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What makes commercial soil moldy?
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Posted by chueh 7b GA (My Page) on Sat, Jul 4, 09 at 17:27
| I have had this kalanchoe plant for more than a year, after being repotted. It grew so well and big that I repotted it again. I used the same mixtures of potting soil, little cow manure, pearlite, little bone meal and cottonseed meal, and peat moss.
The plant was doing great for 3 month then starting withered. The leaves dramatically fall. The surface of the soil in the pot look white. Is it moldy? If it is, what caused it to be so. if it is not mold, what can it be, and how could I prevent it happening?
Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What makes commercial soil moldy?
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| Might be salts. If it looks and feels like mold, it is a mold or fungus (too wet soil). If it is dry and crusty, salt buildup. Dan |
RE: What makes commercial soil moldy?
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| Dan says it all :-) But I also think it is a bit of a stretch to call that combination of ingredients a "commercial soil". You may have started with a basic potting soil mix but the additives have taken it beyond that. I would also not use that combination for a tender succulent like kalanchoe - too moisture retentive/not enough drainage or aeration. Succulents prefer very lean and very fast draining soils. And kalanchoes like a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Skip the compost, peat moss and cottonseed meal - these are too heavy and too acidic. Ideally, I'd consider using a cactus mix. |
RE: What makes commercial soil moldy?
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| Should it be a mold that would be from overwatering since few of the soil fungi will grow well in soils that are not real wet. It might also be fertilizer salts if the soil has been overfertilized and overwatered. |
RE: What makes commercial soil moldy?
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| My wife grew a thick, fluffy, white mold on top of the soil in her African violet several years ago. I got rid of it and saved the plant by washing milk through the soil several times. I agree with gardengal. Cactus mix. The roots of certain plants can suck water out of rocks. Kalenchoe is one of them. If they get too much moisture, the roots will rot. |
RE: What makes commercial soil moldy?
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RE: What makes commercial soil moldy?
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I just opened up a bag of commercial potting soil and it had white mycelium running all though it, some of which had hardened into chunks.
It is going onto the brush pile in the woods. |
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