Is there a way to prevent that fungus or mold that shows up on the top of my houseplant's soil? I have been just removing that dirt. Is it bad for the plants or the air? Thanks,Tigerstail21
Is it definitely mold...as in spores or little mushroom like things growing? What colour is this growth? Fungus would normally only happen if the surface of the soil was too wet all the time, along with something for the fungus to eat like some organic fertilizer or component of the soil. I've never seen that indoors myself. There's also the whitish crust that appears from salt buildup, are you familiar with what that looks like? Glen
The salt crust happens because the dissolved minerals (salts of various kinds) in the potting mix aren't moving downward. Watering in small frequent doses rather than less often with plenty of water can cause this, or largish amounts of fertilizer, or both. You might want to try really drenching the soil once a month or so, allowing quite a bit of water to come out the drain holes. Then let the soil dry out fairly well before resuming watering as normal. The accumulating salt can harm some plants more than others, but it's safest to remove it in this way, called leaching.
