The soil in the greenhouse was covered with a rusty coating. How to get rid of white plaque in flower pots. Mold - what is it

It is worth noting that a lot depends on what kind of soil is in the garden bed and what substrate is used for its formation, and not only appearance, but also how healthy the plants are and the quantity and quality of the harvest. With the slightest changes, both in the composition of the soil and in the parameters of temperature or humidity, a number of problems may arise with the soil in a polycarbonate greenhouse or greenhouse. Among the most common problems is mold, which appears as a white coating.

The reasons why the soil in a greenhouse becomes covered with plaque can be different, but before you start taking certain actions, you need to determine what led to such consequences.

As a rule, this happens:

Too much humidity;
Increased acidity;
Poor ventilation in the greenhouse;
Oversaturation of the soil with fertilizer.

If the ground turns green and does not turn white, or moss and algae begin to appear, then this is the first sign of an excess of moisture. In this case, you need to pay attention to the level of illumination and the presence of ventilation.

It is important to remember that moss develops in the dark, and in too much bright atmosphere seaweed.

Acidic soil is an excellent and favorable environment for the formation of moss, as a result of which the ground becomes covered with a green coating. Moss is a plant that consumes carbon dioxide, mineral salts and water from the soil, completely depriving the plants of power.

If there is a combination of excess moisture and increased acidity, then the moss will spread at an incredible speed, and therefore you need to rush to do the treatment in order to get rid of such a problem as soon as possible. At first glance, moss seems completely harmless, but it deprives everyone of their culture. nutrients, and the consequence will be their death, the occurrence of diseases and poor-quality harvest. Moss can spread throughout the greenhouse if you overfeed the soil with phosphorus fertilizer. Also, a green coating occurs due to blocking the access of oxygen to plants. Any crop needs fresh and constant ventilation. This is what makes it possible to eliminate bacteria that form on the soil and infect plants.

What to do when the soil in the greenhouse turns green

Initially, in order to remove green deposits, you need not only to treat the surface of the earth, but also to carry out the so-called cleaning. If the cause of green plaque is groundwater and round-the-clock watering, you need to stop it until the soil dries out.

It is imperative to establish ventilation.

If the soil in the greenhouse begins to become covered with moss, then you need to remove it using sun rays. If algae has formed, then you need to, on the contrary, block any access to light, which is done by sprinkling with sawdust or sand. More effective way The fight against greenery on the ground involves removing the top layer of soil.

Ventilation in a greenhouse and greenhouse is the most important stage when growing crops, which will eliminate not only the covering of the ground with a green coating in the form of moss, but also the formation of pathogenic bacteria.

If the soil is too acidic, then you need to:

Spread a classic deoxidizer, such as ash, dolomite flour or lime;
Sow green manure, the type does not matter at all;
A month after the green manure germinates, you can safely plant seedlings of crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants or peppers;
After the seedlings begin to grow stronger, cut off the green manure, which can be used in the future for mulching.

Gardening experts categorically do not recommend using copper sulfate to combat moss or algae, as this radical method will remove not only pests, but also some crops, including those inhabitants of the soil that benefit plants. As soon as the soil is saturated with fine vitriol, you can safely remove the soil and throw it away. This is a tough method that allows you to overcome greenery in greenhouse soil, but it is better to push these options to the farthest drawer, otherwise you may lose the harvest for several years to come.

Mold has appeared on the ground in the greenhouse: what to do?

It is not always possible to get the desired result as quickly, simply and without special effort, since many problems often arise, in particular such as mold. Why do you need a polycarbonate greenhouse?

To grow crops:

Qualitative;
Big;
Delicious.

In order to overcome such formation, you can use special means, purchased in stores. They contain a sorbent, which increases the amount of alkali in the soil, thereby deactivating mold.

For its formation and spread, mold chooses a neutral and acidic environment.

Experienced gardeners prefer to use charcoal and ash in a 1:2 ratio. You need to wake up with this composition land plot, and loosen it. Thanks to the large number minerals and calcium, the fungus is destroyed.

Causes of mold in a polycarbonate greenhouse

When carrying out timely preventive measures, you can completely eliminate the formation of mold. When transplanting seedlings into pots, you need to treat them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. If the seedlings gradually begin to become moldy, then you need to additional processing potassium permanganate and fungicides before transplanting into open ground.

