Why Is My Succulent Moldy

It’s possible for mold to form on your succulent plants frequently. It will be helpful to understand how the mold develops on your plant before we talk about how to treat it.

Over-Watering

Anywhere there is moisture in the air, mold can grow. Spores, which can float through the air and land on surfaces, are the source of mold growth. Mold spores are actually present all around us. To begin growing, the spores simply require the ideal habitat. Overwatering your plant increases the moisture that spores have access to.

Overwatering can harm your plants and is a common cause of home plant death. The plant cannot properly absorb oxygen when the soil is excessively wet.

In a few ways, watering succulents differs from watering standard houseplants. Succulents have bigger leaves and larger roots and stalks. As a result, they can store more water and survive longer without freshwater. Because of this, they resemble cacti greatly and are excellent indoor plants for individuals who are busy.

You’ll be safe watering your plant once a week during the summer and warmer months. It goes without saying that you should exercise caution, but weekly watering will be sufficient for your succulent to survive. Fill the pot to the brim with water before watering. The succulent will be able to absorb all the water it requires this way. You can also combine fertilizer and water if your succulent is still growing.

You can water your succulent less regularly in the winter than you can in the summer. Don’t worry if the soil gets a little dry; the plant will still be able to live.

Mold growth will be more challenging if you adhere to the succulent’s recommended watering schedule. However, even if you water once each week, mold might still develop. Let’s examine some additional causes of fungus that you might be experiencing.

Not Enough Sunlight

Lack of sunshine is another frequent factor that can contribute to the growth of mold. Much light is required by succulents. They may be exposed to up to six hours of sunshine when they are outside. If you have an indoor succulent, you must put it in the area of your house with the best lighting to make sure it receives adequate light. Mold is more likely to start growing if the plant is not given enough to eat.

Poor Maintenance

If you do not properly care for your plant, mold will develop. Since they don’t need much upkeep, succulents are relatively simple to look after, but you still need to invest some time and effort into it. Neglecting a plant will foster the ideal conditions for the growth of fungus. This covers insufficient cleaning, inadequate illumination, and inappropriate watering.

What can I do to remove the mold from my succulents?

Early indications of this fungus include round, gray-brown spots on the surfaces of leaves and stems. As the infection worsens, these spots turn fuzzy with mold. It is the type of fungus that spreads when the weather starts to cool down and get damp, typically in the early Spring or Summer. It thrives in a moist, shaded area with poor airflow.

Dishwashing soap is one of the most used home-made fungicides in the early signs of a plant affected by grey mold. Just make sure it doesn’t contain bleach or greasers. The damaged regions of plants with severe grey mold infections must be removed. It’s best to refrain from watering from the top as well.

Leaf stains

Succulents can get fungal leaf spots indoors and outdoors, although they are not harmful. What makes it annoying is that when the fungus becomes too accustomed to your plant, the small area will enlarge and start to resemble a blotch, which will probably eventually kill your plant.

A succulent with Leaf Spots can be treated in a number of secure and practical ways. You can either spray your succulent with a moderate solution of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), using 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water, or you can use an all-purpose fungicide.

fungus wilt

Fusarium Wilt is a fungus that lives in the soil. It penetrates the plant through the roots and starts reproducing in the vascular tissues, obstructing the plant’s ability to absorb water, leading to severe stress, wilting, yellowing, and most likely, death.

Regrettably, there is currently no known cure for fusarium wilt in plants. The fastest removal and disposal of the infected plant is the best advised course of action for this fungus. Fusarium-contaminated soil must also be removed. This will aid in limiting the spread of the fungus.

Anthracnose

A series of fungal infections known as anthracnose are brought on by members of the Colletotrichum genus. Circular, pale, sunken, or brownish patches that are characteristic of this type of fungus will cause the plant tissues to dry up and become hard like bark.

The only way to save your succulent once it has been attacked by this fungus is to remove the afflicted leaves. To further prevent the spread of this fungus, it is best to replace the contaminated plant’s soil and pot in addition to thoroughly cleaning all of your instruments.

You can apply fungicides that contain chlorothalonil, copper sprays with copper diammonia diacetate, propiconazole, and systemic fungicide thiophanate-methyl to eliminate any remaining fungal bodies and to maintain control.

Rotten Root and Crown

In comparison to other fungal illnesses, root and crown rots are among the hardest to diagnose. They don’t exhibit any distinctive symptoms that could enable you to identify an infection in your succulent.

