The white mold of indoor plants is a disease caused by the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum fungus, being widespread throughout the world. It is a serious problem for your plant so you should make sure you identify it as soon as possible. Find out in this article 6 methods to prevent and remove white mold on roots.
Symptoms of white mold
Symptoms of white mold infestation can occur as early as in the seedling phase. You can observe this phase on the base of the stalk. The lesions then become brown rotting areas that inevitably lead to the death of the seedlings.
In bigger plants, this fungus can be located on the wounded parts of the plant such as petals. Shortly after this, it will get to the parts that come in contact with the soil.
After this phase, symptoms begin to appear on the basal stem, at ground level and even higher. Affected areas grow slightly in size, gradually surrounding the entire stem. At the lesion level, the fluffy white mold can be easily observed, a characteristic symptom.
Also, another characteristic sign of white mold is the emergence of resistance developed at the site of infection.
Thus, at this point, the plant collapses, withers shortly and dies. If the white mold is not treated immediately, no further action can be taken. So it is important to take preventive and combative methods to preserve your plant.
The main condition causes for white mold
Now that we know how white mold develops, let’s see its causes. The source of white mold is found in the soil in the form of sclerotia. This, under very humid soil and temperatures between 8 and 16 degrees C will form ascospores. These, in turn, will release millions of ashes in the atmosphere for 2-3 weeks.
Once it comes into contact with the plant, it can invade it damaging healthy tissues. This will mostly happen if there is water on the leaves necessary for germination.
With this in mind, we can agree there are causes for concern. so, check your indoor plants and see if you find the symptoms of the mold. If you did, keep reading to see the proper methods to eliminate it.
6 methods to prevent and remove white mold on roots
1. Proper ventilation is necessary to avoid the formation and long maintenance of water on plant organs.
2. Watering should be done in the morning, never at night.
3. Also, you should resort to sprinkling rather than excessive watering.
4. Removal of plant debris.
5. Immediate removal of dead roots. Check your plant and eliminate any trace of mold.
6. You could also resort to nitrogen fertilization. However, you should be very careful because, if excessive, the tissues become highly susceptible to infection. On the other side, if insufficient, the tissues become ideal sources of nutrition for the fungus.
