Let's talk about my Hoya compacta. It is in a 6inch pot, in the same mix that it came in from the nursery (which normally I change, because it tends to rot my plants over time). Although it is mostly a peat based mix, I have not had too many problems. It goes through water quite quickly because it is nearly potbound. I also have a severe under watering problem, as mentioned before, so I am doubting that the mold was caused by moisture, but what do I know?
Last week when I took it down to be watered, I noticed there was white mold growing on top of the soil. I flushed it well (it was pretty dry at this time), but when I watered it again tonight, there was more mold. Not as much, but enough just the same.
Well somewhere on the world wide web I read that cinnamon has anti fungal properties......so I gave my hoya a cinnamon dunk (I just hope the mold is fungal in nature). I sprinkled cinnamon on all the soil, and then flushed out the soil again. When that was done, I sprinkled some more cinnamon on only the mold, and hung it back up in it's place. It has been recommended to me that I re pot it with a more loose draining mix, but I really don't want to mess with roots right now, as it root bound enough to flower, but not so root bound that it won't take up water.
If by next week when I water, there is mold again, I am going to have re pot it in to my own mix. I am hoping the cinnamon works, since re potting, and combing through the roots to remove the old soil, is a time consuming task, and I always tend to break plants when I do this.
Wish me luck, and like I said, if the cinnamon doesn't kill the hoya, it will only make it stronger.
**Update** 20 days later, it needs water again. NO MOLD!! It worked. Cinnamon to kill mold, fungi, whatever it was. (Cappuccino cinnamon to be exact...lol).
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
What doesn't kill it will only make it stronger!?!
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4 comments:
Thanks so much for sharing this. I've got similar mold on my Devil Ivy's roots in semi hydroculture pot. I'll see if that will treat it.
I've noticed similar species of mold in some of my pots, but I didn't treat it. Most of then are decomposing the organic material of the soil, and later it will be used by the plants. The most of the soil molds are not bad for the plants. They helps to kill soil nemathoids too, so I do not kill them. Maybe you don't need to care about them.
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Obs.: I readed here that you like to see others blogs about plants :) Maybe you like mine, it is in portuguese (I'm brazilian), but I take some photos of suculents plants that I think its very nice :) The url is www.florestadesuculentas.com.br
I'd like very much your blog and the very close pics^^ Do you allow me to show same oh them when I talk about soil molds in my blog? Of course, I will say that the pics are yours and link you blog.
Just leave a coment on my blog saying that if you let use then, plz :)
Thanks :)
I will definetely check out your blog, thanks for the comments. I never found out what the mold was, but that hoya eventually died......seemed to rot from the roots up. So it could have had something to do with it being too wet.
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