Can cheese cloth cause mold?

I was fermenting my second large batch in a 30 liter bucket, My starter tea was 1.8l of 3.28ph black tea with white sugar(1cup/gal)(the starter was fully fermented, but not vinegar). The scoby was 1/2" thick and was fresh and new. Upon inoculation of the tea with starter and scoby, the batch took on a ph of 4.29. I removed the cheese cloth this morning(5 days into ferment) and found that a folded edge had dipped into the tea and the scoby was very vigorously grown into the cloth. I then looked down and saw multiple white mold blooms starting. the cloth was new but not washed prior to use. Im wondering if my starter was weak or not enough or if the cloth dipping in was most likely my cause?

Cheese cloth is too porous to keep out mold spores and fruit flies, use something with a tighter weave. It's up to you if you want to try your kombucha, but you definitely need to remove the mold. Personally, I'd dump the batch, clean, sanitize, and restart fresh. Tea and sugar aren't so expensive to risk your health.