White plaque based on flower pots- a problem that not only beginner gardeners encounter, but also experienced lovers of home oases. Plaque brings with it many troubles: the flower becomes sluggish, mold and rot appear, roots rot, midges begin to fly.

Many people believe that main reason a white coating on the ground is an excess of moisture, but this is not entirely true. Let's try to understand this problem and find out the reasons for the white coating on the ground in flower pots and how to remove it at home.

If a white or yellow coating has already formed on the surface, it means that the flower was flooded with hard water. Plaque is a limescale deposit that forms when it is watered with unsettled water. It is already becoming clear why a white coating appears on the ground in flower pots

What to do if a white coating appears on the ground in flower pots?

1. Remove the plant root from the pot and let it dry for 1 hour.
2. Replant the plant in fresh soil.
3. If there is no soil, then the contents of the slide should be shaken out and dried in the microwave.
4. Spill it with boiling water and bactericidal agents.
5. Plant the flower and dry again for 10-15 minutes.
6. Further, it can be reused.

Is the soil in the pot covered with a green or white coating (mold)? It will be much easier to correct the situation. It is necessary to pour sand, ash or clay on top of the main lump. They will help by absorbing excess water. You can use another option: fluff up the soil well and make deep punctures in it, they will also rid the contents of excess moisture

You can simply cover the soil in the pots with paper towels - the easiest way.

Don't forget to check the drainage holes in your pots, they often become clogged and excess water accumulates at the bottom of the container, which causes rot and bad smell.

What to do:

1. Avoid watering with unsettled water.
2. Before watering, you can add 0.5 teaspoon to the water. citric acid, or juice from one lemon.
3. Delete upper layer soil and fill the place with fresh leaf substrate.
4. Install water purification filters in your home.
5. It is useful to immerse peat bags in water and let it sit with them.

For preventative purposes, it is useful to pour expanded clay or coarse river sand on top of the soil in a pot and fluff up the soil.

Mold control methods

The constant moisture of the soil provokes mold infection, and the flowerpot becomes a real nursery. Proper watering and free drainage holes prevent stagnation. But what to do if the soil is already contaminated and there are bugs?

1. Stop watering.
2. Dry the root system.
3. Replace the top layer of soil to a depth of 2-3 cm.

If these measures are not successful, then it will be necessary to completely replant the plant.

Transplanting a plant

To do this, the earthen ball along with the roots is pulled out of the pot and left to dry for 2 days. If a ceramic pot is used for planting, then it needs to be boiled for 20 minutes; if the pot is plastic or plastic, it is better to get rid of it, since there are fungal spores on its edges that will still remain fertile for several years.

After two days, you need to gently shake the roots and disinfect them. The old soil should be thrown away, and before planting, the new soil should be steamed in a water bath or in the microwave.

Expanded clay must be placed at the bottom of the pot, then soil is poured, a flower is planted and the top is sprinkled with large river sand. What will it give? First of all, regulating the flow of air to the roots, and therefore reducing humidity. This method will also help if the overflow is small and random.

Soil disinfection

The soil disinfection method is considered one of the most effective. It not only helps eliminate odor and mold, but also completely destroys spores.

The procedure is carried out according to plan:

1. Clear the roots from the soil as much as possible.
2. Collect the soil and put it in a container.
3. Pour boiling water over it.
4. Pierce in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Cool completely.
6. Treat the pot with a disinfectant.
7. Pour the soil into the pots and plant the plant.

The soil can also be kept in a water bath. For this purpose, pour water into a pan, place a colander or sieve on top with gauze folded in several layers. When the water boils, add soil and cover with a lid. The soil is steamed in this way for at least 30 minutes. The plant is planted after the soil has completely cooled.

The soil must be fertilized or fed with minerals; you can add yeast.

Store-bought mold repellents

The purchased products are great for removing mold. They are on sale today a large number of in specialized flower shops. The seller will select the necessary preparation for its intended purpose for treating the soil cover or the plant itself, and will tell you what to do with it.

You should always pay attention to the instructions, which indicate what plants it is intended for. Otherwise, the flower may get burned or die.

Also consider the selection options chemical agent:

1. Features of the plant.
2. For what type of soil?
3. Availability of applied fertilizers over the last month.
4. The amount of fungal infection spreading.

It's best to choose already ready solution organic origin. They already contain ingredients that block the further proliferation of fungal spores in the soil.

Traditional methods of treating white plaque

There are also folk remedies combat mold on the ground, but they are effective only at the very beginning of the disease.

