Old Reviews Did I just screw up my Kind Soil?

[PapaEmeritus]

Hey folks - just ran into something interesting that I hope some of y'all could shed some light on.

At the beginning of the month I ordered all the stuff I needed to get my first grow going, then ran into some serious hassles/mistakes with my cab and had to essentially start from scratch and order a tent (should be here in a few days, whoo!)

Anyway, I bought 5lbs of kind soil while I was at it and when I realized it'd be awhile longer before I could plant anything I figured it'd be better to move it out of the bag/box it came in and into a larger bin. So I did, then put it away in a dark place and promptly forgot about it for the last few weeks. Just now I figured it'd be a good idea to open it up to let it breathe a bit. When I did, I saw that there was quite a bit of condensation on the sides of the bin and a fine, cottony white mold or fungus covering the top of the soil (see pics).

Now I assume that this is just the mycos that are supposed to be there doing their thing since I left them unsupervised, but can anyone confirm this? Also, is this growth bad for the rest of the nutrients in the soil? In other words, has whatever this growth is consumed any of the nutrients the soil that were meant for my plants? It's going to be another week or so before I can plant (and damn, am I tired of waiting) so if this growth is consuming nutrients I'd like to do what I need to do to slow it down/stop it in the meantime.

Thanks! :smoking:

(calling @Ripper & @stepside if y'all got a minute)

 

[Renaissance Redneck]

Now I assume that this is just the mycos that are supposed to be there doing their thing since I left them unsupervised, but can anyone confirm this?

Nope, not mycos. Just basic white mold. That's not so much a bad thing, though, it just means conditions were right for spores to grow (moisture, humidity, etc).
I'd keep it in a well ventilated area, mix it often -twice or more a day- and let it dry out a touch.
It's a common mold, I wouldn't worry a bit.
A light spritz of water and vinegar (1 tsp per 16oz) over the active growth will wreck it with a Ph drop, but I'm not sure I'd even do that.

 

[PapaEmeritus]

Nope, not mycos. Just basic white mold. That's not so much a bad thing, though, it just means conditions were right for spores to grow (moisture, humidity, etc).
I'd keep it in a well ventilated area, mix it often -twice or more a day- and let it dry out a touch.
It's a common mold, I wouldn't worry a bit.

Huh. Fair enough. I figured it *was* mycos, so I put the lid back on and shook the shit out of it to mix it back up - hope that wasn't the wrong move, lol. In retrospect, getting this grow going has been such a hassle and money pit that dropping another $30 on soil wouldn't be the end of the world if it was the wrong move, so I guess it's whatever.

I will definitely mix it more often and see what I can do about keeping it in a more ventilated area. When I transferred it to the bin from the bag, the place did kinda smell like someone ran around with a booboo in their underoos for a little while. Might have to put it out on the balcony or something.

Thanks!

 

[Renaissance Redneck]

You did no harm
Keep it turned (O2 is always a soils best friend).
You want smell, ask me about the time I mixed 7 gallons of Alaska Fish Emulsion in our kitchen during my first grow
I can find the humor in it now.... the Missus, still not so much

 

[PapaEmeritus]

You want smell, ask me about the time I mixed 7 gallons of Alaska Fish Emulsion in our kitchen during my first grow

 

[Renaissance Redneck]