Hey guys
As Iv posted before about the Mallsai I received
Started to notice on the top soil and around the base of the trunk there is like a white spotty furry mold type growth
Read up on this and seems to be because of overwatering if that's correct?
Iv had it a few weeks arrived very dry as took over a week to ship so I gave it a water bath and just watered each week because it does seem to dry out I'm planning on repotting and soiling next week is there anything I can do to get rid of this and avoid it again or is it even such a bad thing?
The tree is responding very well to pruning and new buds and shoots appearing

Not sure why you want to repot. It is normal that soil dries out.

WHite furry stuff can be mold. Can also just be calcium deposits. Pictures would help.

Was planning on repotting just for growth as it's in the small 6 inch ceramic mass produced pot

Toonstar87 wrote: Started to notice on the top soil and around the base of the trunk there is like a white spotty furry mold type growth
Is there anything I can do to get rid of this and avoid it again or is it even such a bad thing?

Hi Toonstar...
Well I´m experiencing the same problem with my ficus and I most certainly don´t think it is directed connected to an overwatering regime. You´ll see my tree right now lies within my house and I´m not watering too often since this winter it hasn´t required too much water. Anyways, I´m not certain either what is this whitish "substance" and I would really love to know too if it is mold or something else. Specially I´d like to know if I shoul be particullary worried about this. Also a photo of my issue is attached

Alain

What I think I see is algae (not moss) and mold, which does seem to indicate overwatering.

Auk wrote: What I think I see is algae (not moss) and mold, which does seem to indicate overwatering.

Uhmmm... Alright, I'll check on it. But if it wasn't directed related to overwatering where would you place your second bet? Could it be fungal? Just asking... :whistle:

Alain

Brush it off and see if it comes back?

Dave

Ì find I get algea with certain fertilisers & not letting the soil dry out enough (Which is mainly a problem with backed clay products as substrate)

ironhorse wrote: Brush it off and see if it comes back?

Dave

Ha... Hi Dave,

Been there, done that. Actually, the first time I removed it all using a knife and a week later it had appeared all over the place again.

Thanks Dave

leatherback wrote: Ì find I get algea with certain fertilisers & not letting the soil dry out enough (Which is mainly a problem with backed clay products as substrate)

Uhmmmm... That's another probable cause. You'll see the first time it showed up it was right after I had thoroughly fertilized my ficus a month ago (as ficus keep growing on winter I fertilize it once a month with a balanced fertilizer). And at first instance something ressembling a white mist or a thin web appeared on top of the soil. That was, as I said to Dave, when I removed it using a knife, but just a week ago it started to "resprout" again... That is why I was thinking that it was not directly related just to an excess of water.

Alain