White residue on top of soil

[Greenlivin]

Hopefully this is my last rookie question for a while. Should I be concerned with the white residue being left on my soil? Does anyone know what it is?? Calcium?

 

[Gingerbeard]

I've had something like that, on ficas cuttings, after sprinkling diatomaceous earth on top of the soil and watering. Never hurt anything. The ficas are growing healthy. Never did anything to it. It probably just soaked into the soil and went away. It looks like you're watering a pretty even radius between the pot and plant. That's where you don't have white. Where you do have white is where the DE is.

Although I'm probably going to get shot down on that. ​

If you don't already know, you might want to find out what's going on with the browning on the lower leaves. No clue from me.​

 

[9fingerleafs]

looks like the soil on the very top gets dry and looks very different from the rest of the soil, that means you have a clay-ish soil, its not very good because it gets clogged and compressed giving no air flow to the roots, in future transplants you would benefit greatly from mixing perlite with your soil or to use bagged soil from a hydro store or home depot

 

[D.A.A.S.69]

What 9fingers said.