• after planting the plant, sprinkle the ground with sand or expanded clay;
• if mold has already begun to appear, replant the plant in another soil, and place a few cloves of garlic on top until completely dry, then replace them with new ones;
• when a white coating appears, remove the top layer of soil, add fresh, and place 5-6 tablets on top of the soil activated carbon;
• A solution of citric acid, 0.5 teaspoon per liter jar, will help get rid of mold. You can water it only those plants that accept acidic soil.

Often amateurs indoor flowers are faced with such a problem as a white coating on the surface of the soil in the pot. This fact in itself is not dangerous, however, the reasons that cause it can be quite serious. In this article we will find out why the soil in a flower pot becomes covered with a white coating and how to deal with this unpleasant problem.

Let's get acquainted with the common causes of the problem.

Most often, white plaque occurs due to excessive watering. The soil is regularly waterlogged, water actively evaporates: as a result, salts settle on the surface of the substrate. This phenomenon occurs especially often if watering is done with hard water from the tap.

If the waterlogging is significant and prolonged, in addition to the white coating, more serious consequences are possible: rotting of the roots, the appearance of black soil bugs. In this case, the plant not only does not bloom, it stops developing, and may even die.

Plaque is also possible when watering is poor and insufficient.

Hard water

It is advisable to water indoor flowers, regardless of their type and variety, with soft, settled water, without harsh impurities of salts and bleach. Often it is the presence of impurities in irrigation water that leads to the formation of a white coating on the soil, consisting of salts and lime.

Externally, salt-lime deposits look like small whitish granules, which can be easily removed from the pot. Immediately under the raid there is clean land. Typically, gardeners do this: they remove the plaque along with the top layer of soil, then add fresh soil.

In stores you can purchase special compounds that soften water.

Dry air

In this case, the moisture from the flower pot evaporates too quickly, and salts begin to accumulate on the surface of the substrate. Dryness leads to the soil becoming excessively salty: this fact negatively affects the development of the plant.

Too much fertilizer

Regular overfeeding of a plant in a pot will inevitably lead to the surface of the soil becoming covered with a white coating. In this case, the coating will consist of salts and minerals that the plant could not absorb.

Wrong choice of substrate

When purchasing ready-made substrate in a store, you should be careful. If for growing indoor flower purchase soil for seedlings, the appearance of a white coating subsequently is not surprising. The fact is that during its production, a large amount of stimulants and fertilizers are added to the soil intended for seedlings so that the seeds hatch faster.

Inappropriate potty

It is known that for indoor plants a pot that is only slightly larger than the volume of their root system is suitable. If you choose a container that is too large, the plant’s roots will not be able to cope with the volume of the substrate, process the moisture entering the pot and nutrients. As a result, a white coating appears on the surface of the soil.

How to treat

It is necessary to get rid of the problem based on the reason that caused it. That is, you first need to find out why the plaque formed, and then eliminate this reason: water less, feed more modestly, transplant the plant into a pot of a suitable size, etc. There are also universal tips that will help in any case.

Mulching with expanded clay

You should check the expanded clay from time to time to see if there is a suspicious coating on it. If this happens, remove the powder from the pot and rinse it with water. Then put it back in the old place.

Mulching with sand

Instead of expanded clay, ordinary river sand is used as mulch. The benefit is that sand, in addition to protecting against white deposits, also loosens the soil and improves its structure.

Removing the top layer

If you want to get rid of plaque instantly, simply remove it along with the top layer of substrate. After this, add fresh soil to the pot.

Wet tray

Disinfection

If the ground is covered with mold, it is necessary to combat the scourge by spraying the ground with fungicides. There should be at least two such procedures with a 10-14 day interval. If the mold is not eliminated or there is too much of it, replant the flower in a fresh substrate.

Fungal infection

Sometimes plaque in a pot appears due to a fungus that has settled in the soil. The plaque in this case is more like whitish fluff or mold, and the smell of rot will emanate from the ground. Most often, the appearance of fungus is caused by excessive soil moisture or keeping the flower in unsuitable conditions.

Suitable conditions for the growth of the fungus are air humidity reaching 85-90% and a warm temperature of +20-25 degrees. Stagnant, unventilated air and a minimal amount of sunlight also contribute to the appearance of mold and fungus in flower pots. Note that the fungus is destructive to the plant: if measures are not taken in time, the flower may die.

