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soil Fuzzy mold on the soil

Wulf

Wulf

Brought a few of my plants inside to overwinter, and the good news is that there apparently wasn't a single aphid.  No pests at all this time, and I didn't even have to de-leaf them.  I did however set up my grow light in the basement this year, and the very next day saw an explosion of mold on the soil of my plants.  I tried spraying liberally with some diluted peroxide but I may have screwed up the ratio and just remoistened the soil.
 
Will the problem solve itself if I just let the soil dry out and take care not to let the top of the soil remain damp?  Or will something need to be done?
 
I've never had a mold problem before, but they've never been downstairs before.  It's a white/fluffy type of mold, in case it matters.
 
Agree - add a fan. I always recommend repotting with fresh soil before bringing the plants inside for the winter. This both helps eliminate any eggs that were laid in the dirt (except, of course, for the dirt that clings too tightly to the roots) and also eliminates most other nasties. As quickly as that mold seems to have sprouted, likely it existed but was not yet visible in/on the soil before you brought them in.
 
Hydrogen peroxide - use at a ratio of one cup per gallon of water, and use it for the next several waterings until you're sure the mold is gone. Even if you repot go ahead and use it for a few waterings to ensure you get any that may be clinging to the roots.
 
Aphids, aphids, aphids..... don't let a sight inspection fool you. They are very pernicious. You don't see them now, but keep an eye out, especially in the spring.
 
I'll try set up a fan and see if it helps.  Redoing the soil would be inconvenient, but do-able.  I'd prefer not to do that first though.
 
Aside from the 'ick' factor, how big of a concern is mold to the plant?  I mean, obviously it shouldn't be there and shouldn't be allowed to get a foothold in my house, but is it an immediate threat to my plants?  Or do I have some time to experiment and see what works without needing to go all scorched earth?
 
yea add a fan and do less but more frequent waterings if needed.  Mold can be bad. Not 100% sure if coincidence or not but I had seedlings in an aquarium last year before I could set them out.  Some were getting the mold on the soil top and not drying out in a timeley manner so I tried something new. I scraped the top soil off of a couple, added new soil to them  and left a couple alone.  On the ones with new soil I waterless,but more often wehn needed.  the ones with soil I kept watering as I was, which was every other day.  No new mold growth on the ones with new soil and the mold stayed on the others. Now, issues.  No issues at all with the new soil seedlings but the moldy ones almost all died while trying to harden off.  They had what they call "damping off"
 
Don't water until they start looking droopy, then water with a pinch of salt added. Not too much though or it might hurt the plant.
 
What Geeme said + I suggest bottom watering if the top soil is kept to wet you are asking for mold. Fans are good
 
Yeah, I'm generally familiar with how to prevent it.  I was just able to get away with being sloppy until I put them downstairs, and wasn't sure on the best removal method.
 
Thanks for the input everybody, I'll post back with how it turns out.
 
Mold issue was resolved rather easily.  Left the light on for a few days straight and everything dried right up.
 
Worked so well that I've decided not to turn it off.  Anybody have any experience with 24 hour lighting?  Am I setting myself up for failure?  The plants have already started putting out a bunch of tiny flower buds, so it seems to be going well.
 
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