Grape Ivy Houseplant

Question:

Hi, I have a 20yr old grape ivy houseplant and it has grey fuzzy mould growing over the top of the soil and around the base of the trunk. There is no mould growing anywhere else on the plant – it looks healthy – for the moment anyway! I think I know where I have gone wrong in that I have been watering my plants last thing at night. I know not to do that any more. I removed plant from pot at weekend and scrubbed pot in water and removed mouldy soil and replaced with houseplant compost. I gave plant a small drink of water. I also sprayed around trunk and onto soil with fungicide containing sulphur. I have just checked plant and the mould is coming back with a vengeance. I would be gutted to lose this plant after growing it from a tiny cutting. What do you advise?

Answer:

It sounds as if you have done everything you should to avoid mould however, once it is present it is difficult to get rid of it. The initial cause is overwatering as a damp soil is an ideal habitat for moulds of all types. I would stop watering the plant until it is totally dry, then do what you did last time but try to remove as much of the old soil as possible cleaning away any soil left on the stem before spraying with the fungicide. Perhaps try a bigger pot than it’s in at the moment to give it a bit more space. Are the lower leaves close to the soil level? If so remove some of the lower leaves to let air circulate around the lower stem. Also, place the plant pot in a deep saucer and fill the saucer with water, allowing the plant to bring the water up through its roots instead of down from the surface. Don’t let it sit in the water for too long, once the compost looks damp, empty the saucer and let it dry out again. If you keep an eye on the stem and don’t allow the mould to get too thick, it should be OK. What you are trying to avoid is the mould rotting the bottom of the stem so keep the area as dry as possible.

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