Indoor plants and how to prevent white mold on soil?

[OakEmber]

Hope this is the right forum to ask this question. What causes the white mold (I think it's mold anyway) on the soil and what can I do about it? I was thinking of adding a drop of tea tree oil to the water but I am not sure if that will kill the plant. Any tips?

[Meiri]

Is it mold or is it mineral deposits from the water that get left behind after evaporation and absorbtion by the plant? Is it hard or soft? Does it grow even when you haven't watered for a long time?

I would try watering with distilled water before adding tea tree oil. Maybe repot them with fresh soil first.

[OakEmber]

I'm not sure if it is really mold or not, all my plants have it (the whole 3 of them, LOL), so it would make sense that it could be mineral deposits from the water. I am bad about watering them so there are definately times when they are dry. How can I tell the difference?

[Meiri]

How can I tell the difference?

I'm not sure, but I do know that our water is somewhat hard and all the plant pots get lines of white in various areas from the mineral deposits left behind by evaporation.

Besides that, the only other thing I've noticed on plants I've had has been algae-green slimeness.

It occurs to me that even these mineral deposits might not be that hard...

Repot is still the best advice I can think of. Start with fresh dirt and see how things go. They need a fresh change of soil periodically anyway.