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!! posting for a friend !! my friend just moved into a new house and… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community

earth2mik

!! posting for a friend !! my friend just moved into a new house and she noticed that most of her plants are growing this weird mold / moss looking layer at the top of the soil. i’ve never had this issue so i’m not sure what is causing it, any ideas? the picture is from her orchid. i was thinking it was poor airflow + too high of humidity maybe, but again im not sure.

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6 comments

  1. Nan

    Are all the pots in your friends house set up like this? Because if so that could be a huge problem

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    • earth2mik

      i’m honestly not sure, i think she got this one as a gift and it came like this

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    • Nan

      It’s harmless mold, not hurting the orchid. It can come from overwatering, high humidity, or low airflow. As for the pots, I always found when I double placed a pot inside a terracotta pot it always caused mold due to lack of airflow.

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  2. Adrian

    I’d tell your friend to remove the top layer of soil with mold and pour hydrogen peroxide over the top of the remaining soil, and repeat doing so when watering it until mold stops coming back. If it keeps coming back with a vengeance, then she might want to find a fungicide and repot the affected plants with fresh soil. Suspecting humidity and airflow is great, but from my experience since moving, I would ask your friend to consider the water quality if she’s using tap water. I can’t use my tap water for that reason specifically, and moved to using my fridge’s water and letting it reach room temperature overnight before watering it. Hope this helps!

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  3. Whit_Y

    That soil needs to be tossed, it looks unhealthy. It’s very very compacted and while the mold is harmless it’s indicating it’s holding moisture and may already be rotting its roots. Most tropical houseplants enjoy a chunky soil mix, I highly recommend that plant be repotted asap

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  4. Waspinator

    Orchids like to have their roots air out between waterings; it looks like this one is staying entirely too wet and its roots are being suffocated (too much water, tightly packed media, and/or not enough air flow). The good news is that the leaves are in good shape, so it'll have plenty of energy to recover. I agree, hydrogen peroxide to treat the mold and a repot with fresh bark or soil for anything affected. Also molds release spores when disturbed, so repot outside or in a different room to reduce the odds of it spreading or returning

    1 like