mold (?) on stored soil <HR style="COLOR: #ecfcb2" SIZE=1>ok so i've long since trashed my stockpile of MG soil and mixed my own. 10 8lb bags of hyponex organic (no nutes at all) potting soil, two big bags of perlite and two bricks of coir (i think that's what it's called, its made from coconut husk, is a byproduct of the coconut industry and my local hydro store says it's as good as peat moss) all mixed up and stored in a 50 quart plastic tote. the problem is that i noticed a fine layer of mold on the top layer of dirt. really fine like lint. whiteish grayish in color and no offensive odor at all. just wondering if i need to worry about it or what. maybe it's just a co-incedence that i've been having problems starting seeds? i think my sprouting problem is due to the room being too cold so i ordered a heated sprouting tray. so, should i worry about the mold/mildew on my soil?
so there is no way to safely store soil? why doesn't bagged soil from the store have this problem? it just doesn't make sense. please understand i'm not trying to be difficult, but just trying to understand this. and soil may be cheap, but 10 bags of soil, two bags of perlite and three coir bricks is $25 total and that's more $ than i care to throw away if possible to save it. so, aside from those gnats is there any other problems that it could cause. oh, and i have a steamer, ya think that might do the trick?
Mold and mildew are caused by moisture, store your soil dry and in a dry sealed container and you will not have this problem. They are sealed and the mold and mildew cannot get in.