It may happen that there are white mold and green algae growing along with your plants. No need to worry, because mold and algae are not actually harmful to your plants, though it is not a pretty sight.
The reasons why mold and algae colonize soil surface:
- There are no fungicides or any other harmful chemicals added to Click and Grow plant pods. Our aim is to keep the plant pods as clean and healthy as possible. No kidding, but having some mold or algae on the soil is a sort of indicator of clean soil.
- Plant pods are packed with rich plant food, water and have just the right pH level. It is perfect for your plants, but also - it offers perfect growing conditions for mold and algae to grow too.
- You may have overwatered your garden. So it's very important that when you add water, the float shouldn't rise above the surface of the garden lid. We would recommend that the float should stay in the middle of the tank. If your plant pods still seem too wet, just click the pods out of the garden for 1-2 days to let them solidify.
How to prevent mold and algae from thriving:
- Make sure that the temperature inside your home is okay for the plants. The best average temperature to grow your plants is 18 to 24C (64 to 75F). At that temperature range plants have the most favourable conditions to achieve full growth and they will outrun mold and algae.
- Use (don’t remove) white U-shaped lids. These white lids cover the soil surface leaving no room between the lid and soil for the mold to thrive. Also, it covers most of the soil surface from the light so algae would not develop.
If the mold or algae is very aggressive you may scrape them off, but gently as not to damage the plants or seeds. The plants (seeds) will be okay to grow and use after the mold has been removed.
As a little pro-tip, wipe off the mold with a paper towel and add a layer of cinnamon powder to the soil. Try not to get the cinnamon on the plants themselves, as it might burn them. If mold appears often, cinnamon could be added as a preventative measure when new pods are plugged in.
If you are looking for a quick solution to remove the mold then we have a great video on that here:
Happy growing!