Bonsai soil is a versatile option for plants that require good drainage and aeration. Its unique composition includes clay, rocks, and organic matter, mimicking the tree’s natural habitat. The average garden soil is 50 percent solid, 25 percent water, and 25 percent air by volume. However, this soil is too dense for bonsai plants, as most potting soil hardens.
Choosing the best bonsai soil is crucial for nurturing your plant. The right soil mix, rich in clay, rocks, and organic matter, mimics the tree’s natural habitat, providing rich nutrients, water absorption, aeration, and proper excess water drainage. Bonsai soil is not very acidic, making it not a great choice for acid-loving plants. For common houseplants and herbs, it is more a cost and maintenance concern. Potting soil needs to be watered and fertilized less.
Bonsai trees need good drainage and air into the roots like succulents, so using succulent soil for a bonsai tree is essential. The right soil mixture for bonsai trees is crucial for providing nutrients and proper drainage. This soil is ideal for most potted plants that enjoy fast-draining soil.
For houseplants, bonsai soil principles can be applied by using a mixture of akadama, fired molar clay, sphagnum moss, pumice stone, lava rock, and composted pine. Regular potting soil is good for bonsai plants in the development stage, as it helps retain moisture, nutrients, and heat. By changing the standard compost mixture to a 6:4 ratio of lava rock/akadama/pumice stone/molar clay, you can create a healthy and well-draining soil for your bonsai plants.
📹 White Mold on top of soil on houseplants and is it Harmful ?
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How do you make cheap bonsai soil?
Bonsai soil is crucial for the health and vigor of your tree. Poor or normal garden soil can lead to unhealthy trees and difficulty in proper watering. To ensure a good soil mix, it must have several qualities, including organic or inorganic components. Organic soil components, such as peat, leaf litter, or bark, can break down over time and reduce drainage. Some organic components deteriorate at varying speeds, making it difficult to determine how quickly they become harmful.
If you prefer an organic soil mix, pine bark is recommended. Potting composts absorb water poorly once they are completely dry, which can be a problem for cheap indoor Bonsai trees. To avoid this, choose a mixture that uses pine bark instead.
How long does bonsai soil last?
Akadama, a popular bonsai soil, requires regular repotting and should be used in a mix with well-draining soil components. The quality of soil directly affects the health and vigor of the tree, as unhealthy trees are often planted in poor or normal garden soil. To ensure a good soil mix for bonsai, it must have several qualities, including organic or inorganic components. Organic soil components, such as peat, leaf litter, or bark, can break down over time and reduce drainage.
Some organic components deteriorate at varying speeds, making it difficult to determine how quickly they become harmful. If using an organic soil mix, pine bark is recommended. Potting composts absorb water poorly once they are completely dry, which is a major issue for cheap indoor bonsai trees purchased at garden centers. This can lead to water running past the soil into the bottom of the pot, causing the tree to appear watered but not actually being watered.
What is bonsai soil made of?
Bonsai soil mixtures consist of Akadama, Pumice, Lava rock, organic potting compost, and fine gravel. The recommended mixtures for different tree species include two main ones for deciduous or coniferous trees: Akadama for water retention, Pumice for good substrate structure, and Lava rock for aeration and drainage. Both mixtures can be adapted to your circumstances and location. For increased water retention, add more Akadama or organic potting compost, while for wet climates, add more lava rock or grit to enhance the mixture’s draining qualities. Check the Tree species guide for the optimum mixture for your specific tree species.
Is bonsai plant good for indoor?
Bonsai plants should be placed outdoors in the four natural seasons, while only tropical and subtropical plants can survive indoors with high and stable temperatures. The Ficus Bonsai is the most common and easy-to-care-for indoor Bonsai, as it is tolerant of low humidity and resilient. Other popular indoor Bonsai include Dwarf jade, Fukien tea, Hawaiian umbrella, and Sweet plum. However, temperate and nontropical Bonsai cannot be kept indoors due to their need for dormancy in winter, which ends the yearly growth cycle and prepares for the next cycle in early spring. Tropical and subtropical trees do not need this period of dormancy, making them suitable for indoor cultivation. Proper care and selection of these trees can ensure their success indoors.
