A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Novice Gardener Needs Help

Help Me! I did not inherit my mother's green thumb! Here's the deal, i live in a small apartment in South Carolina and i have 3 plants: an aloe vera, a golden pothos, and a peace lily. In the last week, all three have gotten a fuzzy white moldy looking coat on the soil. I thought i might be overwatering, but i only water them once a week and i always wait until the soil is dry to the touch in betwen waterings. (And i only water the aloe every week and a half). I have moisture control soil in the pothos and the aloe, if that might make a difference, and i water with a mixture of 1/16 tsp. of miracle gro for indoor plants in 16 oz. of water. Also, i keep them all in medium, indirect light. My second problem is that i woke up this morning to find a very large, yellow mushroom growing in the peace lily. I haven't identified it yet, as i was too dismayed that it had already opened up and there are spores everywhere. I check the plants daily and i am mystified as to where it came from. (I'm quite upset as it is not my plant and was to give it back to the owner today!) So, first question, what do i do about the white moldy stuff? and Question 2- what do i do about the mushrooms? How do i keep more from growing, and is there any chance they could spread to the other plants? Please help! Thank you!

Littlecabbage336,
First off, I'd like to Welcome you to the Garden Helper's Forum..... Glad to have you on board. Great bunch of gardeners we have here and lot's of fun to chat with.
Second, our resident plant man, Will Creed is on vacation until the 14th I think he said....So, if you can sit tight,
Maybe Bill, our head gardening guru can help you!!
(I'm no indoor plant expert, butt......)
And, I'm hoping someone else with alot more knowledge jumps in here, but maybe for starters......

Maybe take some of the moldy white stuff off the top of the dirt, throw it away!!!
inspect.......Wipe it off the plant with like damp cloth for starters.

And then, I have some questions in the mean time,
Do you have a saucer underneath to hold the water in the bottom??? That may keep the dirt on the bottom, where the roots are too wet???? Just a thought.
For the mushroom, usually they're caused by some type of natural item, ie; tree bark or chips, when they are very moist and decomposing. Is there something like a stick in there to hold it up????

Hope this info helps!!
Weezie