Worried about your houseplants? Four things to chill out about...

It's 2023, we're all worried about everything, but here are four things you do NOT have to worry about when you spot them on and around your houseplants. 

1. White 'mould' on the surface of pots. Don't call it mould, call it saprotrophic fungi and hey presto, it immediately feels science-based rather than icky.  Saprotrophic fungi of many species can show up in your substrate, but they are harmless to your plants: and they do amazing work breaking down dead material so we're not walking knee deep in leaf litter (there's a good beginners' guide on the RHS website). If the sight of white mould offends you, pop some mulch over the surface using expanded clay pebbles (Leca), gravel or similar. If you have a lot of fuzzy mould on your plant soil, this may indicate your potting mix is a little too moisture retentive, or a little more air circulation and a little less water is needed, so that may be worth checking if you have a moment. 

2. Yellow mushrooms growing out of pots. Fear not, it's saprotophic fungus again! It's often a particular species called Leucocoprinus birnbaumii aka the pot plant mushroom aka plant pot dapperling - these are toxic to pets and humans, so are worth removing if you have kids and animals that like to have a chew. Otherwise they won't do any harm sitting there and I think they look very beautiful. You can see a picture of some popping up in Deiffenbachia soil in On The Ledge episode 116's Q&A.

3. Springtails. If you lift up a pot and find a whole host of little creatures way smaller than a rice grain pottering about, there is a really, really good chance these are springtails. They are harmless to your plants, and actually do some good, acting as a 'cleanup crew' eating dead plant material. More fascinating springtail facts in On The Ledge episode 167.

4. Spiders. They literally cannot harm your plants and they are probably helping to tackle any pests that are present. (Don't get them confused with red spider mite.) I did a whole interview on how great spiders are and how you can tackle arachnophobia with the wonderful Tea Francis. Listen here. 

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my email newsletter about the houseplant scene. Subscribe here and get my free in-depth guide to fungus gnats.