What is the best soil for succulents indoors?
Succulents, drought-tolerant plants, require well-draining, porous soil with a lower organic matter content than traditional indoor soil mixes. A loose, grainy soil mixture with sand, perlite, or pumice is ideal. Succulents thrive in desert conditions with sandy, low nitrogen, and rocky soil. To grow them, mimic these conditions. Pre-made soil mixes designed for succulents are easy to find or make yourself. Understanding the difference between succulent soil and regular indoor potting mixes can help create the perfect potting mix for your indoor succulents.
Succulents, including Echeveria, aloe vera, jade plants, Euphorbia, and Haworthia, are plants with thick, water-storing leaves and stems that thrive in arid climates or soil. Overwatering them can be tempting, but understanding the difference between these soil types can help create the perfect potting mix for your indoor succulents.
Can I use houseplant soil for bonsai?
Bonsai can be planted in regular potting soil during the development stage, as it helps retain moisture, nutrients, and heat, promoting a strong root system and faster growth. However, it is recommended to supplement this with perlite or pumice to ensure proper drainage.
Organic soils can cause issues for trees in the refinement stage due to the changing pot and tree goals. In development, dense organic soil is beneficial for strong growth, as it holds heat and reduces oxygen, resulting in thicker root growth and thicker top growth. However, in a bonsai pot, the shallow pot with minimal gravity column makes it harder for soils to drain. To address this, a more free-draining and oxygen-rich soil is needed, which can help grow smaller roots and smaller leaves.
In summary, regular potting mix can be used with bonsai in the development or growing phase in a growing container. However, for refinement, it is essential to use more free-draining and oxygen-rich soils. Repotting bonsai with substrates like Akadama, Pumice, and Lava Rock can provide more drainage and better nutrient control, reducing the chances of root rot and excessive growth, which can ruin the design.
Can bonsai fertilizer be used on other plants?
Fertilizer is an essential source of basic nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals found in healthy soil. It breaks down in the soil, either through water or microbial action, releasing nutrients in a form that plant roots can absorb. Nitrogen is used for leaf production, phosphorus for root and flower production, and potassium for flower production and general vigor. General purpose fertilizers are balanced, containing all three major nutrients found in a healthy soil.
They are suitable for lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetable gardens without special soil problems. Special purpose fertilizers are unbalanced, featuring a greater proportion of one or other major nutrients or special trace minerals or enzymes that suit specific situations or bonsai.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are indicated on fertilizer labels, with nitrogen affecting the plant’s color green, phosphorus for root system maintenance, and potassium for plant vitality. It is important to follow the directions on the fertilizer and use specialized bonsai fertilizer when possible to maintain its health.
Can I use bonsai soil for my succulents?
The suitability of bonsai soil for the cultivation of succulents is attributable to its capacity for optimal drainage. It is possible to cultivate succulents in gravel containers or dishes. In order to protect the soil from extreme conditions, such as heat or frost, mulching is recommended. Both bonsai soil and gravel are suitable for indoor cultivation, and it is of the utmost importance to provide the requisite care for optimal growth.
Is bonsai soil ok for orchids?
The author found that bonsai soil, which includes 1/3 lava, 1/3 pumice, and 1/3 akadama, produced healthy orchids. Medium-sized pumice with moss mixed in did well, and the potting soil performed well, although the color was off. They planted Habaneria radiata crane orchids in different soil mixes to see how they worked for propagation purposes. Some options, like akadama, didn’t perform as well as expected, while decomposed granite worked well. After growing the orchids for four months, the surprises suggest more about the environment in which the orchids grew than the overall effectiveness of a given planting medium.
Does bonsai soil have fertilizer?
Indoor-grown trees are fertilized until early fall, while trees in development are fertilized year-round to ensure robust and healthy growth. In such cases, additional fertilizer applications may be necessary.
Do you reuse bonsai soil?
