White Fungus or Mineral Crust on Peace Lily Soil?

Identify the White Stuff Before Treating

Your small peace lily (8-12", 7" pot, 6 ft from east window) has white material on the soil surface and visible through drainage holes. The plant looks okay except for occasional brown leaf edges.

Two Possibilities

1. Hard, crusty deposits = mineral salts from tap water/fertilizer.
   • Fix: Scrape off, switch to distilled or filtered water.
2. Soft, squishy growth = fungal mold.
   • If you recently repotted: The new soil was contaminated. Remove all added soil (bottom, sides, top) and return plant to its original pot with original root ball only. Peace lilies rarely need repotting.
   • If you did NOT repot: Fungus has spread through the root ball. Requires a chemical soil drench fungicide.

Next Steps

Determine which type it is. If mineral crust, the fix is easy. If fungal and you repotted, undo the repotting. If fungal without repotting, you’ll need a fungicide.

Let me know what you find.