Soil Additives That Help with Mold

Question

When we visited our son in Austin last year, we helped him put in his first small garden. He and his wife enjoyed the green beans, tomatoes, jalapeno plants, etc. However, his zucchini plants and cucumber plants he had trouble with. They had mold and wilt on them. He replanted and the same thing happened. He has an automatic sprinkling system and it was set to water at 6:30 a.m. He’s getting ready to till up the soil and plant for this year. Is there something he can add to the soil that will help with any future mold problem? He tested the soil and it’s within the range for garden plants.

Answer 1

White mold is caused by the soil borne fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Also called stem rot, many vegetable crops are susceptible to this fungus. It requires an abundance of moisture to grow. Therefore, keeping the area as dry as possible and growing plants in well-draining soil is important for prevention of this disease. If the area is too wet, it could be the result of too much irrigation or poor drainage.