Potting soil, including peat moss, is a reusable material made from the organic remains of decayed plants from peat bogs. It retains water and organic nutrients without turning to muck and is easy to mine, making it cheap. The commercial plant trade relies on peat, and most houseplants have touched it at some point. Peat is a dense, organic layer made of plant matter compressed over thousands of years, and can preserve pre-historic human remains. It is a fossil soil, as it is carbon-rich and can be used as fuel.
Peat bogs account for three of the Earth’s landmass and sequester more carbon than all of our forests combined. However, peat moss is not as valuable as a pile of bones, and it is often strip-mined from bogs, leaving barren soil and poisoned air. It is crucial to protect this precious earth resource and avoid the casual mining of peat moss, which can lead to barren soil and poisoned air.
📹 How to Reuse Old Potting Soil for New Plants Instantly and Save Money on Potting Mix
A quick DIY guide on how to reuse and rejuvenate old potting mix, to use for new organic planting right away, Save money on …
Funny, my teenager is studying various molds in science and recognized the fluffy white mass on my Mediterranean herb seedlings! I had no clue what she was talking about until I watched your article! Now I’ll let them sit in the sun and grow before I remove the fungus and pot them! You literally saved me weeks of work and tears!
Thank you so much! My wife and I were panicking because of the white mold, she recently put her plant to a bigger pot and changed the soil, she got the soil from the garden. After the white mold happened, we were researching if we needed to use some kind of fungicide. Then we saw your article and we are relieved. She did overwater the plant and that seems to be the problem. We will let it dry a bit. Thank you again for the awesome tip
You have put my mind at ease with this article! I was sad to see that my brand new baby palm tree was developing mold! I was sad to see it, because I assumed that it was not salvageable!😅 What a relief to know that it’s just a type of harmless fungus. I appreciate you taking the time to create this article for all of us who may be inexperienced. Love to you and your plants from Grand Rapids, Michigan USA❤
I had an outbreak of mold on every single one of my plants right when it was about the first month of Summer and I’m using neem oil and it hasn’t got rid of it so now I’m trying cinnamon. It has not gotten onto the plants themselves yet but I heard that mold can compete for nutrients in the soil. I don’t think my plants are very happy being in moldy soil either. I love this article thank you.
Thanks for this! I was also freaking out about my gorgeous Moonflower plant. It was doing so well when this white mold sprung up on its soil! I was worried I really hope I didn’t hurt it when I scooped out about 2 inches of soil and replaced it with fresh mix. Then treated with a fungicide. I just know plants can be testy when messed with. She’s a gorgeous plant!
We overwatered our peace lily I have put it back on the windowsill and stuck a few pieces of cardboard (used egg packaging although I recommend avoiding ink as it can be toxic) into the soil to draw the moisture away Someone else suggested diluting baking soda with water which is what I did. I have previously scraped off mold Some of it came back We’ll see tomorrow if it makes any difference Love your energy!
Fungus & plants (Inc trees) often work together to provide each other nutrients that they can’t get independently. The fungus can also connect trees so that trees share nutrients between themselves or support the younger trees. I think I first came across that in “what plants think” documentary on yt. But you can Google it too. Only issue is, some molds do produce toxins that aren’t the best to breathe in, so be sensible.
Got some bad news for you as like any other molds around your house this mold also releases spores which are not very good for your lungs. Just get rid of it by spraying/watering a solution made with equal parts of water and Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). This will also help your plant to absorb nutrients more easily.
