Preventing mold from house plants
October 16, 2009 6:26 PM Subscribe
Is there an easy way to keep mold spores from potted plants at bay?
It's getting cold, here in Ithaca, and we've brought our recently acquired house plants in from the porch. Shortly after that, I started coughing a lot. I think it's mold from the plants' soil. The coughing is worse if I hold one of the pots up to my face, so I'm pretty convinced that's the cause. I'm wondering what solutions there are, short of getting rid of the plants.
I've heard of sterilizing the soil, but that seems like a short-term solution: there's still a nice, moist environment for the mold to grow back into. I would trust it more if you could mix the soil with some kind of anti-fungal, like the one in krud kutter. Is that possible?
I've also heard of covering the soil with aquarium gravel. Does that really work? It seems like there would be plenty of interstices for the spores to escape through...
I've also thought about wrapping the pots in some kind of filter fabric, with holes for the plant stalks. Anyone ever tried something like that?
It's getting cold, here in Ithaca, and we've brought our recently acquired house plants in from the porch. Shortly after that, I started coughing a lot. I think it's mold from the plants' soil. The coughing is worse if I hold one of the pots up to my face, so I'm pretty convinced that's the cause. I'm wondering what solutions there are, short of getting rid of the plants.
I've heard of sterilizing the soil, but that seems like a short-term solution: there's still a nice, moist environment for the mold to grow back into. I would trust it more if you could mix the soil with some kind of anti-fungal, like the one in krud kutter. Is that possible?
I've also heard of covering the soil with aquarium gravel. Does that really work? It seems like there would be plenty of interstices for the spores to escape through...
I've also thought about wrapping the pots in some kind of filter fabric, with holes for the plant stalks. Anyone ever tried something like that?
Best answer: An easy, organic solution that my research greenhouse uses is to sprinkle cinnamon all over the soil. Natural anti-fungal.
posted by emyd at 8:32 PM on October 16, 2009
posted by emyd at 8:32 PM on October 16, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks, Salvor and emyd. I'll try the cinnamon first. Sounds very promising.
posted by Coventry at 10:04 AM on October 17, 2009
posted by Coventry at 10:04 AM on October 17, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
It isn't cheap, but it appears to be amazingly effective.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 8:26 PM on October 16, 2009