeI’d hold off on repotting it for now personally. It sounds like you used a good blend for well draining soil, so it probably jusr doesn’t have enough roots yet. Keep in mind the mold is nearly omnipresent in soil, so it’ll always be there to some degree. You’re just seeing it shoot it’s shot while there is a chance before the roots have grown. Plants hold water better, so it will outlast the mold when water is limiting. Don’t take that idea to the extreme, but Keep an eye on it and error on the side of under watering for a while. Semi-related, how often do you fertilize?
1 j'aime I haven’t fertilized this monstera. I only have a fertilizer for my philodendrons, but I do use SUPERTHRIVE vitamin solution in basically every water.
0 J'aimeMelody’s suggestion is also great! I personally worry about damaging plants from reporting too soon or too often, but it may be the right call depending on what you reported into. :)
0 J'aime Thank you! It was in a 6” terracotta pot for almost 2 years with barely any growth (two leaves but I had to chop two leaves so, it was even). Now it’s in an 8” plastic pot and immediately grew a new leaf and aerial root, so I’m a little puzzled. But if it’s nothing big to worry about, then I’ll just keep an eye on it!
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I put a little peroxide in a spray bottle with some distilled water and treat mold with that. It's a pretty small amount, like a few mL of peroxide per 500 mL of water, but it has worked for me so far. I've also watered a plant with 1:5 peroxide:water when I was really worried about fungus issues and that worked too.
1 j'aime I will say though, on Wolfen's advice, I added a fan to my plant room, and it's helped a ton with fungus/moisture issues.
1 j'aime It’s actually very odd bc it’s the closest plant to my AC unit! But I have noticed moisture on the new leaf and that’s never happened before. I was thinking it’s a good thing, that it’s in a nice humid place! Very interesting idea about the peroxide. Are you spraying the soil from the top or targeting the specific areas (for me all I could see was the holes on the bottom). I assume you avoid the leaves?
1 j'aime Yep, I avoid the leaves. I spray where I see it when it's on the surface. If I'm treating fungus because I'm worried about fungus gnats or trying to avoid root rot, I basically kinda water the plant with it. I've even sat a plant in a tray of peroxide & water and let it have a nice long drink.
0 J'aime Thank you! In my case the mold only appeared on the bottom so would you recommend watering over soil, or spraying just the bottom? As an update, we have another new leaf growing since I watered! So obviously it’s healthy… I’ve had the same growth in 1 month since repotting than I did in 2 whole years!
1 j'aime I feel like, since it's on the bottom, you'd want to treat it there, but I'm no expert. Maybe bottom watering with peroxide in distilled water is your best bet? I'm not really sure though. I hope someone super knowledgeable can provide better advice haha
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