Mold will appear on the surface of the soil in a greenhouse, even with proper care of the plants, if:

The temperature will be too high and there will be infrequent ventilation;
Too much high humidity air and soil;
There is a lack of lighting, natural rather than artificial;
Too poor ventilation in the greenhouse and greenhouse;
There are problems with sealing in the irrigation system, and hoses are leaking, because these are the places that are most suitable for the formation and development of fungus.

The reasons for the appearance of mold have been described previously and, accordingly, in order to avoid such consequences, you simply need to prevent them. In particular, regularly ventilate the greenhouse, especially if the weather is hot and completely windless. This needs to be done daily. In addition, you need to ensure that perspiration does not appear on the walls of the room, and if such wet areas form, they are removed with a dry cloth.

It is these parts that will become the source of fungus.

Watering the plants is carried out so that there are no stagnant puddles on the surface of the ground. In order to support optimal humidity, it is advisable to install water containers on the floor, which will ensure that the plants take in the water and air that they require, and an optimal microclimate will be maintained without sudden changes.

Gardener's answer: why does the soil in the greenhouse turn green (video)

Experienced gardeners prefer to install greenhouses that have vents on the roof. By opening them, the soil is dried and ventilated, which eliminates all the problems described above and reduces the likelihood of plant death several times.

A greenhouse is a closed space in which the earth is in special conditions. Greenhouse soil is deprived of the ability to self-heal, negative fauna and flora accumulate in it more intensively, and bioprocesses occur faster. Heat and changes in humidity can provoke the growth of mold fungi, which destroy wooden frames, affect living plants and negatively affect human health.

When systematizing plants in living nature, fungi are separated into a separate kingdom. There are more than 250 types of fungal organisms, which are grouped into orders and groups according to biological characteristics. In the international modern classification, mold fungi occupy the sixth order and are mainly represented by unicellular organisms, and in rare cases - multicellular. Due to the microscopic size of individual groups of fungi, they are called micromycetes.

Scope of distribution

Molds can live and spread on soil and in water. Extensive colonies spread everywhere in moist, warm places with a suitable nutrient medium. The soil in a greenhouse is just such an environment. The health of plants directly depends on the quality of the substrate in which they were grown. If the quality of the greenhouse soil has changed, this will not have a very good effect on the growth and development of seedlings. The very first sign that there was white mold, there will be a whitish coating on the surface of the soil, which is a harmful fungus.

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The reasons why white mold may appear in a greenhouse are:

Violation of agrotechnical rules when growing seedlings and crops in protected soil conditions. This can lead to the predominant development of pathogenic microflora.
Dirtiness of the room. Mold mainly grows in dirty conditions. It is because of this that the greenhouse must be systematically treated with antifungal drugs (painted, whitened, washed) and cleaned.

Conditions for development

Microscopic spores are easily transported by air currents and can remain dormant for several decades. When suitable conditions arise, they begin to grow and reproduce rapidly. In this case, living plants are captured from soft tissues(cucumbers, tomatoes, seedlings vegetable crops and others like them).

Conditions most suitable for mold growth:

Insufficient lighting (a small amount of ultraviolet rays that enter dense plantings, as well as cloudy weather without additional lighting);
Increased soil moisture and stagnation of water after watering at the root system. This may be due to water leakage in damaged areas of the hose or due to improper watering;
Poor or no ventilation;
The temperature in the greenhouse is 20–22 degrees above zero;
Indoors humidity is 95%.

Preventive actions

The appearance of mold is associated with the processes of decomposition of vegetation and biocorrosion. It is because of this that mold grows most strongly in the autumn. But with one-time use of anti-mold preparations, the desired result will not be achieved. For creating optimal conditions For the growth and development of plants on protected soil, it is necessary to carry out a number of measures.

