moldy soil

I have my african violets in self watering pots and the proper potting mix. Several times in the past year I find the top of the potting mix to be white with.... probably mold. Is this harmful.....why does it happen and what can I do????
Much Thanks,
Donna

Hi Donna! Welcome to the AV forum! :o)

There are smarter people than I on this forum, but I can give you a bit of information to start with, and others will be along to offer more help.

Are you sure it's mold? Is it fuzzy? Can you post a picture? If it's mold, then it's probably caused by too much moisture, and perhaps too little air circulation. Do you keep water in the reservoir all the time, or let it go dry now and then?

Otherwise, if it's chalky-looking, it could be fertilizer salt buildup. Can you tell us about your fertilizing habits? Every so often, you need to flush the soil with plain water to wash away any fertilizer that is building up in the potting mix to prevent that buildup. Do you ever flush them like that?

I don't use self-watering pots, so I'm not a lot of help in that aspect. However, if you can provide answers to the questions I asked, they will help me and the others on this forum to better advise you.

I do hope we'll see you around our little forum more often now that you've found us! :o)

I flush my pots every month or so in the kitchen sink with water running through them..........then of course they are very wet and heavy.............so I put lots of paper towels several thicknesses thick...................let them just sit a few hours......................and then I wouldn't put them back in the reservoirs for at least a day............

Also, how often do you repot and use fresh mix...............i try to repot at least every 4 months.......................if you continue to have moldy soil, the plants are getting too much water..........or change the mix..........for example..............for african violets I use 1/2 perlite and 1/2 african soil-less mix.................sometimes I even add a little vermiculite but only half as much as each of the others..................or not even that much vermiculite.............

soil=less means you are not using Miracle Grow potting soil............you can find Schutlz African violet mix and add the perlite to it half and half...........or you can find the Miracle Grow african violet soil-less mix...................

good luck............maybe someone else will pipe in and help you.............I am still a newbie myself

*************edited to say sorry no one else has come along..........gets mighty quiet on the weekend.........also you can safe use 1/4 tsp of Physan to your gallon of water and fertilizer............it won't treat anything but you at least won't have to look at algae in the water............
and I sometimes use Marathon granules if I feel like i might be getting root rot.............

This message was edited Aug 24, 2007 8:29 PM

Thanks to you all...after reading your reply...I'm thinking it is the fertilizer. I do keep water in the pots all the time and I use schultz to fert each time I fill the pots. I have never flushed the pots but do repot about three times a year due to growth. They grow rapidly and I get lots of blooms but was concerened about the white stuff on top of the soil. I will take all the great ideas presented to me.
Thanks Again to All....
Donna

flush flush flush through with clear water (laughing out loud)

I bought 2 new bags of the Miracle grow African Violet potting mix and when I opened them up they both had what looked like clumps of white mold in them.I didn't want to bring mold in my house;so I didn't use the mix. I'm wondering why it came in the bags like that?? Is it possible that this is just something that is supposed to be in African Violet mix and just looks like mold?? These were the first bags of AV mix that I have ever bought so----not sure what is going on.The bags were stored in an outside metal storage building for about a week and a half before I opened them. Is it maybe because they got too hot in there??

They somehow got wet..................but you did have some choices........did you take it back and get your money back??????????? A lot of people bake their soil-less mix in the oven.............I don't so I can't tell you at what temp or for how long.............kills all bad possible things..............

no, I live too far from town. It would not be worth the trip to bring it back.Not to waste though, I dumped it in the garden:) Maybe the bags somehow got wet and then dried before I bought them. I know they did not get wet after I bought them.I want to try to grow some African Violets though.They are sooo pretty. Next trip to town I will try to find the Schultz brand of AV mix and see what kinda luck I have with it. Not sure I want to cook it in the oven though as I have my elderly dad And a pet Quaker in the house.
Thanks for your reply gessiegail--------Do you think it is mold? Would it have the fertilizer salt build up (as mentioned above) in an unopened bag??? It does say there is fertilizer in the mix.??

i have no idea what part of the country you live in and that makes a difference in the mix you make up................I don't bake anything but i do know that AV soil-less mix is too heavy for any part of the country without some perlite with it.....................

I don't know what happened to it.........but I do know that if soil is kept outside and not under cover it will ruin at Lowe's or anywhere else.................

I live in rural central Louisiana--zone 8b. So when I get the Schultz AV mix I will mix it with 1/2 perlite and hope I can grow a beautiful AV. Since I have never grown one before,I am wondering if a clay pot or a ceramic pot would be better. Any preference there??

I hate to be offering advice...............I wick all my african violets, but since this is your first and you have plenty of time to take care of it................I wouldn't use a clay pot.....just a plastic 4" pot you have around the house..............Then just take a bowl from the kitchen and let it sit in it in strong indirect light coming through window (you never want direct sun on a violet)...........................

When you do water your plant, just see how much water is absorbed in 15 minutes from the bottom always...........and then pour the remainder of the water in the sink................they grow best in plastic 4" pots...........then you take the plant out of its' existing pot, really get a toothpick or something sharp and try to loosen up and get rid of a lot of the soil the roots ar e wrapped in................it is kind of a signal to the plant to know it has permission to grow and spread its' roots in this new pot...........
good luck and come back for help anytime.........someone will try to help

Thanks-I usually grow cacti &some succlents:but have always admired the AV's. I always heard that they were hard to grow but I will see what kinda green thumb I have with them:)
I am glad to get the advice from someone who has experience growing them. It just feels more comfortable than reading "how to's" from a book. If it doesn't work out--it is not your fault:) Would you mind me asking how you wick them?? Loooooong story but I don't have as much time as may be thought. Good thing I like cacti---LOL

On a 4" pot I use # 36 string (polyester at Walmart)...............just stick the string down in the pot before you add soil and the plant (about 7") and it hangs out the bottom...........but if you do this, you have to have a reservoir of water and fertilizer that the string hangs in but not the plant............you can buy them from several vendors.......I think I have mainly the big white ones from a Place I can't remember. Go look under the stickys in the Av forum at the top and it gives places for supplies. They are 3.00 each and come with a 5" plastic pot............but that is too big for an av unless it is over 12" across in diameter......but the string will still hang down in the reservoir..........

If not, get a Philadelphia cream cheese container with the lid................cut a hole in the lid for the string to go through into the water.............the plant absorbs what it wants and needs...