Jade Plant Soil Is Covered In White Mould

I don't understand why this is happening? I scooped out all the mould off of the soil one month ago, only to have it come back even thicker than it was before! I tried letting the soil dry out for weeks, and that didn't help either. I am not sure what to do. I don't want to have to throw out my Jade plant (his name is Patrick), but it can't be good to have a houseplant that has mouldy soil.

Any ideas as to what I could use to rectify this problem? I would prefer to not have to spend money on some kind of fertilizer, if at all possible.

 

You can totally replace the soil, wash the pot out with vinegar and water, rinse off the roots with room temp water. A Jade won't mind the disruption of the roots as long as you don't go bat shit crazy on them... even then they are pretty hardy plants.

 

I don't have any spare soil though, and I don't want to go buy a big bag of it.....I suppose I could bring it to my mother in laws. I am sure she has some extra soil kicking around.

 

Yeah, that would work... It should be repotted though, either with MIL's soil or a smallish bag from Walmart. 8 Qt. size of Miracle Grow soil is like $5.

 

Any idea what is causing the mould in the first place?

 

No, my only guess would be over watering... Jade is a succulent, they don't need a lot of water to begin with. I know you said you let the soil dry at one point, but that's after the mold had started. Could be the pot doesn't drain properly too.

 

little hydrogen peroxide mixed with water should knock the mold back.. will not harm your plant

 

^^ Really? Maybe I'll give that a try first. As long as you are 100% certain it wont harm my plant (his name is Patrick).

 

it will not harm your plant,, give maybe a cap full 3% to a quart spray bottle, just spray the surface of the soil..
you might want to research other fungicides safe for your plant..

 

You could also sterile the existing soil in the oven at 200F for about a half hour. Place the soil in an oven proof pan lined with foil. Seal the pan with foil and then bake it. Allow to cool and repot your jade plant.

 

I did some research online, and am not really comfortable trying to kill the mould with anything....I would be devastated if anything happened to Patrick, and it isn't worth the risk. What I did notice though, is that he wasn't in a pot with a hole at the bottom, so water can't drain out. I scooped off as much mould as I could, and put him in a new pot that will allow drainage. I then added some new soil that I borrowed from one of the plants on my balcony. Hopefully, with the new drainage pot, the mould does not return. I'm also going to dry him out for at least one month, I think.

Anyways, here he is.....

 

h2o2 is basically water, with more oxygen..
this white mold is not harmful and probably more beneficial than anything ..

 

The white mould ISN'T harmful? Really? I should have taken a picture of it..it was really fluffy and covering the soil....

 

Yeah!! i agree with orison. This white mo0ld is not so harmful.