Hi Everyone,

I know we are supposed to wait until soil is dry between waterings, but my plants do very well with hosing the pots everyday and I haven't had any real fig production to be concerned with splitting the fruit.  Yesterday I went out and saw 1 pot was covered in white, powdery mold.

I am ready to reduce the frequency of watering.  Do you think the fig is any danger?  Should I take any other measures or just allow soil to dry between waterings?  Should I quarantine?  I don't want to not take action now and have bigger issues later.  The fig looks as healthy and happy as could be.

Thank you,
Andrew

 

Are you sure it's mold and not just perlite that has floated to the top?

I've seen various types of fungal growth on the tops of soil, mulch, and potting mix.  Never seen where it hurt anything.

Your tree looks very healthy so it's unlikely this mold (if that's what it is) is causing any problems. 

Hi Rob,

I'm pretty sure its mold.  It is very powdery and created a dust cloud when I stuck my finger in it.  It is the consistency of baking soda that was wet, then dried.  Kind of caked together.

What's your potting mix? Probably fungal growth decomposing something. 

Does it look like dog puke? If so it's harmless. I remove it, but you don't have to. Sometimes organic food molds too, no big deal.
The dog vomit slime mold is common after heavy rains. Maybe you are watering too much? It can be many colors too btw. White, yellow, brown, etc. http://www.personal.psu.edu/sam21/dogvomit.htm

Hi Drew,

It resembles the dog vomit mold.  I am watering every day which is more than I should, but the plants are responding well to the extra water.  As long as there is no harm caused, I will move this plant away from the others and not worry too much about it.  If I ever see any figs forming, I will rethink the watering frequency.

Thank you.

Yeah if it's working don't change. I see these molds from time to time myself.

I have a fig I need to repot because every time I water I see shrooms popping out of the drainage holes...It is more annoying than anything else, probably spores got into the dirt or on the pot.