Downy mildew of cucumbers: causes, symptoms of the disease and treatment

After harvesting in the autumn, it is imperative to disinfect the greenhouse before the next season of growing vegetable crops without seedlings. To get rid of mold on the soil in a greenhouse, you can act in several ways:

Treat the FAS premises;
In the spring, it is necessary to repeat the procedure for treating the premises with a solution of potassium permanganate and adhesives (soap and the like), if mold was detected in the greenhouse in the previous year;
Constantly monitor soil and air moisture levels during the growing of crops and seedlings;
The irrigation system must be kept in good working order. Overmoistening should not be allowed. One of the indicators of waterlogging is the appearance of black legs on seedlings. In this case, the soil must be sprinkled with dry sand under the plants. It is necessary to check the greenhouse well, but avoid drafts;
Mold does not like alkaline environments. It is because of this that the greenhouse soil, with an interval of 3-4 weeks, needs to be powdered 3 times a season under all plants with a mixture of charcoal and ash, ground into powder (the proportion of the mixture is 1:1).

If mold appears on the soil (especially on compacted soil), you can treat it with peat, represented by dry briquettes of high-moor peat. Peat contains a synthetic polymer that serves as a soil loosening agent. When it soaks, it increases several times in volume. In order to neutralize acidity in the soil, it is necessary to treat with a peat copper solution. Mineral water-soluble fertilizers are also added there.

If you find mold on the ground or plants, begin treatment immediately. The fungus that causes moldy crust spreads quickly and can infect all plants in a few days.

Unfortunately, when it appears visually, it may mean that the spores have already spread throughout the greenhouse, and the harvest is in doubt. Nevertheless, it is important to do everything that depends on you on time.

What fungus can infect plants:

Gray mold - grows in buds and leaves, looks like white and gray dots.
Blackleg is a putrefactive mold that causes seeds to germinate poorly, leaves to turn yellow, and stems to turn black.
Powdery mildew - plaque white, which affects flowers, leaves and fruits. A common disease in cucumbers.

Note: a white coating on the soil is not always mold. If you are planting seedlings in peat pots and noticed something similar, it could be salt deposits. In this case, remove it with a spoon and then water the plants with settled warm water.

Why does mold appear on soil and vegetables?

The greenhouse itself is a favorable environment for the development of fungus, since it is warm and humid by default.

The main causes of mold growth lie in the creation of improper conditions:

You do not ventilate the greenhouse well, so the air in it stagnates.
Stagnant air, in turn, becomes oversaturated with moisture - if you do not monitor the humidity level, the fungus will be grateful to you.
Poor regulation of temperature balance. Heat combined with humidity is the perfect formula for disease development.
Do not check the acidity of the soil - the higher it is, the more nutritious it is for the “pest”.

However, even if you do everything correctly, fungus can develop. To prevent crop infection as much as possible, take preventive measures.

Preventing mold in a greenhouse

The main and simplest method of prevention is proper care for plants and greenhouse. Ventilate the room well, do not create puddles during watering. To maintain sufficient humidity, you can place containers of water around the greenhouse.

Before planting vegetables, prepare the seeds and disinfect the soil and the greenhouse itself.

Advice on how to prevent mold from growing in garden beds:

Ways to combat mold in a polycarbonate greenhouse

How to deal with mold in a greenhouse?

If the plants are affected by gray mold and you notice it in the initial stages on the leaves, remove the affected areas with alcohol-soaked scissors.

If you find a black leg, remove the plant along with the substrate.

If there is white rot in the greenhouse, then you need to remove the damaged areas and spray the plant with phytosporin. In case of extensive damage, the plant must be completely removed.

If you have acidic soil, loosen the soil with wood ash, increasing its alkaline content.

If you find plaque on the ground, check to see if there is a leak from the irrigation pipes. Seal or replace a section of the pipe, spill the soil with the same phytosporin.

How else can you treat the soil and greenhouse against mold? Mulch with peat mixed with lime and copper sulfate.

Unfortunately, the fungus spreads very quickly from plant to plant, so you need to carefully monitor your vegetables and not delay treatment. See how cucumbers affected by white rot are processed:

Remember: timely treatment will help get rid of mold in the greenhouse and preserve the harvest. Watch your vegetables carefully and pick only healthy fruits.

The problem of mold in a greenhouse is not a very common phenomenon. Typically, such rooms are well ventilated, and the transparent walls and ceiling allow enough air to pass through. sunlight to prevent fungus from developing.

If we talk about what to do when such a problem arises, there are several options (from budget to expensive).

Why does mold appear in a greenhouse?

It develops due to several reasons:

There is no normal ventilation (air exchange is insufficient). Problems with ventilation can affect both the entire room and its individual sections (for example, some corner is not ventilated, and then mold can develop there).

