damp-off?

I am going to try staring seeds this year. What is damp off & how can I avoid it?
Julie

hi there

damping off is when the base of the seedling, where it makes contact with the compost, goes mouldy and damages the stem making it fall over.

next time you plants seeds water the compost with a fungicide b4 the seeds go in.

Mark
Northern Ireland

you need to use a copper ammonium fungicide. the main causes are over watering, high humidity, poor light which makes the seedling grow too high and dense seed sowing

good luck with your seeds

Mark

Thanks Mark! I'll give it a try, I don't want to fail at my 1st attempt!

Julie

there is an article re damping off in a magazine I just bought.
will I photo copy it and mail it to you?

I'll need your address

Mark

Air circulation helps a lot too .

Here is a no chemical, no cost, organic method to prevent damp-off.

Back-off on the water.

Allow the soil surface to dry 12 to 24 hours before rewatering.


Byron

I agree with Byron on the overwatering problem ; overly wet soil surfaces indoors can also be contributed to lack of air movement . It wouldn't hurt to set up a fan in the area.

thanks guys!

I agree, over-watering is a problem. You can avoid damp-off also by letting a fan blow gently on your seedlings. It will eliminate the damp-off and make the stems stronger

Read with interest the damp-off info. I have just successfully murdered my 3 rudbeckia goldstrum that came up! I was so proud of them.

Question, please. I have Rudbeckia Maxima ready to move from eggshell cartons - they have more than 2 leaves. I don't want to kill them like I did the others.

I plan to move them to a mixture of potting soil and vermiculite. Do they still need the grow light or a sunny window? I think if I lose them I will just die!
Grits

I've had problems with damp-off in the past, so before I started my seedlings, I read everything I could get my hands on regarding preventing this dread disease. Here's my game plan, based on the advice I found:

1. All containers will get a THOROUGH scrubbing with a bleach/water/detergent solution prior to any planting. Thorough rinsing, and completely air dried before anything else.

2. Sterile seed starting medium only - it ain't cheap, but neither is buying more seed when my seedlings (especially those whose seeds are available by mail order only) keel over.

3. I'm going to experiment with poultry "grit" which is (as I recall from my early childhood on a farm) tiny sharp bits of stone that farmers give to chickens to help them grind their food (no teeth...bummer.) It's supposedly a cheap material, available at your local Co-op, and you sprinkle it on top of the seed starting medium.

4. When seedlings appear, watering will consist of 16 parts water to 1 part hydrogen peroxide (This one was new to me, but it sounds mild enough to not do any harm....)

5. Fan blowing not ON, but directly above the seedlings once they appear.

Anybody else have tips/pointers? I'm starting a lot of perennials this year, and I want to make sure I get them off to the healthiest start possible.

Instead of your poultry grit (oyster shells?)on the top of your soil, you may want to use vermiculite instead. We grow trees from seed by the millions (literally) and we use vermiculite to help with the dampening off and to keep moss and algae from growing.

The Hydrogen peroxide won't hurt 'em a bit. We spray our seeds with 100% peroxide when they are stratifying if they get too dry. Just helps to moisten them and to fight off molds

Laura

Thanks for the advice and reassurance! I'll try the vermiculite instead of poultry grit (as I recall, grit comes in pretty big bags--one of those "lifetime supply" investments for us hobby gardeners! And vermiculite is easy to come by, in manageable quantities.) The top dressing and hydrogen mixture are both new techniques for me, but I am bound and determined to do everything I can to prevent damping off this time around. Thanks again!

If you have slugs, that poultry grit aka ground oyster shells makes a cheap barrier...


Byron

hi dignbloom

I mailed your article this morning to go via airmail. Hopefully you will get in by the week-end

Mark
Northern Ireland

Thanks Mark, I think I will need all the help I can get. Not feeling too confident at this point, but will give it a shot!!! Surely, something I plant will grow!!
Julie

I use to lose alot of seedlings to damping off too.I found a solution thats been working for me for several years.Chamomile tea is what works for me.Just boil a couple cups of water and steep the tea bags[3or4] until the water cools down.Use a spritz bottle to spray the seedlings with.I don't know why this works but it does.Hope this helps.

I've heard that, debra! I've also heard about clove and stinging nettle teas. These particular teas (and the one you mentioned) all have anti-fungal agents in them. I'm trying them this year.

Pete2

I've hear the chamomile tea bit, and have been using it for about 3 weeks, I have just been watering the plants, but I think I'll try misting too.
good luck
pebble

I am taking a Master Gardener Volunteer class and when we discussed propagation the instructor said that seedlings will dampen off if they do not have adequate bottom heat. My seedlings always looked fantastic, then suddenly I began losing some due to dampening off. In SW Louisiana where I live, it often is not cold enough in the greenhouse to supply heat, thus the nights are cool and the soil that the seedlings are planted in becomes cool. We will have 70 degree days and 30 degree nights. I have ordered some heating cables and plan to try starting seeds with bottom heat. When the seedlings get good healthy stems, I will take them off the heat. Hopefully, this reduce the infant mortality rate in my nursery! Ha! Redbug in SW Louisiana

Redbug

I hate to disagree with your instructor, I have seen damp-off over most temp ranges.

If it's warm enough to grow tomatoes, it's warm enough for damp-off.

Byron