Thank you! I was concerned, because I have gardenias that I bought with a PH problem in the soil, and they had yellow leaves as a result… So I got the PH corrected, and was trying to be careful not to overwater it… but then I had just watered my plants when we had a rainstorm, and I was vacillating back and forth for a few minutes as to whether I should bring the plants under the eaves to protect them or whether the soil would drain. By the time I made up my mind to bring them under the eaves, it had already gotten the soil a bit too wet. I then had to bring them inside because they said we would have gusty winds, hail etc (which didn’t show up in our area) and it was cooler inside. So I guess the combination of the soil being a bit too wet and the cooler temps (70’s) without the sun caused the mold to grow on the top of the plants. The mold was not as white as yours, but I believe it was a common soil mold based on what you said about it. All the right combination of things that happened was there. That makes me feel a LOT better and to worry less. I am sure now that my plants will recover. They didn’t wilt, so I don’t believe the overwatering got to the point where the plant could not uptake water to it’s leaves. So hopefully this situation with the yellow leaves will resolve as I keep the soil moist but not soggy, and keep the PH at the right level. Thank you again for the article, because I sure did not need one more thing to worry about with these gardenias! <3
This was 4 years ago but it’s still very helpful to me as a 15 year old who started potting inside my house also I did see the mold growing but I was paranoid so I just kept watering it and that’s most likely why mine had grown bigger it’s almost touching my plant and I was scared but than I went and watched this article and realized I’ve been overwatering it and that the soil I have chosen for my Venus fly trap is honestly really bad so I will be buying new stuff for it and stop over watering 🙂
I’m not looking to commit to house plants but I recently got some habanero seeds and planted them This mold has grown on the soil before the seeds even sprouted and it really scared me, went to Google and got all the ‘this will kill your plants’ articles So glad I came here, calmed my nerves and potentially helped me out in future! Thank you! :DD
I am so glad I came across your article! When I noticed the white film on my soil, the first instinct that I had was precisely to scrape it off! But then I went to the internet and just like you said, I found many articles online that crept me out— I should have followed my intuition! Thank you so much, your article brought me peace!
Thanks for the great article! I have a small container garden (vegetables) in my backyard, southern exposure, lots of direct sunlight, warm days and cool nights. We have been having a great deal of rainfall with chance of hail over the past few days with overnight temperatures just above freezing, so I moved my garden into the garage for safekeeping. After 2 days and 3 nights, we finally have a beautiful sunny day and the garden has been moved back outside. I noticed some little fuzzy white tufts of fungus on the soil, and I had a bit of a panic that all my plants were in danger. Your article really made me feel better! I’m going to see if the warm sun drying out the soil is enough to put the fungus to rest; if not, I’ll brush off the soil and maybe sprinkle a bit of cinnamon if we get more heavy rainfall warnings over the next few weeks.
every plant in my seed dome molded heavily, beyond fixing, mold growing on seeds as well as the starter pods, had to chuck that, but when i noticed mold in my potted plants next to the dome i removed the visible mold and then sprinkled a heavy layer of cinnamon and now letting the pots dry out, will not be watering for another two days at least.. i hope this works.. thanks for the information, im a lot less worried now, i have a track record of over watering and have had thrips, white flies, and even wild mushrooms growing in my garden . i will make sure to water less and let the soil dry more from now on.
My carnivorous plants have this mold on their soil. As you mentioned, it doesn’t look attractive, and that’s what I’m worried about. It’s awkward having to explain to people that it’s safe. Especially since they’re people that can’t keep an indoor plant alive to be able to witness this stage. As a person that has 30 plants in my office, 20 being différent species. I notice the mold with plants like pothos that require moist soil after needing water when the top soil is dry and the bottom soil 25% wet. The mold appears and then “dies” out until the next watering. What can I do to stop the mold from coming back on my carnivorous plants’ soil? It’s tricky because their soil always has to stay wet by keeping the base of their pots in 1/3 in of water., The this is that it’s not even soil it’s perlite and spagnum moss.
Great article, very educational, i started growing hot pepper plants, and started them in little paper cups, and it started getting white fuzz, was little scared because of the money i invested and time. Plus they are in my green house and got a fan because i was worried maybe it was the moisture causing mildue or mold. Thank you for the tips and tricks!
I had it in my plant for three years and the plant was very beautiful. One day, I changed the plant to a bigger pot and it stopped and the mould never came back, might because I covered it with new soil. To be honest, this plant is not beautiful as before might be for many reasons but surely the white mould was not harmful.
Thank you for the article! I was a bit worried, I have some tropical seeds that I’ve probably been keeping a bit too moist out of worry that they might dry out and die, and the soil has started getting the white fuzzies even after treating with some fungicide. Good to know it’s fine even if I can’t get it to go away.
