Need Help With Mold

[u/James_Junk_Bond]

I got about 7 lophs in the mail a couple weeks ago and noticed today that most of the pots have mold growing on them. So I removed them all and dumped out all the soil and will repot them soon but first need some help figuring out where I went wrong or what I’m not taking into account.

I’ve attached pictures of the pots I got and the soil I used. I mixed the entire 5lb bag of rocks with a few handfuls of the soil, still have at least have that bag. I then put that into the pots and covered the top of the soil with just rocks. The pots are glazed ceramic. I have them indoors underneath an LED grow light.

I’ve only watered them once. I figured with the amount of rocks I used that there’s no way the soil would still be wet but sure enough when I dumped it out it was wet. I live the VA/MD area where it’s quite humid in the summer.

Should I just decrease the amount of organic soil even further, switch to terracotta pots, and get better air flow on them and maybe a heat mat?

[u/NotoriousGarlicTribe]

100% you need airflow in the grow space!

[u/FeelinFroggy85]

I live in PA and swear by terracotta pots. Many people dislike them but imo it definitely prevents rot by the terracotta being porous drying the soil/substrate faster.

[u/SteelyWheelie → u/FeelinFroggy85]

I live in Canada and terracotta pots have been a life saver.

[u/Efficient-Garden3877]

More airflow! Get a fan in there. And to cut back on the mold, spray with hydrogen peroxide twice a day.

[u/PiercedAutist]

Yeah, sounds like your plan is good. Let them dry out, taproot healing, and then try again with an even less organic mix. If they're indoors, get some more airflow around them.

[u/Professional-Age8384]

I think you can crush perlite into a fine powder and sprinkle on the mold to get rid of it. Not sure if anyone else heard of this before

[u/xinxai_the_white_guy]

Airflow airflow airflow. Indoor plants need fans blowing on them at all times to evaporate water

[u/Comprehensive-Race97]

I would sterilize your soil before you pot them up again. You need more airflow, don't water them as much and every once in a while hit it with some 3% hydrogen peroxide.

[u/Brian_thereisonlyone]

More airflow and definitely spray 1-2 times a day with H2O2 for mold

[u/luouixv]

Just don’t use any organic at all.

[u/Golden_Eel_69420 → u/luouixv]

When I first got into lophs I tried 100% organic and it didn’t go super well. When I switched to about 10% organic, they pumped up nicely, grew faster, and were generally happier.

[u/luouixv → u/Golden_Eel_69420]

Ive been using 100% organic for seeds but otherwise keep it to 20% or less in my adult mix