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One of my silver inch plants is in a clear pot and I noticed the soil… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community

Oatishkay

One of my silver inch plants is in a clear pot and I noticed the soil is looking green. Is it safe? The plant itself seems to be growing pretty well and I water it every three days (it’s outside and I check the soil with a chopstick).

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5 comments

  1. PortlyPothos

    I think that’s algae. Lots of nutrients, water. And light will lead it to grow which is why it’s so abundant in a clear container. It can compete for light, nutrients and water. Maybe not anything you have to rush to fix but it’s likely a good idea to replace the soil

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  2. Plant Father

    algae is usually harmless to the plant. like portly pothos mentioned it tends to grow when there is lots of light, nutrients, and plenty of water. i would leave it unless your plant shows signs of stress. overwatering can also contribute to algal growth

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  3. Succulent❤️Mama

    I don’t think the algae will hurt it, but these plants like the soil to not stay too wet. I’ve also heard them described as basically a succulent which has born out to be true for me here in TX. My purple ones hang in a wire basket with the natural material liner (I forgot what it’s called) in full west sun all summer and only get watered every week or two and do fine. But I can grow them in a plastic pot with regular drainage, and more water, inside in the winter and they are fine. Hardy plants! I see you have it hanging in a terracotta pot, but planted in a plastic pot. Does it not have a hole? Terracotta are really good at keeping dirt from staying too wet so if it has a drainage hole, I’d encourage you to just plant directly in there. If it doesn’t have drainage, then I get it.😊

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    • Oatishkay

      In my experience, they need watered somewhat often or the leaves with dry up. I wish mine didn’t need watered so often! 😂 It does get quite a bit of sun/some shade, so Ig that makes sense. My other one is inside and isn’t watered as often. The terracotta pot doesn’t have drainage, so that’s why I had it in the nursery pot. I recently repotted it into a clear pot (just forgot to add a photo).

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    • Succulent❤️Mama

      You are absolutely correct! I really should have looked at the care differences before replying. Your variety says high moisture need, keep soil moist, water twice a week, and even needs misting. Mine says medium moisture need, let top layer dry out, water every 11th day, and definitely doesn’t need misting. And yeah, I don’t remember to update new pictures of pot changes either. Sorry I wasn’t more help! I do think the algae is harmless. I’ve never had an issue with any of my plants when it grew.

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