Ackkk mold!

I started something new this year. I'm using toilet paper rolls. and over night, or so it seems, I have this white mold that smells around each of the tubes. I'm clueless since this wasn't what I was expecting. Any one care to comment. Should I toss the whole lot? idea or what? I had each tray covered with a jiffy clear cover. Obviously it was too moist so I took the cover off.

Thanks,
Mel

I would peel off the toilet paper rolls and carefully set the bit of dirt into cell packs. I have some like this I would think would work really well.
Also, lots of people talk about 9 (water) to 1 peroxide. I'd probably give them all a drink of that solution.

Here's a couple of pictures that are better:

Good Luck!

I sprayed the mold with a bleach dilute. It's only one tray so if it doesn't make it I can start over. There's still plenty of time. I had a second tray that this didn't happen to. Very odd.

Toilet paper rolls is not a good idea. The slightest over-watering and you end up with mold.
The same goes for peat pots or pellets in my opinion. I agree with birder17, using the plastic inserts always work best ... and they're so inexpensive.

Art

Thanks Art, I usually use the plastic things but my husband started saving the rolls from work. He wanted me to give it a try. Looks like it's not such a good idea. Good thing it's still early and I can start over.

Mel

>> I sprayed the mold with a bleach dilute.

How did the seedlings take that? Regular bleach is 5-10% sodium hypochlorite, which I would have thought would be bad for seedlings, even diluted. Dilute hydrogen peroxide sounds safer, but if yours survived the treatment, that opens up a new possibility.

I don 't know what "Non-chlorine bleach" really is, so I can't guess how that would affect seedlings or mold.

Rick: I just sprayed around the base where the mold was. I tried to keep it away from the actual seeds, they hadn't sprouted yet. However I guess it worked out okay because they sprouted and seem to be growing fine now.

You can also apply it with a q tip.

Non-chlorine bleach in the USA consumer vernacular usually refers to "oxygen bleach", preparations that offer a free oxygen radical, in particular hydrogen peroxide H2O2, or more commonly in powder form sodium percarbonate (2[Na2CO3]·3[H2O2]), which provides a source of H2O2 with the addition of water.

It is better to be specific in communication, but allowances must be made due to the lack reasonable regulation that would require labeling of ingredients for all consumer products.

Hah! H2O2? Thanks! I didn't find an MSDS quickly, so I gave up.

I wish I could find the person who didn't trust "non-chlorine bleach" for disinfecting pots. I wonder if she ever uses H2O2 instead of regular Clorox?

Hydrogen peroxide?

Well buyer beware if it is not clearly labeled. See for yourself: search with google the term "Non-chlorine Bleach MSDS", the first result is an MSDS for "Austins's Color Safe (All Fabric Non-chlorine) Bleach" (www.jamesaustin.com/PDFS/Color Safe All Fabric Bleach.pdf) that lists the Hazardous ingredient as "Hydrogen Peroxide CAS# 7722-84-1 2.9-3.0%" but the very next product, "4 BIZ GRANULAR NON-CHLORINE BLEACH" is a formulation containing "Linear alkyl benzene sulfonate, CAS #68081-81-2 ". OK, that news to me ... live and learn. Glad someone called me on this.


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Looked a little further and not surprisingly "Linear alkyl benzene sulfonate" is a surfactant, apparently a fairly benign one. Which brings up the question: when cleaning and/or (non-heat) sterilizing should a surfactant be used? I know from reading tissue culture protocols the answer in that case is "Yes". Probably goodf fodder for a new thread ;-)

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This message was edited Mar 21, 2013 6:02 PM

Lisa,

Was the question: "Is H2O2 hydrogen peroxide?"

Yes it is. I think its funny that drugstore "peroxide" and "non-chlorine bleach peroxide" are BOTH 3% H2O2. I wonder which is more expensive?

A mixture of a statement and a question. I know it was HP but I wasn't sure if others knew.