I had the opposite experience. Two full sets of herb seedlings germinated months apart as well a rosemary plant I purchased from a hardware store (and the rosemary sprigs we salvaged and attempted to dry) all got this awful white mold on them and died. Every single article I found said the white mold was nothing to worry about, and that was obviously incorrect. Thanks to your article, I at least know that the soil mold and the plant mold are two different things. I don’t really know where to start, as I am very much not a plant person, but I wanted to try growing fresh herbs last year. 🙁
As someone who has no clue about succulents and is trying to learn to take care for mine, thank you for this i began to panic about this. It definitely was the overwatering because it rained more than I thought it would this winter and my succulent got super overwatered bc I kept it outside for maximum sun haha
I lost plant. But it was because it has been raining alot and I had a passion tree plant that went crazy and block out sunlight. I don’t think the mould is dangerous. It’s just an indication that there’s too much water. More likely it’s the water that’s killing it. I lost a bunch of plants because I was slow to respond. But things are fix. I just need to aerate the soil, don’t water that specific area and trim my passion tree.
This really helped. I got my first two succulents almost a month ago, and I’ve been very diligent about not watering them too much. I’ve only watered them twice in the last 4 weeks. I try to keep them in the light as much as possible, direct sun when the weather’s good, but I just noticed the mold today on my Purple Nurnberg, but not my Blue Bird. I think it’s because we’ve been having so much rain where I live right now that the humidity is getting crazy. I’ll try to put them in some light and hold off watering for another 1.5 weeks to see if that helps.
I wanted to mention that I’m very jealous of all of your plants and the time that you have owned all of them I live in the southern part of the U.S. I don’t have a greenhouse so it’s hard to control humidity and I constantly kill stuff but I have a lot of things that are hard to keep alive still alive so I guess I’m doing okay.. I was wondering if you are planning on repotting the coleus and if so have you thought about lowering the top of your root ball and creating nabari buy adding some sort of a moss on top … therefore springtails and other sorts of Critters can live in your soil and it will help prevent the mold growth and water
Thanks for the info! I appreciate a lot the info, because I saw this on my azaleas after sprinkling some coffee on the soil and panicked, and yes, the articles I saw talking about this is about “how to prepare an organic fungicide”. The bad news is that one of my azaleas started to wilt, and I thought it was the mould, repotted it and it ended up dieing, but I now realized that the roots were rotten, and now thanks to you I realize that precisely, the apparition of the mould was kind of a red flag of the overwatering. In fact the other azalea still has the mould but as it looks OK i didn’t do anything different but remove the upper layer and sprayed a little cinnamon tea as I saw in another article :p thanks again!!
Thank ya young lady, I had some random patches show up in my garden this morning after increasing the water amount for the last few days. I live in a moderate forested country area, and am used to all different types of fungi and its symbiosis with the rest of the plant life. However it’s rare to see the color White with fungus on the soil and of course ran to grab my hydrogen peroxide, then decided to do some research. Thanks for your input!
Hi. Great article. Does this kind of fungus cause the fruit fly looking fungus bugs? I’ve seen articles on how to get rid of them (fungus gnats?) during my search but haven’t watched any of them yet. I’ve got this fungus on the soil of a couple of plants and lots of fruit flies. They also love my orchids bark, along with mealy bugs on the orchid leaves. I’ve only had house plants for a short time. Any tips, links or titles of articles you’ve done and recommend would be great. Thanks!
Hello there, I don’t know what & why…. but I have a thing for Irish & Scottish accent and the people. May be because my physiotherapist was an Irish lady & super lovely person. Love your accent, articles & the way you end your articles. Sending you loads of love, heaps of happiness & tons n tons of plant power.
Thank you so much.I had a dream last night and a lady, told me and also took my plant out to the trash’ saying this is toxic. When I woke I searched, and you said I dont have to get rid of it. Iam glad I saw you, I was going to follow the dream and get rid of it this morning it is growing so well. Thanks again for this article. NOW I KNOW NOT TO OVER WATER.