Urgent and radical measures need to be taken: simply replacing the top layer of soil will not get rid of this. It is necessary to remove the flower from the pot, wash its roots, treat it with a disinfectant, then replant it in a new container with fresh soil. The old soil is thrown away, and the pot in which the plant was located must be thoroughly rinsed and disinfected.

But if fungus or mold has grown in a plastic pot, it is better to throw it away: fungal spores are very difficult to remove completely in this case. Ceramics and clay can be disinfected.

Tip: Treat the soil with an antifungal fungicide to prevent the development of fungus.

Prevention

Let's find out what measures will help avoid the appearance of whitish coating, we'll find out.

• Firstly, you should be careful about watering. There is no need to moisten the flower if the top layer of soil has not yet dried. Such excessive watering of plants leads to waterlogging of the soil, stagnation and various negative consequences.
• If you use hard water, you can soften it by adding a small amount of lemon acid (half a teaspoon per liter). If there is no acid, be sure to let the tap water sit for about a day before watering.
• It is necessary to choose a pot that is most suitable in size for the plant. It is undesirable to use flowerpots and flowerpots that are too large, as well as overly cramped ones.
• Provide the flower with good drainage. It is advisable to lay a small layer of expanded clay below the ground. Choose a pot only with drainage holes - otherwise stagnation in the soil is very likely. Consequently, mold, mildew and other negative signs waterlogging.
• Loosen the soil regularly to make the soil more permeable.
• In order to prevent the formation of plaque, it is recommended to disinfect the soil by watering the soil with potassium permanganate once a month.
• Do not forget to regularly ventilate the room where the plant is located.
• Use high-quality soil, preferably ready-made soil from the store. Carefully look at the composition and purpose of the soil when purchasing.
• Use expanded clay, sand or charcoal as a mulch layer.

We found out why a white coating appears in a flower pot. There are several reasons and most of them are somehow related to improper agricultural practices. By starting to care for the plant properly and providing it the necessary conditions, you can avoid the appearance of white bloom and grow a healthy, beautiful flower.

Growing cacti, palm trees and other varieties of house plants at home is not difficult. I've been doing this practically since childhood. And it is very important for me to know the smallest details of caring for my beloved household members. One of the main problems, I think, is the white coating on the surface of the plant’s soil.

I didn’t immediately figure out where it came from, but my neighbor quickly solved my problem, telling in detail the reasons for its appearance and how to deal with it. Everything turned out to be quite explainable and quite simple. Now I will tell you the secrets of white plaque and methods of combating it.

Often a white or yellowish coating can be seen on the soil surface and inside pot. Where it comes from and what to do with it, you will now find out more in the article.

Causes of white plaque

• Water. When watering houseplants with unsettled tap water, a white coating forms on top of the soil and on the walls of the container. This is limescale.
• Insufficient watering. The plant must be watered sufficiently to saturate all the soil. If you water only the top layer of the substrate, a layer of mineral deposits will form on the surface. The pot should also not be flooded, which can lead to the death of the plant. When watering next time, you need to make sure that the soil is completely dry.
• Extra land. If you plant a small plant in a large pot, expect a white coating to appear soon. This happens because root system does not fill the entire capacity of the pot, as a result, it cannot absorb and absorb all the moisture. The water will evaporate and leave a salt crust on the ground.
• Dry air. If the air in the room is dry, then all the moisture quickly evaporates from the ground and raises the salt to the surface, forming the same crust.
• Soil composition. An incorrectly selected composition or mechanical content of the substrate for the plant can contribute to the formation of this problem.
• Drainage. Absence drainage system in a container it creates poor air permeability through the soil and difficult water permeability.
• Fertilizers, or rather their overdose. You should use fertilizers and fertilizers for houseplants carefully. In case of an overdose, not only a white coating may appear, but other problems may arise, including the death of the plant roots. Before using the fertilizer, read the instructions carefully and apply the product correctly. It is better not to apply fertilizer during periods of plant dormancy.

Having dealt with the causes and knowing the consequences, we can move directly to solving problems. Of course, the soil should be “treated” for white coating based on the cause of its formation. By following the advice below, we can avoid future problems with the soil.

Tips on how to avoid the problem of white plaque:

1. Before planting, the soil is not fertilized, but a clean substrate is used. Feeding is given to the plant after it produces new roots and adapts well to the new environment. Fertilize the soil moderately.
2. River sand mixed with pebbles is poured onto the soil surface. different sizes and mixes shallowly with the soil. This mixture will allow the water not to stagnate and evaporate quickly without forming a salt crust.
3. The plant is watered only softened water. To do this, it must be left for at least two days.
4. Plant the plant in relation to its size and the size of the pot.
5. Be sure to provide drainage at the bottom of the flowerpot.
6. If the indoor air is dry, you can use humidifiers. They are useful not only for plants, but also for the human body.
7. If it is possible to pass water through a filter with ions, the plants will be grateful to you, since many harmful microelements will be removed from the water.