High humidity is maintained. This can occur due to stagnation of water on the ground and on plants. Stagnation occurs due to excessive watering or leakage through watering hoses (if there are cracks in it).

Eat a large number of wooden surfaces (and if they are not yet painted, this accelerates the appearance of mold).

Insufficient lighting. This is an unlikely factor, since there are usually no problems with lighting in greenhouses - otherwise the plants simply could not grow normally.

The main reason is the first reason - the lack of a normal ventilation system. If the air stagnates and other negative factors are present (humidity, lack of lighting), mold will appear sooner or later.

Where exactly does the fungus appear?

There are several “favorite” places where fungus appears in a greenhouse:

wooden structures: beams, furniture, racks, boxes;

on the soil and on the plants themselves (especially tomatoes, cucumbers);

areas with stagnant air and/or lack of lighting: usually these are corners on the floor, the space under the stands (if the greenhouse has stands on which boxes with plants stand).

In such a greenhouse, mold can appear under and between boxes, behind boxes and inside them.

If glass and polycarbonate become covered with mold, it is only after a serious infection, when the fungus has attacked wooden surfaces near.

Why is this dangerous?

It makes no difference what exactly the greenhouse is affected by: black, white or gray (sooty) mold. Any mold is dangerous for humans, plants, and the building itself.

Negative consequences:

Damage to the structure (building) itself, if it is made of wooden materials.

Damage wooden products inside the greenhouse (racks, boards, boxes).

Harm to plants (decrease in growth rate, decrease in metabolic processes in plant tissues, weakening from other diseases).

Harm to people who will work inside the greenhouse. Inhalation of mold spores may aggravate or cause problems such as bronchial asthma, dermatitis, cough, itchy skin. Allergic reactions may also occur.

At first, mold infection may not manifest itself in any way (while the concentration of spores in the air is still small).

What to do if mold appears in a greenhouse: ways to combat it (+ video)

To get rid of mold in a greenhouse, you need:

Remove the plaque itself.

Understand what caused the mold.

Eliminate the reasons for its occurrence. If favorable conditions remain for the development of the fungus, it will continue to appear.

How exactly can you remove plaque:

Folk remedies. The option is cheap and simple - many of the suitable substances can be found on the farm (you don’t have to go to the store). But these are not specialized tools. They are worth using if the fungus has not grown too much and has not become deeply embedded in the tree.

Purchased funds. More effective method fight - specialized drugs kill spores more reliably. They are sold in the form of a ready-to-use liquid (that is, there is no need to prepare or dilute anything).

Smoke bombs (sulfur or tobacco). They are used both for prevention and to combat mold that has already appeared. They are set on fire in the greenhouse. The smoke that is produced during combustion kills the spores. Compared to purchased liquids, this is a more effective (smoke will penetrate into every crack), but longer (after using the checker, the greenhouse will have to be ventilated for 2-3 days).

Optimal control scheme: to remove plaque - use purchased funds, and 1-2 times a season - fumigate the room with a saber.

Sequence of work: step-by-step plan

Action plan:

We find all areas affected by mold. To do this, you will have to turn everything inside the greenhouse over: move aside the racks, drawers, inspect every corner, look under the leaves of the plants and behind the plants that grow along the edges close to the walls.

We take out all the items that can be taken out. If the product is severely damaged, it is better to throw it away.

We open the windows and doors of the greenhouse.

We put on protective equipment (gloves, a respirator, and ideally also glasses to prevent mold spores from getting into your eyes).

We treat the greenhouse with the selected product. Since greenhouses usually have a small area, there are likely to be mold spores on all surfaces. Therefore, to be on the safe side, it is better to walk everywhere.

Let the room air out.

If there were large colonies of mold on the walls or ceiling of the greenhouse, the treatment can be repeated after 1-2 days.

If you decide to use a checker, it can be used instead liquid products, and in addition to them. In what order this should be done (first treatment with drugs, then saber, or vice versa) is not important.

If mold appears on the soil, special sorbent substances must be used to treat it. They increase the alkaline level in the soil, making it difficult for fungus to grow there.

To prevent mold from reoccurring:

Ensure normal air exchange in the greenhouse - the room must be ventilated constantly. This is also useful for plants that need Fresh air and which can be harmed by high humidity. Window windows are often used to ventilate greenhouses.