Thank you for this article. You are absolutely right about people trying to sell fungicides. I got into a panic thinking I’ve got an enormous picture window and my Philodendron is right there in front of it. It definitely makes sense that it’s too much water. Because I always think philodendrons need more water since you can root them in water ☺️. Yet my other plants near the same window that I don’t water is frequently do not have this problem. And they all have the same soil. At first I even thought the soil I bought was bad.
I’m a fairly new plant love and I just added a Chinese Money Plant to my collection then realized the next day that there was fungus on it. It was at the bottom of the plant and is on the soil- looks like it’s sticking to the roots as well. So just whipping it off will fix the problem? Thank you! 🙂 I’ve been wanting this plant for so long and I’m just so worried about it!
Great article, you’ve made me relief❤. We need such people like you that speak honestly. I plant mint. I’ve a question, does this mold harmless to eat ? I mean if the plant will take that mold into itself or i dropped the mint cutting into it for some time. (I watch the whole article but if you said already that it’s not harmless to eat (i know that you said that it’s not harmful for the plant but what about people) IDK because English isn’t my first language)
Thanks for your article! I have some Coleus Forskohlii plants that lost all of their leaves from a cold snap, then put them in a greenhouse. The leaves turned ragged and I removed them. Then it started to have this white fungus grow on them and the soil. I got rid of it by spraying 3% hydrogen peroxide mixed equally with water on them. Do you think my coleus will survive and regrow in the spring?
most of the time this will happen when you place an organic, non liquid fert on the top of the soil without spreading it into the top inch or so. its not harmful at all but it actually may help the plant.if you don’t like it you can pick up a small bottle of sulphur and mix it into a bottle with water and spray.
I asked you for advice a while back about how to treat scale on one of my mammillaria cacti with long spines. I think that I was wrong. I am pretty certain this isn’t scale. I’ve done some research online, and it looks like these spots are most likely some type of fungal spot infection. After spraying my cactus, I couldn’t even scrape these spots off, much less remove them with water. Have you ever seen fungal spots that look tan with a darker spot in the middle, sometimes even an actual hole in the middle? If so, can you advise me as to what type of fungus this may be, and the best way to treat it? I purchased some Copper fungicide spray. But, I haven’t used it yet. So far these spots are just a few, but I think in due time it could seriously I wr take my cactus. I’d appreciate any help you have to offer, Lyn. Thank you for taking the time to read my comment. (Or shall I say, plea for help! Lol). Bennie
By the way when you repot a plant in another pot or in the ground the original soil level should not be sticking out indiscernible like it is with your coleus. The only reason to do that is if you want it to dry out faster because when it’s above the soil line and everything isn’t even that acts like a wick. By the way thanks for the article
So glad I watched this. I was reading a blog that was like omg throw it out!!! I’ve been noticing a whiteness on the soil of my mini rose plant which I keep in the laundry room window since that’s where it gets the best sun. I just watered my rose since it was looking a bit droopy. I’ll check it in a few hours and see if I can give the soil a good rub.
Thank you. I just bought my first indoor plant (ginseng fictus) and I saw the white stuff growing. I water it every four days with two glasses of water. It is placed by the bright window. Its leaves curl but at least they dont turn yellow and fall off anymore. I think I’m still doing it wrong since many of the leaves are curly. Any suggestion? Thank you!
Mine all were doing this because I was recycling water from all our 9 Parrots, realizing too I hadn’t fed the plants in a while I know it keeps them under control from such nastiness. In a gallon of warm water- 4 tsp instant tea, 1/10 tsp. 15-30-15 fertilizer, 1/2 tsp ammonia, 1/2 tsp. liquid dish soap in, Label it! this recipe from my Jerry Baker books- it works! And keeps this from happening if you do on a regular basis- and be careful handling ammonia. it is Strong.
Thank you so much for this article! I recently bought 4 new plants and in a few days (without me watering them or anything) they all developed that white mold. I scraped it off, but I’m especially worried because in one of them, I also saw that white mold on the roots at the base of the pot 🙁 Somebody help!
Thanks for the article, it’s mostly reassured me although I have an elephant ear plant that I have recently repotted in a well draining soil mix and have barely watered it (because I had fungus gnats) and that’s gone all droopy but has this mould as well. The soil is bone dry – could it be another issue?