The method for getting rid of white or yellowish plaque is very simple. It is enough to remove from the flowerpot the entire top layer of soil that has been damaged by plaque, and remove plaque from the walls of the pot, if there is any. This can be done using a washcloth. Next, pour new fresh soil into the pot and try to get rid of the cause of the plaque.

Mold

If the coating on the ground has a white or grayish tint, and most importantly, is fluffy in structure, then it is mold. It mainly appears from an excess of moisture in the container and when the temperature in the room drops. Rarely can it be introduced with a low-quality earthen substrate.

Mold is not a threat to mature houseplants, but it is dangerous to young plants or seedlings. There are a couple of methods for getting rid of mold:

• Reduce the amount of watering and its volume. It is also necessary to transplant the plants into another container with a new substrate.
• Pour ash or crushed coal onto the surface of the soil with mold, dry it and remove everything, including the top layer of soil. After this is done, add new soil.

To prevent mold:

1. Use potassium permanganate (solution) or special drugs from harmful fungal plaques.
2. Before use, the pot is boiled or at least doused with boiling water. This procedure must be done if there was already plaque in the pot.
3. To kill harmful microbes and mold spores, the earth is calcined in an oven or steamed. This is done not only with garden soil, but even purchased substrate can often be contaminated. It is not difficult to steam the soil. Pour the soil into a colander and place it on a pan of boiling water. The soil is ready when it becomes hot.

To sum up, we can say

• White plaque is not a threat to the life of the plant.
• You can easily get rid of it.
• If the coating is fluffy, then it is mold, so slightly different methods of control will be needed.
• To avoid plaque and mold in the future, you need to take preventive actions and create favorable conditions for house plants.

1. Where does the white coating on the ground come from? The land was purchased from a store. Why does plaque appear on some pots and not on others? What is the reason and how to fight it?

Answer: Salt crust of white or white-yellow color appears on the surface of the soil mixture in a pot due to the predominance of purely physical evaporation of water from the soil over transpiration by the plant. There are several reasons.

1. The mechanical composition of the soil is too heavy. As a consequence, its high capillarity and intensive drawing of water to the soil surface.
2. Difficult drainage at the bottom of the pot and, as a result, evaporation from the soil surface, as Main way water consumption.
3. Mistakes when watering: poor watering, when the amount of water applied per watering is only sufficient to wet the surface layer. Watering can be rare, but should be plentiful, flushing the entire soil mass.
4. Over-fertilized soil mixture. Many of their manufacturers are guilty of this, especially when preparing mixtures for vegetables. In general, this is a problem when you use purchased formulations. For some reason, manufacturers for the most part are confident that a fertilized soil mixture from the heart is a virtue. It’s as if they don’t know that all transplants are only done in an unfertilized environment! The next careful feeding only after obvious signs rooting.
5. Violation of the principle of correspondence between the volume of soil in the pot and the assimilative capacity of the roots of this plant. There should not be significant volumes of soil not developed by the root system. Otherwise, again the predominance of physical evaporation over transpiration.
6. Errors in dosing fertilizers (overdose), as well as applying fertilizers during the dormant period of the plant. For some reason, current manufacturers began to recommend solution concentrations of 2 g/l or more. This is not true. In general, a guaranteed non-toxic concentration can be recognized as 1 g/l, and for certain groups of plants (ferns, orchids) 0.5 g/l and even 0.1 g/l.
7. And of course, the notorious softness of irrigation water. Look at its quality everyone in your city. If the amount of water required for irrigation is insignificant, you can use filtration using some sophisticated filter with an ion exchanger: it will remove chlorine, calcium, magnesium, and, for example, add useful potassium. But this is not for bucket volumes - it’s expensive. Oxalic acid is a reliable softener, but litmus testing is required, because The initial content of Ca and Mg in water is generally unknown.
8. Dry air. Dry air strongly stimulates physical evaporation, which again leads to the removal of salts to the soil surface. Salts supplied with water from the soil remain in the leaves after it evaporates - this is the normal mechanism of mineral nutrition. But with increased evaporation, excess salts accumulate in the leaves, and over time their concentration rises to dangerous levels. In dry air, evaporation from the surface of the soil is also high, and salts also accumulate there. Soil salinity occurs (in the form of deposits on the soil surface), which provokes plant diseases. In the room where flowers grow, air humidity must be constantly monitored and regulated. This is why salt crust does not exist with “bottle” culture, in various closed greenhouses and greenhouses. However, raising the air humidity in an apartment is an even more dreary task than cleaning irrigation water.

