Indoor Herb Gardens & Mold
Growing herbs indoors provides your kitchen with fresh herbs year-round. Some herbs grow better indoors than others do, but can grow indoors given sufficient lighting. Mold is more of a problem than with outdoor herb gardens because of indoor growing conditions. Does this Spark an idea?
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Over Watering
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Over watering is the primary cause of mold in indoor herb gardens. In outdoor garden, the ground provides sufficient drainage. Indoor gardens are usually potted making it much easier to over water. The best way to water your indoor herb garden is to set a rimmed tray large enough for the pot's base and fill it to the top with water. Nutrients from the soil are not leached out, as is the case with watering from the top of the pot, and you control how much water you plant receives. The soil on the top of the pot should be slightly moist, and not hard and dry, or very wet.
Ventilation
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Insufficient ventilation leads to ideal conditions for mold growth in your herb garden. When deciding where to place your indoor herb garden, choose a well-ventilated area. The plants have constant access to fresh air circulation, but still are in a protected space. Placing your herbs in individual pots ensures adequate ventilation. Another option is making leaving a lot of room between plants if they are sharing one growing pot. Thin out the foliage of some plants if they have become too closely spaced together.
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Prune
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If mold is in your herb garden, pruning keeps mold under control. Pinching off unhealthy leaves or portions of the plant as soon as mold appears keeps mold spores from spreading. Use gardening gloves to remove the moldy portions if you wish. Wash your hands after pinching unhealthy leaves so that the spores do not spread.
Removal
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If the spread to the root system or your entire herb garden, remove the affected plants. Removal is also the best option when the majority of the foliage has been infected. Carefully dig out the plant and its entire root system. Throw away the plant and use fresh potting soil to fill in the space where it was planted. Do not reuse the soil attached to the roots of the plant. Wash your hands after removing the plant.
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