To give you an example, a plant with root rot will first begin to wilt, then the leaves will start to turn brown, and finally the stems will start to rot, causing the plant to topple over. The roots will turn brown beneath the earth and will easily separate if the soil is carefully scraped away.

Fine feeder roots typically maintain a healthy white to tan color and can hold the root ball together effectively even if the root crown is also diseased. However, as soon as the plant’s soil is removed, brown spots can be seen on the cortex of the roots as well as the root crown or stem base.

Sadly, therapy does not work well for root and crown rot. However, this can be prevented by lowering moisture. Simply use a well-draining container and give your succulents the appropriate amount of water to achieve this. Just enough to meet the requirements of your plant. Additionally, any mulch that is longer than 4 inches should be removed to avoid letting your plant remain in excessively moist soil.

Why does the white fuzz on my succulent exist?

Let’s talk about the Mealybug, the bane of every succulent lover. We despise them. We hate them. We despise them. See what I mean? They are the worst people ever. Beautiful succulents can be destroyed by them in an instant when they appear out of nowhere. Mealybugs on your succulent typically appear as a white, cottony substance close to the new growth. On rosette-type plants, they can be found right in the center of the plant, on the stem, or at the base of the leaves. Even if there are no outward indications of them, mealybugs can sneak up on you, so it’s a good idea to periodically inspect your plants. Most of the time, your leaves will start to become twisted and deformed before you even detect the real bugs. This occurs when pests congregate close to your fresh growth.

If you don’t properly examine the entire plant, Mealybugs may occasionally be more difficult to notice. The leaves on a plant like this Aeonium tabuliforme grow so closely together that mealys are unable to pass through them. Instead of having a plant that is obviously malformed, the insects are skulking underneath, feeding on older leaves and recent growth close to the stem. Mealybugs can breed in this potentially hazardous environment, making it simpler for them to spread to neighbouring plants undetected.

The above-mentioned mealy conditions are tolerable, and plants like these will probably recover soon with some help. However, other times the plant may be so contaminated and broken that it is advisable to JUST KILL IT WITH FIRE! Not particularly, however you should remove it as soon as you can from your other succulents to prevent the infestation from spreading.

Why do succulents have mold on them?

The Sclerotinia stem rot, which primarily affects field crops, is known by the common term white mold. If your succulent has white mold, it is more likely that it has powdery mildew, a common and manageable houseplant disease. It can survive on the succulents’ fleshy leaves and stems.

Powdery Mildew

Similar to succulents, powdery mildew prefers warm, relatively dry environments. Succulents are the most commonly afflicted plant species because they share comparable environmental requirements with powdery mildew. Your infection may have the typical white powdery coating appearance. It can also appear gray with rounded yellow, brown, or black growths, though. Although the powdery mildew can develop in a single location, it typically spreads to your plant’s other leaves, stems, and buds.

Effects

Powdery mildew may initially appear to be unharmful. Your succulent could be able to tolerate the disease, which has a white, moldy appearance, and even prosper for a while. Deflated, damaged, or malformed leaves could be seen as the illness progresses and worsens. The stems and leaves may also change from a light green to a golden color. Your succulent can lose leaves, stop flowering, or even pass away if it has a serious illness. When powdery mildew infects one of your plants, it might spread to others.

Treatment

Apply a fungicide after gently removing any infected leaves or stems that have started to show indications of damage in order to treat powdery mildew. On healthy leaves, stems, and buds, powdery mildew may be efficiently eliminated by fungicides containing sulfur, neem oil, or triforine. As a precautionary step, spray the fungicide on neighboring plants as well. Some gardeners have had luck using a mixture of baking soda and horticultural oil.

Prevention

If you can, keep your healthy plants separate from your sick plants. Next, make an effort to improve airflow to aid in slowing spore production. To do this, prune plants carefully, relocate them to windier areas, or use fans to circulate more air within your house. Switching to early morning watering can help limit or prevent the spread of powdery mildew since spores require some level of dampness.

How may rotting succulents be fixed?

After that, clean the container and fill it with new dirt. A drop of antibacterial dish soap should be added to a bowl of water. Carefully clean the succulent’s roots with brand-new cotton swabs. The roots could also be submerged in a weak anti-fungal solution. Before repotting, allow the roots to totally dry out. For two weeks, let the plant remain dry, and keep a constant eye on it.

