Beginner Gardening: Cobweb like Mold & Green Algae on Jiffey Pots, 1 by Gymgirl

Gymgirl wrote:
Hi!
First off, no need to be embarrassed - there are no silly ?? In Dave's Garden. I think your seedlings will be fine.

Couple of observations. Your Jiffy pots look a bit mashed up. Not a problem. They also look just a teeny tiny bit dry. But, Drier is much better than too wet!

I had some of the same fuzzy stuff growing on my potting mix and was told by an expert that there are a few airborne Spores that sometimes find their way to the top of the potting mix and just cozy on in and start growing. Generally, they're harmless.

My growth wasn't as much as yours. I've used a mix of 1 Tbsp of Hydrogen Peroxide to a gallon of warm water to bottom water the pellets. Once you see moisture on the tops of the pellets, carefully pour the excess water out. If it's too much to pour, put a clean cloth/towel in the tray and it'll sop up the water. The H2O should knock the mold out.

Once the very first seedling peeps out, remove the tray top and shove that tray under your grow lights. You have a light plan, right? You can make a simple system with a 48" fluorescent lite kit from HD/Lowe's ($10). You need two bulbs. I've used regular bulbs for years and my seedlings have been fine. You have several options for mounting your light. One as simple as propping the light on books at each end.

Try to keep the light no more than 2" away from the top of your seedlings, and keep the light on them for 12-14 hours per day.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted!

Linda

Here's a picture of my light setup.