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My houseplants have moldy soil. What can I do?
This is a common problem, especially this time of year.
To treat it, remove the plant from the container. Work gently to remove the root ball intact. Shake off excess soil. Discard the rest of the soil. You may want to go ahead and wash the container with a mild bleach solution.
Take the plant outside and dust the roots with a good fungicide like dusting sulphur or a product containing neem oil. An advantage to neem oil is that it's a safe and natural insecticide as well as fungicide.
Repot in new potting soil. To prevent the problem, make sure the plant gets the amount of light it requires. And be very careful about watering it too often. Check to make sure that the soil is completely dry before watering. It's better to water too little than too much. Too much water leaves to fungal and insect problems, or root rot.
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