Oops forgot pictures!

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It looks like root mealies, wash all the soil off the roots & give it a good bath with about 1/2 cup bleach to a gallon of water, swish it in the water, then leave it there for about ten minutes before hosing it off with a sprayer. Then repot in clean soil and a new pot. It should loose some leaves, but it should also bounce back quickly.

I (respectfully(Ã)disagree that it's root mealybug.
They don't usually 'cluster' in one area like that.

I have had plants get those patches of mold...disgusting...even the drainage holes and the surface of the saucer had it.

I attributed mine to a couple of bags of soil that I'd purchased...they were a 'store brand'

Another time, though...our dog Harley had buried a stray piece of pizza crust (kids!) in one of my plants and the area of soil around it molded....eww!

After removing old soil and washing off the remainder of the roots, I used a fungicide...then re-potted.

I don't think the mold will harm you while removing it, but if you're worried about that, wear a dust mask (you can buy these at hardware stores) and wear gloves.

I'll definitely wear a mask and gloves when handling it. I looked at the roots again today and noticed the moldy bottom seems to have newspaper bunched into it - I guess for drainage? That explains the sharp cut between mold/nonmoldy area. It doesn't look like mealy bugs "just" mold.

Its raining a lot today and I want to do the repotting outside (just in case) so I'm hoping for sun tomorrow. What type of fungicide should I buy? I live near a Home Depot and a Lowes so something from one of those stores would be ideal. Also I've seen wonderful suggestions on making your own potting soil but since I'll only be replanting this one I'd prefer buying a premixed bag.

I'm just filled with questions today :)

Mentha, I thought Soil Mealy, too..then did a search..I guess SM prefer AV's to other plants..Is that true?

Ethena, up close, do the white things look like grains of rice?
I wouldn't toss that Ficus..it's beautiful!
Yours is the second plant picture posted that has newspaper buried in with soil. Wonder why nurseries are adding paper? What's the advantage or IMO disadvantage.

Your Ficus looks rootbound, so it's going to be a job ridding old soil. If it were mine, I'd take it outdoors and hose roots. Thoroughly. Rain or no rain. Unless it's pouring cats and dogs.
If you detangle roots, do it carefully. Roots don't like being disturbed, but in cases such as yours, it's worth it.
Be sure its new pot has drainage holes. And rid the newspaper!

Nan, I really know little about Soil Mealy, other than a the few sites read on Google.
You said SM don't live in patches, but if you look at Ethena's photo, the white gook is spread on the sides too.
See what I mean?

I wish you luck. Your Ficus is really nice, and looks healthy. Toni

Well, what I meant was they don't usually cluster in such a large, and more specifically dense or concentrated group as that one.

I suppose if I hadn't seen pots of soil with patches of mold in them I wouldn't have thought of it, but since I have, that's the first thing I thought of.

If I'm seeing it right, your pot has some 'mold' on the inside, too?

Ethena...whatever the store you visit has available as fungicide will do. I think there's a product with the brand name of SAFER that's widely available.

Many growers use antifungal foot spray for this problem, too. Tinactin comes to mind?
I'm not recommending that...just mentioning it as others do use it.

Mentha's root bath would definitely kill the mold, too, (one of the many uses of bleach!)if you'd rather not bother with a fungicide.
I'll admit I've never used that method for any plants, but if Mentha has, I trust her word.

Do you suppose they might be using newspaper as a cost-cutting measure? (Less soil needed, not to mention cheaper to ship, weight-wise.)

Newspaper helps keep soil from escaping through the hole in the pot. I use coffee filters. Since my husband drinks an amazingly large amount of coffee I have them on hand, plus they allow for better drainage.

Bleach is what I was taught to use in high school OH class for most problems. I have been using it ever since. It works well for cuttings especially. Just take the cutting put it in the bleach bath for about 10 minutes, then rince & let dry overnight then plant in clean soil.

It was asked: "What type of fungicide should I buy? "

Likely, none.

The mold at the bottom is degrading the paper. It's not a disease agent for living plants.

That moldy spot on the side of the rootball definitely isn't root mealybugs.

Quite likely it's a fungus that degrades dead organic stuff. And because many potting mixes have woody stuff in them, again, not a problem as far as disease.

But a potential problem does exits -- the rootball may be so coated with the degrading fungus that it will repel water. Not a good thing.

FYI, tho' I don't know if fungicide is what you need, Cinnamon is an excellent natural fungicide; good old Cinnamon which is readily found in the homes of anyone who bakes.

Rooting Hormones usually have antifingal in them, but they can be expensive. Cinnamon is cheaper & I learned of this trick from Orchid Growers, so I know it's both reputable & safe (I too have heard of the Tinactin trick, it's the same cure as for anthlete's foot &/or jock itch).

I too use newspaper to line my pots, just a couple of layers, I trace the bottom of the pot on newspaper & then cut 1-3 layers thick & place in bottom of pot. Over time it disintegrates, but somehow the soil still stays in the pot, I've done this for years. I've also heard of the coffee filter trick, but my filters are not cheap & have the newspapers around already anyway.