Question
Hi

I purchased a china doll plant for our reception desk at work. The plant has been in the airconditioned office for nearly three months and now has a soft looking white mould growing on the leaves & stem. It gets morning sun and is watered regularly. It also is dropping a lot of leaves. What can I do for the plant

Answer
Jeannette,

The mould and leaf dropping indicates that the plant is being overwatered and needs to dry out as quickly as possible. This plant needs to be nearly dry before you water it again, especially in an airconditioned office. When it is kept cool it will not use water nearly as fast as it would in warmer conditions. I would spray it lightly with Lysol spray to kill the mould and over weekends I would set it in a sunny window where it will get more sun all day long.  After you water it empty the drain tray an hour later and not water it again until the surface of the soil has been dry for 4-5 days and the plant is feeling light weight. You can insert a bamboo skewer into the soil and not water it until only the lower 2 inchesw of the skewer is moist. That will be an accurate way of telling how wet the plant is. Good luck.

Darlene