Christmas cactus has mold - Ask Extension
My Christmas cactus that I've had for years is looking a little sickly. Not as plump as usual. Same watering/rotation schedule for the past 7-8 yrs. N...
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Christmas cactus has mold #220711
Asked November 17, 2014, 5:23 PM EST
My Christmas cactus that I've had for years is looking a little sickly. Not as plump as usual. Same watering/rotation schedule for the past 7-8 yrs. Now I see it has some white fuzz (mold?) growing it it's soil. Is this bad? Normal? What should I do?
Marion County Oregon
Expert Response
Hello,
Mold growing on the surface of potting media is typically cased by a saprophytic fungus which does not harm the plant. This typically occurs from too much water in the container. You can scrape off this top layer and replace it with fresh potting soil if you like. The best plan, however, is to reduce the frequency of watering your plant so that it dries out more before waterings.
It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but the other option is that there are a build up of salts on the surface. This can be caused by the fertilizer applied or water type. Again, this could be scraped off and new media added.
Thank you for using Ask an Expert!
Mold growing on the surface of potting media is typically cased by a saprophytic fungus which does not harm the plant. This typically occurs from too much water in the container. You can scrape off this top layer and replace it with fresh potting soil if you like. The best plan, however, is to reduce the frequency of watering your plant so that it dries out more before waterings.
It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but the other option is that there are a build up of salts on the surface. This can be caused by the fertilizer applied or water type. Again, this could be scraped off and new media added.
Thank you for using Ask an Expert!
