Hey folks, I'm trying to not get too overwhelmed with this hefty palm tree but it's just continuing to have issues. I noticed it starting to droop a while after I got it and I assumed all the issues were from not getting enough sunlight inside my apartment. So I leave it on my balcony to get some light now and again. Next thing I noticed, mold started to appear. I changed the soil entirely in case what I had used was contaminated, and I monitored if it was due to poor drainage or the water wasn't evaporating (again maybe because of light). Unfortunately the mold came back even after the soil change, stronger than ever. And I noticed lots of different bugs inside of the soil. I don't know how they survived the soil change but with such a gigantic plant it must have been easy. It takes an extremely long time to wipe down the leaves and trying to get dirt out of the roots is nearly impossible without ripping them up. One kind of bug I noticed were extremely tiny white ones that may have had wings. Another was a long black one that had no wings. Then next thing I know there was a white flying one with long legs. I read somewhere that certain soil bugs excrete honeydew which causes mold, and I wanted to see if anyone could give me some plan of action because I've tried pretty hard with this one. If anyone could identify the bugs as well, it would be really great to know what to do about them and the soil getting so badly moldy so quickly.

The mold isn't going to hurt anything. You could use about an inch of soil on top of the old soil. When you stick your finger in the soil to check the moisture, stick it between the soil and the plastic pot so you don't leave finger holes in the soil. Take the plant outdoors or in the shower and spray down the leaves well and knock off all the bugs you can. Make sure you cover the soil with plastic so you don't flush out the nutrients or saturate the soil with too much water. Put in in a good spot and leave it alone for a while. .

Pleases post a photo that shows the entire plant so we can see what Palm species you have. Some Palm species require lots of direct sun and others must be in shade at all times. Some need dry soil and others need samp soil.

Whatever problem your Palm may have had was not helped by the repotting. Plant pests can be treated successfully and safely without resorting to drastic measures such as replacing the soil.