I just had repotted 5 house plants a week ago into larger pots with new soil. Suddenly on one pot there is this white fuzzy mold growing on the surface of the ground. And two other pots have the white fuzzy mold on the OUTSIDE of the pots – they are clay pots. They are right by the window and they get what light there is available but the windows face north and it is going into autumn. They are tropical plants so need water. I never had this problem before. Had these plants for two summers now and watering the way I always did. It must be the soil I bought?? What does white fuzzy mold on the outside of a pot mean? In these pots there is none on the soil. I have to have these plants in heavy pots as the one plant is top heavy & otherwise it will fall onto the floor! Its a syngorium. I generally water twice a week, more in winter as the air in my apartment gets incredibly DRY. I never had clay pots before so unfamiliar with them.
Everyone talking about how to get rid of the mold but no one talking about how it’s actually BENEFICIAL to your plants because they (fungus) are breaking down organic elements in the soil to make the most readily available plant food that there is. Look up organic gardening. You will never go back to chemicals, because nature is POWER.
Thank you for this article! I’ll try just scraping it off and leaving it alone and watering it less. I found a bunch of mold and tan coloration in my bag of potting mix. How do you keep potting mix from molding? Do you seal the bag or put it in a different container? Also, when I have this dusting of mold, I normally have little small brown creepy crawlers. Do you get those? Are those okay or not? Thanks for your expertise!
Not sure if you’ll know, but not sure who to ask, and surprisingly I’m not seeing any articles addressing it. I have a little bonsai privet which is potted with moss, and if I don’t water twice a day, the moss seems to want to die, but now that I AM watering that much, I seem to be getting slime mold, which is also killing my moss. 😣 Not sure what to do about it.
A coffee plant I forgot to water for 2 weeks.. Is dying but has TONS AND TONS of white fungus. All the soul I have in doors is very dry.. But all planers I keep in living room or kitchen (eg herbs) are ALL this white mold stuff.. And die….. I’ve lost 60% of my plants! Defo not too damp in my overheated 30oC flat! (watered 2 times a month at most) Edit: I can’t grow rosemary anymore. As the fugus spreads from soil to the plant and after a week.. There’s more fugus then plant. (i never reuse soil and all soil is miraclegrow compost from the shops)
Please can u help me I’ve recently put bio char granules on the top of all my houseplants worked it into the top layer slightly and watered after about a week my house has started to smell bad I just couldn’t understand where it was coming from then I looked at the soil and it had mould on it and that is where the musty damp horrible smell was coming from I’ve sprinkled cinnamon and activated charcoal on them but they still have this smell it’s nasty and embarrassing so u think it will ever go or do I have to throw my plants out!!!!!!! ☹️☹️☹️☹️ hope to hear from u soon x
Ok well I dont manage to brush it off at all… its too hard! The soil has retracted from the side of the pot and Ive got lots of mini flies that seem to have nest on the sides.. just gross… do I need to replant the plant in new soil? Also I have my plant in my bedroom… what about fungus spores?!? Dont want to get asthma from it…
A few months ago, I emptied my expensive living soil into a storage container, few days later I noticed this mold, at the time I didn’t know what it was so I threw about 40kg of it in the bin 😂 if I had known this back then I definitely wouldn’t have done it, won’t be making that mistake again, embrace the mold!
3 parts water, one part hydrogen peroxide, shake it up and then water your plant with it. You can do equal parts to if it’s real bad. This mixture also is good for the roots of the plant. Doing this also kills any fungus gnat larvae. If you use this method to get rid of fungus gnat larvae water your plant like three times with a hydrogen peroxide mixture, when the plant needs to be watered. After doing that a few times you won’t see any more movement in the soil. And from that point forward always water your plants with mosquito bits!!! This is how I deal with white mold or pest problems and it’s been working out perfectly for me! I also put cinnamon on top of all my plants soil. That’s also a preventative measure for pests.
What I do is at the end of the season I dump all my potting soil into a giant bin and put some composting worms in there. I then feed them all my food scraps over winter and they put nutrients back in the potting soil. Then in the spring I throw in some slow release fertilizer and rock dust and voila!
