It looks like I have a fungus on my ficus soil

Question

I just repotted my ficus tree. I put a layer of stone in the bottom of a large tin washtub then planted the ficus. It seemed to do well at first but then it got a little pale and I noticed that the top of the soil looks as if it has like a mold or fungus growing on the surface and it has been dropping a few leaves. Thanks for any help!!

Answer 1

A couple of questions to ask here: are there drainage holes in the bottom of your washtub, and how long ago did you replant? Oh yes, is the stuff on the soil soft, mushy, slimy, or is it hard? If you don’t have drainage holes, tip the thing over and make some –you really really need drainage. Stones in the bottom won’t do it. Fungus is a sign that the soil is too wet. Ficus don’t like to sit around with wet roots; in fact, dropping green leaves is a thing ficus do when they’re too wet. If the white stuff on the soil is hard, that would sound like salt build up, which shouldn’t be happening yet if you just repotted. I don’t know about using a “tin” washtub (I’m assuming you mean galvanized) for a plant container. It shouldn’t be reactive or anything, but it just doesn’t feel right to me. Maybe someone else has used them successfully.