# Mold!



## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Has anyone else growing emersed plants ever encountered mold in their setups?

I've been seeing a white, fuzzy clumpy stuff on dead leaves and spent crypt spathes. Nothing major, but I am allergic to some mold and it concerns me. 

Might I have to much humidity? At one time I took great care to prevent openings to the outside world but have since discovered that that is unnecessary. An airstone is usually enough to fog up the glass plenty. 

Any light any of my fellow emersed gardeners could shed on this would be appreciated. Any details I forgot to mention?


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## EDGE (Feb 28, 2004)

I have had mold on some of the plants during the transition phase from outdoor to indoor. Mold was mainly growing on leaves that were dying and or rotting away.

I just try to remove as much mold and dead leaves as I can so it does not spread to healthy part of the plant. I haven't seen any mold on the leaves in the last month.

I think the mold can be reduce/control by pruning the plant so the bottom part of the stems don't get shaded and lose leaves.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Cavan,

I got mold on dying leaves and spent spathes all the time when I kept the humidity really high. If you're using an airstone making sure to have decent ventilation should prevent excess mouldering. I finally decided on cutting the plasting strip on my glass tops in half and that seemed to do the trick.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Yes, I guess it must be too humid in there. I also see mold the most on spent spathes. At one time it was even spreading to healthy growth.

I guess things are pretty humid when you see _H. difformis_ growing submersed-style leaves emersed. 

Just out of curiosity, is there some sort of device for measuring humidity?

Thanks guys.


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## EDGE (Feb 28, 2004)

yes there are meter to check the humidity in an area. I am not sure how accurate some of them are, but you can get them at reptile shop, hydroponic store, home depot, and some garden store. They are rather common actually.

I can't figure out one thing about my emersed setup, I have a lot of water droplet build up in the system but the C. crispatula send out flat emersed leaves instead of submersed wrinkle leaves like Xema's photos.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

The molds that grow on dead or dying plant leaves, spent spathes, etc. are very common molds that always grow on dead leaves when they first fall to the soil and get moistened. If you are allergic to them, you would be suffering all the time, because their spores are everywhere.

Allergists have changed their approach in recent times. It used to be that they would stick little bits of all kinds of stuff under your skin---hundreds of kinds of stuff---, and it would turn out that you were allergic to most of it. Then they would give you shots of all the stuff you were allergic to in increasing amounts to blunt your sensitivity. Now they realize that most of the stuff that your skin tests show you are allergic to don't really cause allergic symptoms unless injected under your skin and can be ignored.

Molds and bacteria are our friends. They release mineral nutrients for our plants!Lets hear it for molds!


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## EDGE (Feb 28, 2004)

HeyPK, in another post, you said adding oats in the tank will release co2. Will the decomposition of old leaves release enough co2? Is mold part of the decomposition for the release of co2? I have a mold buildup from the oats, but not enough to be unsightly.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Decaying leaves will release CO2, but after a while, when only organic matter resistant to decay reamins, the release may be slow. Oatmeal flakes decay faster, and mold plays a big role. No doubt, bacteria are also there and nematodes, and who knows what else.


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