I need to get rid of mold I'm seeing in my soil from coffee grounds I mixed in. I got neems oil to take care of the gnats it was producing but what do I do to get rid of the actual mold? Will just continually hand tilling the soil do it or is there something else that needs to be done? Thanks -Emt1581
you need that mold, its beneficial bacteria and fungus... the micro organisms eat the coffee grounds and break down and make it readily available for your plant,,, let it continue to breakdown while youre growing as organic material breaks down, food becomes readily availible via microbes botta bing bottA boom one dog goes one way the other dog goes the other way.
i know alot of people wont read this until they realize, this has everything you need to know about microbes... www.microbeorganics.com
To come to a rudimentary understanding of how organic or natural growing really works, one must cast off previous miscomprehensions from the chemical model, that when we fertilize or add compost or other organic matter, we are feeding plants. This is not the case. With true organics one is feeding the microorganisms in the soil which convert organic nutrients into a form which can be assimilated by the roots of plants.
Mould is not the same as the mycorrhizal fungi that is indeed beneficial to soil systems. Coffee grounds are the sort of thing you would add as a mulch or dig into an outside plot, or add to a compost heap. It's not the sort of additive you would add to an indoor container of soil. It's quite acidic, and because it hasn't been composted it will be prone to being consumed by mould. This may actually be a good thing because it will break down the grounds. You can't get rid of it because it is in the soil, but by tilling the surface you'll prevent it from spreading spores which could begin to grow mould on your buds at a later date. It will grow best in warm, damp conditions so letting the soil dry out will reduce the regrowth of it.
without harming roots! better yet just leave that layer of mold and cover with a soil thats been composted OP...
Unless the plant is very well established, you could easily remove the top quarter or half inch of soil from a container and not touch any roots. If it is well established then the amount of damage would be insignificant. Effectively just brush/scrape the mould off the surface. But yes, covering it will basically do the same job.