Viewing post #998584 by RickCorey

You are viewing a single post made by RickCorey in the thread called Help please - The soil in my terrarium is turning white..
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Nov 30, 2015 4:53 PM CST
Name: Rick Corey
Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a)
Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f
Frugal Gardener Garden Procrastinator I helped beta test the first seed swap Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Region: Pacific Northwest
Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Master Level Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database.
I also thought "salt accumulation" when I read the text, but it did not look that bad in the photo.

Unless those are very salt-tolerant plants, their health suggests that it is NOT excess salt crystallizing on the surface!

But possibly there is some very insoluble mineral in the soil blocks or water that precipitates on the surface without high concentrations of sodium and chloride. (Do you use tap water? Do you have "hard water" with Calcium and Magnesium salts? If that was the problem, watering with rainwater or distilled water might help ... but how do you get salt out of a terrarium that has no drain?)

I could easily believe mold or fungus. It's humid and organic and the air sounds still. If it is mold or fungus, improved air circulation and reduced humidity might help. Take the lid off and run a fan? The remaining water will evaporate rapidly and make things look worse if it is salt, but maybe look better if it is mold or fungus.

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