A moldy succulent: can it be revived?

Mold may be cancer for succulents, just as rust is for boats. There are several methods for removing mold from succulents. Some home remedies include mouthwash, neem oil, milk spray, baking soda, water, and dish soap mixtures. The treatments can also be combined with a number of common cooking oils to improve their adhesion on your succulent.

You can buy a commercial fungicide if you do not want to go the do-it-yourself way. Some things to check before purchasing a fungicide are knowing what kind of infection your plant has and reading all of the safety precautions of the product.

With cinnamon and milk spray, mold can be avoided. The best approach to avoid illness, though, is to provide your plant the attention it needs.

How can fungus appear on succulents?

Fungi belonging to the genus Colletotrichum produce anthracnose. Numerous types of succulents and cacti are impacted by this virus. Moist, tan-colored rot with red, orange, or pink pustules on the surface is an indication of anthracnose. Spots disappear quite rapidly from crowns and leaves. You can only remove and destroy afflicted leaves from your succulent when it has this fungus infected it. You should avoid recycling the soil and make sure that your instruments are completely clean because this virus spreads through contaminated pots and dirt. In order to eliminate any remaining fungal bodies, you should also use a copper fungicide.

Solution of isopropyl alcohol

Use of a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution in water is one of our home remedies that we use most frequently and that has proven to be the most effective. We really prefer to use rubbing alcohol for a variety of different reasons in addition to its shown effectiveness:

  • Being ecological
  • Easy to obtain,
  • It is simple to use,
  • And it is inexpensive.

When it comes to alcohol, you must consider the following:

After using it, avoid placing your succulents in direct sunlight; instead, keep them in the shade or provide them with filtered light for a few days. We advise using alcohol in the late afternoon and administering this home cure on overcast and gloomy days.

This is typically not a problem if you keep your plants indoors. If you keep your plants outside, you must shield them from the sun to prevent burns. This technique works well if you know exactly what safety measures to take with your succulents after applying it.

We advise using one of the other two strategies we provide if you are not entirely certain about this.

Alcohol is safe for your succulents and destroys mealybugs immediately upon contact. However, use caution; this cure burns other plants, so don’t apply it to them.

You can apply alcohol on a cotton swab, glass, or ear swab and use those items to swab each mealybug you spot on your succulents. It takes a while to use this method, especially if you have a sizable collection or numerous infected plants. As a result, we advise utilizing a spray bottle.

Preparation of the recipe of isopropyl alcohol

You should use alcohol that is 70% alcohol. This is a good ratio because the mealybug can be killed with it. Since alcohol evaporates quickly, this concentration won’t hurt your plants.

If you can’t find it, simply add water to lessen the percentage because some companies do sell alcohol in this proportion.

  • Take a bottle, calculate the alcohol content at 70%, then pour it in.
  • 30 percent of the bottle should be cleaned irrigation water. Water can be heated or filtered. The combination can be utilized after a brief shake.

One spray won’t be sufficient if your plants are infested with numerous mealybugs; wait three to four days before trying again. Because the mealybug’s eggs are often stashed in hard-to-reach locations, the pest frequently resurfaces. If you notice this, you must apply the alcohol mixture once again.

Precautions after applying the remedy of the isopropyl alcohol

You can take your succulents out of quarantine and add them back to your collection if you are certain that all mealybug has been eliminated. Alcohol does not hurt or burn succulents, but it does make plants more susceptible to sunburn.

Avoid exposing your succulents to direct sunshine for a few days after drinking alcohol; instead, place them in the shade or provide them with filtered light. We advise using alcohol in the late afternoon and administering this home cure on overcast and gloomy days.

This treatment has been the one that has helped us the most so far in getting rid of the mealybug from our succulents.

Solution of potassium soap

Potassium soap, which is available in any supermarket, grocery store, or on Amazon through this link, is a final natural solution to get rid of the cotton mealybug from succulents. Here are some other items you can add to your mix.

Similar to the two previous treatments, the potassium solution with soap is completely eco-friendly, safe, and biodegradable; it poses no risk to human or animal health. It not only works to get rid of cotton mealybugs but also other pests like red spiders, aphids, and whiteflies.

It is quite easy to use. To melt the soap and create the soapy solution, you must combine a part of this soap with hot water.