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Hi planters. I'm in DESPERATE need of help. I can't be the only one… | Pests, diseases and problems | Comunidad de Planta

MikeNeedsMorePlants

Hi planters. I'm in DESPERATE need of help. I can't be the only one with this problem... ALL of my plants get fungus on their topsoil. And I've tried to treat them all with generous sprays of neem oil, watering sparsely, stirring in cinnamon. What the heck is the right treatment here? I've also used various soil mixtures: - soil only - soil with perlite generousky mixed in the top 2 inches - soil and perlite mixture (lots of perlite) - soil and perlite and orchid bark. Any recommendations?

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20 comentarios

  1. Adrian

    Sounds like you need a fungicide. Here’s a couple of ones you could look for. Would you be able to take a photo of what the topsoil looks like on any of your plants? That can help others narrow down what exactly is spreading on your soil.

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    • MikeNeedsMorePlants

      It's a white mold. I've tried a copper fungicide but I don't like the smell (my plants are indoors) and I'm kind-of afraid that it is harmful if inhaled. But at this point I'm desperate lol

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    • Adrian

      I understand the concern with inhaling that. Hmm 🤔 ok, for starters, remove at LEAST the top layer of soil with mold. If there’s more soil with mold, it honestly might be easier to just repot everything in new soil, spraying the roots and pot with hydrogen peroxide. If only the top layer had mold, use a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide and sprayer pour it on the layer of soil underneath to kill any lingering bacteria, and add it over the top after watering your plants for a while until you stop seeing any mold appear on the soil. You might want to consider what’s causing the mold in the first place. My best guesses would be either your humidity levels for the plants are high, and leading to extra moisture that mold thrives on, the soil mixes aren’t well-draining enough (this could be very likely if you’re using Miracle Grow as any of the base soils), or you need to allow the soil to dry out more between waterings. I’m noticing that most of your plants (at least the ones I can see in your collection on Planta) don’t have much of a humidity need, so if you’re not using Miracle Grow, and you’ve been trying to allow the soil to dry out between waterings, my best bet would be your humidifier is making conditions more humid than needed for your plants, causing the mold. Hope this helps.

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    • Adrian

      Do you live in a pretty hot or humid area, by any chance? That’s just about the only other thing I can think of ruling out, but I figured that isn’t the case if you’ve got a room humidifier marked in your plant collection.

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    • iAreKir

      What is the known issue with Miracle Grow that I clearly don’t know and Google is no help. I’ve used their multiple organic soil options this season - raised garden bed, outdoor potted plants, and indoor plants. But I keep seeing the “don’t use miracle grow!”

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    • Adrian

      Their soil is kinda infamous for not being well-draining, especially in humid environments. They include some things akin to a fertilizer that might help the plant appearance wise in the beginning, but the drainage is very poor with many of their soils, and it’s only exasperated in hot and humid climates, which can quickly lead to overwatering and rot. Every nursery I know hates it, wants it banned, and sells FoxFarm and Espoma’s soils instead. And quite a few of those nurseries offer repotting counters and such for customers to come in for them to help with any problems with their plants. The most common one they come across is people needing their plant rescued because they recently repotted it in Miracle Grow and the plant quickly started to rot. This is probably more common in my neck of the woods because we have very humid summers, but for that reason, and from my own experience with Miracle Grow where even their cactus mix nearly killed everything I repotted with it within a week, and the soil took over a month to dry out after some tests to confirm it was the problem, I warn others not to use it. I find the same problem with the soil very often, so I just try to warn others early on, especially since Miracle Grow is very often advertised and sold in box stores.

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  2. Wolfen 🐺

    Air circulation is really the only thing that's helped mine. And sterilizing media before hand

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    • MikeNeedsMorePlants

      Media as in soil? Do you bake it in the oven?

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    • Wolfen 🐺

      Yes, media as in whatever you're using. Soil, pon, perlite, etc. Some you can bake(not anything rock heavy. Others you can pour boiling water over, and drain

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    • MikeNeedsMorePlants

      I'll try the boiling water! Great idea. I only ever heard of baking soil to disinfect it but I'm not about to put dirt in my oven lol

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    • Wolfen 🐺

      Yeaa, the baking isn't too bad, but if there are rocks they can shatter/explode a bit... so i usually end up doing the boiling water. 😆 🤣

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    • MikeNeedsMorePlants

      Ope no thanks I do NOT want exploding rocks in my oven haha

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