Mold on soil on Plants

Symptoms

The first thing you notice is a yellow, mushroom-shaped growth that appears on the soil surface. The whole growth is yellow in color and resembles a mushroom. Each one has a slender yellow stalk that stands about two to three inches (5-8 cm) tall.

At the top of the stalk sits a cap, and the shape of that cap changes as the growth ages. When the growth is young, the cap is oval. With age, the cap becomes more bell-shaped. The surface of the cap is textured with scales or dots.

To compare what you see with this description, check the color, the stalk height, the cap shape and the cap surface in turn. A young growth with an oval cap and an older one with a bell-shaped cap can both match the description. Measure the stalk if you are unsure, because the description gives a height of about two to three inches (5-8 cm).

These features describe the growth as a whole: yellow color, mushroom shape, slender stalk and textured cap. Check the soil surface in the pot, since that is where the growth appears.

Causes

This growth is linked to four conditions, and the first is warm, humid growing conditions. It thrives in warm, humid environments. The second condition is soil that is kept too moist from overwatering. If the growths appear regularly, it is a sign that the soil is too moist and the plant is being overwatered.

The third condition is decaying organic matter, which is present in potting soil. The fourth is a disturbed environment, such as a greenhouse, a potted plant or an indoor terrarium. Potted plants appear on the list of disturbed environments, and potting soil appears on the list of places with decaying organic matter.

Overwatering is one of the causes named, alongside warmth, humidity and decaying organic matter. Read these four conditions as a checklist for your own pot: how warm and humid the air is, how moist the soil stays, what the potting soil contains and what kind of space the pot sits in. Warm and humid growing conditions are the first item on the list, and overwatering is the second.

Diagnosis

Start by checking what is growing on the soil surface. This problem shows up as a yellow, mushroom-shaped growth on the soil surface. Compare the stalk, which is slender, yellow and about two to three inches (5-8 cm) tall.

Then compare the cap, which is oval when young and bell-shaped with age. A cap with scales or dots on its surface fits the description. Take your time with the cap, since its shape depends on age: oval when young and more bell-shaped later. Write down the stalk height and the cap shape before you decide.

Next, check how often the growths return. If they appear regularly, it is a sign that the soil is too moist and the plant is being overwatered. Warm, humid air, decaying organic matter in the potting soil and a greenhouse or terrarium setting all appear among the causes.

Unlike a general care fault, this problem gives you a visible growth with a defined color, stalk and cap to check. When the growth matches and the conditions match, you are looking at the problem this page describes.

Treatments

The treatments on file for this problem are both cultural. The first is to avoid overwatering the plant. Soil that stays too moist favors this fungal growth, and avoiding overwatering is the preventative measure. Overwatering is the habit to change, since overly moist soil favors the growth.

The second is to physically remove the growth from the soil surface right away if small children or pets have access to the pot. Pets and small children are the reason given for removing it immediately. Removal is a physical step, done by taking the growth off the soil surface.

Both steps relate to the soil: one keeps it from staying too moist, and the other clears the growth from its surface. No organic or chemical treatment is documented for this problem.

Prevention

Prevention is about conditions, and these four are the ones named: warmth and humidity, moist soil, decaying organic matter and a disturbed environment. Avoid overwatering the plant, because soil that stays too moist favors this fungal growth. Warm, humid environments suit this growth. Check the warmth and humidity around the pot.

Decaying organic matter in potting soil is another condition that favors it. Greenhouses, potted plants and indoor terrariums are disturbed environments where the growth is found. If you grow in one of these settings, pay extra attention to watering.

Growths that return regularly are a sign that the soil is too moist and the plant is being overwatered. Cutting back on water is the preventative step the treatment facts name. Removing a growth right away is a separate step for homes with small children or pets.

Plants most often affected

No plant page in this build records this problem yet.