Of course, any of the above reasons can be combined!

And one more thing - a white coating on the surface of the soil in a pot can be caused by the development of fungal microflora from excessive watering and to get rid of it, you need to water the plant only after the top layer of soil in the pot has dried.

Sometimes mold lives in the purchased soil. Not necessarily from excessive watering; often purchased land is just like that. One even gets the impression that it is scattered from one container into different bags. Yes, from one package, in one case, the soil may “bloom” with white mold, or “wait” for some time. Adult plants usually do not suffer much from this, but there is some danger. But young seedlings may die. Mold, even with normal watering, in especially sad cases, grows and permeates the entire soil in the pot. Then you need to replant, completely change the entire soil, use fungicides - in general, a long song. But a white-brown coating sometimes appears due to waterlogging of the soil. It has also been noted that the deposit on the surface depends on the composition of the soil; the more peat in the ground, the stronger the deposit on the surface (see point 1).

There are many ways to get rid of it. There is less white and other deposits if you cover the top of the soil in a pot with expanded clay. Then a white dried sediment appears on the expanded clay itself, collect it from time to time and wash it, then put it back in place.

It is recommended to sprinkle the ground with river sand and loosen the top layer of soil (along with the sand). Loosening the soil with the addition of sand is very beneficial for plant roots. You can remove the top layer and add high-quality leaf or humus soil.

You can simply remove all the white layer of soil and add new soil.

Stores sell soil deoxidizer. The top layer of soil with plaque is removed and a little deeper and a deoxidizing agent is poured. It is good to water flowers with aquarium water.

If it is still mold, drying the soil temporarily stops the process, but the next time you water it it starts with a vengeance. Collect it and sprinkle the soil in the pot with activated crushed carbon, this protects against rotting and mold growth. In addition to coal, periodically loosen the top layer and add other healthy soil. Well, in the future, it’s better to transplant the plant into a normal substrate and wash the pot with a stiff brush and laundry soap. Serious measures include watering the soil with foundationazole, hom or oxychome.

2. A white coating has appeared on the pot. What is this? How to get rid of it?

Answer: It may be mold - wet the outside with water and try to see if it feels slippery to the touch. If yes, then there is mold, then wash the outside of the pot with a cloth and soap and reduce watering - let the soil dry out a little.

What is the most important thing when growing indoor plants? Certainly, good soil, because it is he who gives our flowers nutrients, thanks to which they actively grow and delight with their flowering. Poor quality soil not only inhibits growth, but can also cause the death of indoor crops, so all flower growers carefully select a suitable substrate for their pets. However, it often happens that good, nutrient soil mixture covered with a white blanket.

There may be several reasons why the soil in flower pots becomes covered with a white coating, namely:

• Poor quality water is used for irrigation;
• A fungal infection has settled in the flowerpot.

Water problems

Regardless of the type of indoor plants for all flowers there is general rule: for irrigation, you should use only settled water, or even better, rainwater. Tap water goes through cleaning systems and is “enriched” with some elements that flowers do not like, for example, chlorine. In addition, it is too hard, so after watering, lime deposits appear on the surface of the ground. Externally, such soil looks like dry white granules; if you carefully remove them, you can see ordinary black soil underneath. This is usually what they do, removing the top layer and pouring fresh soil mixture into the pot.

To prevent the appearance of sediment, water the flowers only with settled water. You can soften it using homemade filter, putting a little in a rag bag and lowering it into a container of water. Also sold in flower shops special means to soften.

To neutralize lime compounds, it is recommended to add lemon juice or kitchen acid (citric acid) to the water.

Fungus in the soil

If the white coating in the pot is moist and resembles fluff, and an unpleasant putrid odor emanates from the soil, it means that a fungus has settled there. We often create a suitable microclimate for the occurrence and progression of mold and rot ourselves by intensively flooding the plant. And as you know, constantly moist soil is an ideal environment for many diseases.

In this case, it is better to take the most radical measures and completely replace it with a fresh one. Treatment with fungicides to destroy and prevent fungal infections will also not hurt. From now on, when watering, you should follow golden mean and be sure to monitor the humidity of the substrate.