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How to Identify and Control White Mold on Plants and Vegetables

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Prevent White Mold Fungus in Your Garden!

Catherine Boeckmann
Pest Type
Plant Diseases

Have you ever noticed dense white fuzz at the base of your plants—or have you seen mold symptoms on stems, leaves, or blossoms? Learn about white mold—a fungal infection—and how to prevent and control this plant disease.

What Is White Mold?

White mold, also known as sclerotinia, is a fungal disease that affects more than 360 different garden plants, including beans, peas, lettuce, and members of the cabbage family. White mold on tomato plants is sometimes called timber rot. 

Mold symptoms appear on blossoms, stems, leaves, and pods with water-soaked spots. Leaves wilt, yellow, and die, and pods may rot.

The host crops and plants are most susceptible during flowering, but young seedlings are also very vulnerable. White mold typically infects the plants early in the spring or summer and then develops unnoticed for a while. 

White mold fungus spreads spores in cool weather, which can infect other plants through the wind. This is why it is so important to catch white mold and destroy the infected plants quickly to stop the spread of the fungal plant disease.

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Identification

How to Identify White Mold Damage

White mold symptoms (signs of sclerotinia) tend to vary depending on the environment and type of plant, but here are some of the most common ones:

  • The stem might first appear to have a water-soaked part. At this point in the infection, the plant will look healthy from above.
  • Wilting of individual stems, especially at the base, with tan discoloration.
  • Infected stems may appear to have tan to dark brown lesions on them. From these lesions, a dense, cotton-like growth will form under conditions of high humidity.
green beans affected with white mold
White mold takes over a bean plant with its dense cotton-like growth.
Photo Credit:
Gardening Products
Control and Prevention

How to Control White Mold

  • As soon as you notice any diseased plants, destroy them immediately.
  • If your soil is infected, remove as much of it as you can and replace it with clean soil.
  • You can use a barrier, such as plastic or mulch, to cover the infected ground to prevent the spread of the disease.

Prevent White Mold

  • Be sure to use well-drained soil and space your plants properly to avoid crowding. Also, remember to avoid areas with poor air circulation.
  • When watering your plants, try not to water the tops of them. Or water the plants early in the day so they have the chance to dry before nightfall. Learn more about the best times to water your plants.
  • You can also spray your plants with an approved fungicide to help prevent infection. Spray the plants right before they bud, then spray again a week later.
  • Control your weeds. Weeds can host this disease and spread it to your plants.
  • If possible, remove all crop residue after harvesting. If residue is left, this disease may develop in it. White mold spores are long-lasting, so they will survive the winter if given the chance.
Plant Disease
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË found each other. She leads digital content for the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

No, it’s not recommended. See here, and read above:

  • As soon as you notice any diseased plants, destroy them immediately.
  • If your soil is infected, remove as much of it as you can and replace it with clean soil.
  • You can use a barrier, such as plastic or mulch, to cover the infected ground to prevent the spread of the disease.

amanda beggs (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

i got a like a cotton white fugus on my roses what do i need to get rid of it

The Editors

7 years 4 months ago

It sounds like your roses may have . If possible, remove the infected leaves and treat the rest of the plant with a fungicide, which you can find in your local hardware store, garden center, or online. Powdery mildew forms when conditions are warm and humid, so if you happen to be watering your roses from overhead, try watering at the base of the plant instead to reduce moisture around the leaves.

Becky Tippen (not verified)

7 years 7 months ago

I purchased a Sour Sop tree about 2 months ago, shortly after buying the tree the leaves started to get brown spots. I removed the leaves and it looked like the tree was doing ok now some leaves are spotting again. I did not have food for it so I used raised bed food for vegetables which ended up molding. I replaced the food with citrus tree food as well as a thin layer of cedar chips to keep the bugs off and again it molded. I did have a raised bed garden and was using compost tea to water the plants. Out of about 30 plants I have 3 left. The soil did mold is that because of the compost tea? I also have a mite problem which may have aided in the plants dying, I had them inside a lot of the winter which is where the mites are.

Have you contacted the source from which you purchased the plant? It may have been diseased or at least your vendor may have been able to provide some guidance. These are tropical plants that are vulnerable to a number of pests. That said, it is not a plant with which we have any experience, and would advise you to read up on it here: https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/soursop.html (Perdue is an excellent resource). We would also suggest that you contact the cooperative extension nearest you (chick on your state here: http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services ) If the folks at the extension do not have an answer they may very well refer you to a colleague at a service that is knowledgeable.

Earl W. Krause (not verified)

8 years 1 month ago

Barnstable Co. Ext. Serv. gave me a bad diagnosis, since your article does not seem to correspond to my situation. The "white mold" I have is NOT on the plants, but on the soil surface. There is nothing growing on plants, but I was worried about it's effect on my plants. It is ONLY on clear soil. It fades to gray color and disappears, but returns with moisture. It's spotty, in many areas, but only on clear soil. It's like fuzzy white ground cover.
Can you give me some better advice?

If you are talking about potted plants, it could be a harmless (and common) fungus called saprophytic fungus. It usually results from a combination of over watering, poor drainage, and old or contaminated potting soil. If any or all of those conditions ring true, repot the plant with new soil (and possibly a pot that drains better) and water less frequently.

 

Shirley Thompson (not verified)

8 years 3 months ago

My moon flowers started wilting and the leaves curled one section at a time, I checked around the roots and see white substance just below the soil surface . Now the entire plant has wilted, this is a well established plant I've had for 3 yrs. what could this be?

Hi Shirley,

There are a number of plant species with the common name of moon flower, but I am going to guess you have a Datura plant, in which case you may be looking at any one of the following viruses: Datura wilt virus, Datura distortion mosaic virus, Datura rugose leaf curl virus, or Datura quercina virus—all exhibit the wilting symptom. It is important to know if it is a virus and which one it is before treating it. I suggest taking some tissue cuttings (leaves and stem) and sending the sample to your local Cooperative Extension Office for testing. They will tell you a course of action to take.

Jackie (not verified)

8 years 4 months ago

I have what looks like it could be white mold on the branch of a 4 foot tree that I received from the National Arbor Day site. It's just at the top of the tree, about an inch or two long area on a branch. Can it be washed off or is there a way I can get rid of it without killing the tree? The leaves have started to wilt, so I need to do something quickly. I live in Missouri, so humidity is high and there's not much we can do about that...