Mold on fabric pot

I would not transplant to a smaller container. If you're going to grow no-till, you need to learn how to water your plants correctly...


The very first thing I'd do would be to get the bottom of your pot/s raised away from the drainage tray. I like to keep several inches of airspace between the bottom of the pot and the drainage tray so that the soil is NEVER in contact with standing water from excess runoff. I like to use a series of PVC sections cut to the same length and set on end to support the pot. Cheap, durable, and effective...


Could you describe your watering technique/method? Like how you determine when to water, and how much you water at any particular time?

 

You just need to get you watering under control. You have small plants in big pots. There isn't enough root structure developed yet to warrant watering the whole pot, and certainly not to drain every time. Water enough around the "drip line" of the plant (outward reach of the largest leaves) to keep it alive, with maybe just a tad extra for your cover crop. Water more area of the pot as the plant increases in size, and water more deeply as well. You'll have to guess as to how far you want the water to penetrate down through the soil column...

Feeling for moisture on the outside of the pot is no indication as to how much moisture is left on the INSIDE of the pot, where the majority of the roots are. Nor is sticking your finger into the soil, especially in pots this big.


I'm not sure how much growing experience you have, but if you are used to using commercial bagged soils like OF or Roots, you must realize that the mixes made around here (including BJ's No-till mix) are much higher in organic matter content. This means that they will absorb and retain water for much longer periods of time, especially with younger plants with undeveloped root structures. Even with adequate aeration added to the mix...


You might want to consider investing in a moisture probe, or at the very least begin to employ the "lift and tilt" method to determine when your plants need water (other than letting them wilt, which might be a good idea once or twice so as to determine what a "light" pot feels like). Especially after watering, grab the top edge of your pots with one or two hands and tilt it up on its edge to feel how heavy it is. Don't water again until the pot feels light when you tip it up.

Perfect! Don't go adding anything to your pots until you get your watering under control...


How you gonna grill burgers now? LOL!

I think the biggest reason you have "mold" in the bottom of your pots is because they were sitting in standing runoff. It should disappear now that you've got some good air flow in between the bottom of the pot and the drain tray.


While the black forms of mold are generally not a good thing to see in any indoor environment, let's not forget that "mold" is just another form of fungi. Your soil is full of it. Get the soil moisture/root volume balance figured out, and you should have nothing to worry about...