Moldy Soil, Please help!

Discussion in 'Soils, Fertilizers and Composting' started by charm, Sep 17, 2005.

  1. charm

    charm Member

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    Hello everyone
    Can anyone help?
    I have just recently repotted my indoor plant, and i put a little used coffee grinds in it. Then 2 days ago, it started to grow fungus on it. First it was like little tuffs of white clouds, and now there is another thing that looks like little tiny yellow balls on it. Is there anything that i can do to help my plant?
    Please help.
    Charm
     
  2. Newt

    Newt Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Hi Charm,

    Just scrape it off.

    Newt
     
  3. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    I don't know what plant you are growing, but the mold likes a moist environment, so if you can keep it on the dry side for a while, that would inhibit growth. Is it in bright sun?
     
  4. charm

    charm Member

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    thank you !

    I live in new york, so it is pretty humid. but maybe i am overwatering the plant. Although i have made it a point to water only once a week, maybe that is too much. On another note, if you have any other suggestions on what types of plants i can grow indoor to "junglize" the concrete jungle that i live in please do so..
    again
    thank you
    charm
     
  5. Carol Ja

    Carol Ja Active Member 10 Years

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    Is it the coffee grinds going mouldy, or the soil? What kind of indoor plant is it? I'd follow Erics advise, but I'm curious about the grinds.
    Carol Ja
     
  6. charm

    charm Member

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    Carol, i can't really tell if it is the coffee grind but i have a feeling that it might be. i will scrape it off, but i think that it is really weird that it is doing that because it doesn't usually do that..
    thanks
    charm
     
  7. Weekend Gardener

    Weekend Gardener Active Member 10 Years

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    My question would be "Does it matter?". Rot and decompostion is the normal cycle that organic materials go through. If you are going to add coffee grounds to the soil for the benefit of the plant, that plant will only be able to take advantage of the nutrient benefits if the coffee grounds breakdown. We are lucky that nature has provided us with the tools to do this - i.e. soil micro-organisms - and that includes fungi and yeast. If you don't llike the idea of the mold growing since it's an indoor plant, remove everything, including the coffee grounds. If you would like the plant to have the benefits of the coffee grounds, but don't fancy the ugly sight (I think it's wonderful myself) of the fungi and yeasts at work, then you can conceal it by mulching with a decorative mulch - some nice pebbles, may be some lava rock, even a bag of marbles.
     
  8. charm

    charm Member

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    Weekend Gardener,
    I don't mind the mold at all. I was just wondering if the mold will kill the plant. I have never seen this type of mold so i just wasn't sure. But if you think that it will turn into food for the plant( in a good way). next time i will try to just leave it and see what happens.
     
  9. Puddleton

    Puddleton Active Member 10 Years

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    I would be avoiding putting anything in your potted indoor plant pots. Although the risk is quite low, you have created a perfect environment for fungus gnats. As you're heading into winter, the larvae will happily devour thhe roots of your plant once the spent coffee grounds have decomposed. I would be sticking to standard practices when it comes to indoor plants. Apply controlled release fertiliser in spring and if you want to add anything organic, try seaweed extract. Coffee grounds will lower your ph level and have a high phosphorous content. By adding this kind of stuff you are probably making more work for yourself in the future.
    Suggested plants for indoor jungle are
    Ficus Benjamina
    Raphis excelsa,
    Howea forsteriana,
    Aspidistra elatior.
    Cheers
     
  10. Weekend Gardener

    Weekend Gardener Active Member 10 Years

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    By adding this kind of stuff you are probably making more work for yourself in the future.

    Jonathan makes a very important point here. Outdoors, we use all sorts of organic material - compost, leaf mulch, etc. But indoors, the preference should be to keep everything pristine. Even if the bugs are harmless to the plants, they can be a real annoyance and unbearing to live with.
     
  11. charm

    charm Member

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    thanks everyone!

    Thanks for the advivice, but i already mixed the weird fungus into the soil..i hope that it will not damage the the plant itself but it did not propigate new fungus on the top soil.. it has been about 2 weeks so i think it is okay..i hope..i will not mix anymore stuff into the plants..i think i was just over loving the plants..
    thank you for the names of some plants to grow indoors.

    also on a side note..i am wondering i am trying to grow fruit from seeds. Do i have to break the nectarine seed open or will it just grow on its own..i am trying also to grow apple and papaya.. .is this correct..i looked on other websites and i followed the directions on how to grow from seeds but they also told me that it will not necessarily grow from all seeds ..

    thanks again
    charm
     

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