Deep dark composts are full of nutrition, but buying them from the garden center is a little expensive, so I prefer to make my own compost. Simply leave the dead vines, branches, and leaves in the raised beds during the winter and when the temperature warms up, they should become nice and fresh compost. LOL
I’ve been using the same soil in the same pots for 10+ years for tomatoes. I break up the soil and add a cup of 10-10-10 into the planting hole area. Then fertilize 1/2 strength miracle grow for tomatoes after a few weeks and continue fertilizer through summer. My tomatoes do very well, currently 4’-5’ tall. So yes you can reuse old potting soil.
Great article. I guess I’ve been doing it right..?! Once the rootball and most roots are out, I add 1-2 gallon of Worm Castings, and 2 gallons of Perlite, along with some BAS Craft Blend plant food, Insect Frass, and Dolomite lime, per 10 gallons of reused Peat/Coco/Perlite soilless mix. Then re-amend the same way as above. Saving money, and having better soil each run, is what most will experience, from all I’ve learned.👍
Nice article. I just add my old potting soil to our composter, we have a tumbler type. I add it a bit at a time, usually when the compost is almost ready to use. I do use your basic method when replanting our GreenStalk. I just remove old roots and maybe the first inch or so of soil to the composter, and add chicken manure pellets and a bit of fresh potting soil. Cheers
Had a giant bucket i used for a small plant that eventually took over the whole bucket. Sometime later, when i needed that soil the roots were all mixed in. But the bug diversity was somehow on point, maybe from the draining holes id made. But still rolly pollies should be a beneficial bug for the soil right?
I’m clueless on all things gardening and need some help. I have a couple bags of topsoil still sealed and one opened but still half is in the bag. I have these all together in the bags in a plastic bin with lid on my back porch. I’m in the Southeast so it’s starting to get warmer now. I use the soil and mix it with other stuff for my reptile terrariums and add isopods to my terrariums. Should I open the soil up and let it breath…will mold grow? Should I add anything to it? I’m so lost. Thanks 🙂
I guess its a topic for a vid… but who gardens or farms, for that matter… that doesn’t refresh their soil. potting soil is no different. Sometimes I use compost or put the old potting soil in my compost for later or just steer manure, lots of ways. I one time used the same potting soil in a 5 gal bucket for 3 years for my cayenne peppers. they did just fine – So hot and delicious.
Premium products demand premium prices. At Nature’s Way Resources leaf mold compost, 1 bag = 1 cu.ft = $15 {screened fine} OR $10.80 {screen coarse}. The Kellogg Fruit Flower and Vegetable Organic Garden Soil 3 cu.ft {$11.45} is currently out of stock at Home Depot and Lowes, but the 2 cu. ft {$8.97} is available. Now, for those who have are on a tight budget, would the The Kellogg Fruit Flower and Vegetable Organic Garden Soil 2 cu.ft have the same results in production on your website instead of buy the premium products?
I loved your article, I am just a bit confused about the part where you say organic fertilizer “with calcium”. It’s nightime here, SO, maybe my ferts, (as in the slow release kind) that are in my greenhouse DO contain calcium, BUT, I am not sure, and I don’t like to go outside in the dark here since we have bears and coyotes. SO, IF maybe they do NOT contain calcium, I DO have some lime, and also a sort of soil additive that has calcium AND sulfer in it for adding calcium to soil that a person does NOT want to be alkaline, since adding LIME can make the PH of the soil you add it to become more alkaline. Sorry that I can’t just go out and look at the bags of my soil ammendments right now, but, bears….etc. I also DO have a marine based organic fertilizer and MAYBE it has a good bit of calcium from the shells of sea creatures? ANYHOW, can you maybe tell me a type of calcium rich fert? I will be growing tomatoes in my “newly replenished” soil btw. I do hope it’s something I already have since even in winter, I’d been buying soil ammendments galore. Well, I guess that’s my problem, BUT, maybe give me a suggestion of a high calcium soil ammendment that won’t affect PH? Maybe I’m asking for the impossible?