A white coating on the ground in seedlings is a sign that something went wrong when growing it. This is a fairly common problem not only for seedlings, it can also appear on the top layer of soil indoor plants. There is no need to worry about this, because if you detect the problem in time, you can deal with it quite successfully.

Signs and causes of plaque

Most often, plaque is a colony of fungal microorganisms. Fungal spores fall from the air into the soil, where they actively begin to multiply, after which the surface layer of the soil becomes covered with white mold (sometimes it looks more like yellow - it depends on the strain mold fungus. Often, deposits from the soil spread to the inner walls of the containers in which your seedlings grow.

Fungal spores are present in the air, but they begin to multiply only when they find themselves in an environment favorable to them. The following factors favor them:

Excessive air/substrate humidity.
Poor lighting.
Temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius.

The second option for covering the ground with a white coating is efflorescence, that is, small crystals of salts. It manifests itself only in the soil and does not spread to the walls of pots. It is easy to distinguish it from mold: it is harder, and when you try to knead it, it simply crumbles. If you look closely, you can see the crystalline structure.

Here's what causes it to appear:

Pot too big size or simply overwatering. In this case, the plant does not have time to absorb the entire volume of water, the moisture evaporates, and the salts contained in it are drawn to the surface.
Use for irrigation of hard water.
Dry indoor air.
Absence drainage holes in a container.
Excess fertilizer.

What to do if you find a white coating?

The easiest way to “defeat” crystalline plaque:

Dry the soil thoroughly. The best way To do this, place the pot in the sun.
We remove a thin layer of soil with plaque.
We loosen the soil underneath.
Next, water the seedlings only with settled water (at least 24 hours), making sure not to overwater.

If the ground is covered with mold, it will be a little more difficult to remove the plaque. First of all, we also dry the soil and remove the layer of soil. But usually this is not enough, and after watering, the growth of the mycelium resumes with renewed vigor.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to disinfect the soil. You can do this in one of the following ways:

We are preparing a solution of potassium permanganate with a low concentration, the water should be slightly Pink colour. We spill the soil with this solution, making sure that its entire surface is wetted.
We use hydrogen peroxide, the required concentration: 5 milliliters of a 30% solution per liter of water. There is no need to water the soil with peroxide; we spray the surface with a spray bottle.
If all else fails, you can use special fungicides (substances that selectively destroy fungi): trichodermin, trichocin. We use them according to the instructions.

Mold grows well in highly acidic soil, so good option The way to combat it is to use special deoxidizers sold in stores ( dolomite flour, tree resin or ordinary lime).

They need to be applied to a surface that is free of fungus. The effect can be enhanced by adding leaf soil and humus to the deoxidizing agents.

Another good remedy to combat mold - Fitosporin-M. It can be used not only when plaque has already appeared, but also in advance. This drug protects against any bacterial and fungal diseases, is safe, environmentally friendly and is itself an organic fertilizer.

It is a culture of bacteria beneficial to plants, Bacillis subtilis, preserved in the substrate, which hunt harmful microorganisms, preventing infection. The drug is diluted in accordance with the instructions and is subsequently used to water the seedlings every third time (two waterings with ordinary water, the third with Fitosporin-M).

Preventive measures

The best way to combat plaque is to prevent its appearance even before the ground turns white. First of all, the soil used for growing seedlings must be disinfected.

This can be done using temperature treatment: heating in the oven or, conversely, freezing for up to several days. Next, the soil is washed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and then dried. You can begin planting work.

After the seedlings are planted, it is worth mulching the soil (covering it with mulch on top for protection). As mulch for seedlings, it is best to use ash, charcoal or crushed Activated carbon. This helps retain moisture at the roots of the plant and prevents mold from forming.

The next important element of prevention is proper watering. Be sure to take these tips into account:

Using hard water is almost guaranteed to lead to salt deposits. If you are unlucky with the quality of your water supply, use a special filter. In extreme cases, let the water sit for at least 24 hours.
You can additionally soften the water by immersing a rag bag filled with peat in a container with it while it settles.
The water should be at room temperature; too cold or hot will not work.
Under no circumstances should you water too often or overwater.

Follow all these measures - and you won’t have to watch the surface of the soil turn white, and your seedlings will be strong and healthy!