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Neem insecticide/fungicide

seedjar

Let's positive thinking!
So it's winter, and for my stuffy little apartment that means mold season. I've got a number of plants with molds developing on their soil - I haven't noticed any CPs afflicted (knock on wood) but the following have some sort of fuzz on their substrate:
Norfolk Island Pine
Euphorbia milli
Jatropha podagrica
Amaryllis
Some orchid (a terrestrial, looks vaugely like Onicidium)
Philodendron
Several unidentified cacti
Several large, container planted Tillandsias
Wild cinnamon tree
There are a number of afflicted houseplants that I'm pretty sure can take it (and I just don't care, I want the mold gone) that I think I'll just treat regardless. I want to use NEEM, but I don't know much about it.
Will harm the above plants? Will it harm CPs? Will it harm me if I use it indoors?
It was suggested to me that this mold might be a beneficial strain, blooming because of the warm, humid conditions in here. I took these pictures of some of the afflicted plants.
Does anyone think that I shouldn't kill this stuff? Even if it is beneficial, I have allergies and asthma, and it can't be good for me, my roommate or my animals to be breathing all these mold spores. If I kill it and it was beneficial, will that be the end of my plants, or will they just have retarded growth for a while?
Thanks everybody.
~Joe
Mods: Feel free to move this to a more appropriate area - I just didn't know where to put it as I'm asking about all sorts of plants.

PS - Aside for the mold on the ceramic containers, most of this stuff has shown up in the past week, appearing first in one container and rapidly spreading to others. That leads me to believe that it's some sort of recent epidemic, and not just another inhabitant of my houseplants' containers.
 
I wouldn't be too worried.
I doubt it's doing any harm/good... and I'd only kill it if it's doing harm. If it IS beneficial and you kill it, it will only retard growth in normal plants :p
but since orchids need their mycorhyzzal (sp?) fungi I doubt it would be very good for them.
I always have fungi in my plants and so far none of them have died because of the fungus.
 
I called the nursery where I got the Norfolk pine and they said to pick the fuzz off the soil and don't worry about the mycelium (the fungal body under the soil.) I think I'll do that for now and wait... we're moving into a more ventilated apartment soon so that should help. But, I do have a bottle of NEEM, and I'm keeping it next to the afflicted plants so the mold can have something to think about before it decides to make its next move.
~Joe
 
I was having some problems with rotting, etc with my house plants (philodendom, mother-in-law's tongue, rubber tree and others). The solution I found was to use ceramic pots, soil that drains well (with perlite), and water only when the soil is dry when you stick your finger in it (about 1" or so). When watering, water completely until it comes out the holes in the bottom, discard the water after its done draining (don't let the plant sit in the water). And never spray the plants with water! I live in a kinda stuffy apartment too, hope these ideas help.
 
also... open the windows!
smile_n_32.gif

plants like air circulation.
 
Yeah, I've been bugging my roommate about opening the window in there (he's living in the living room with the majority of the plants.) The plants in my bedroom, by comparison, are free of mold. I'll see about getting some drip trays so the plants don't have to sit in the water - right now the majority of them are all on a big cast iron cookie sheet that's about an inch deep, which is not much fun to empty when full of water and silt.
Thanks again.
~Joe
 
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