I planted some thirty plumeria seeds. Most of them germinated but I had a few stragglers. I start my seeds by putting them between two damp terrycloth towels and then when I spot a root, I transfer it to a 3-inch pot. I hated to give up on the ones that didn't sprout and misted once in a while when the towel dried out. Today, I pretty much gave up on them as they had turned black. I squeezed a couple to see what they looked like inside. Sure enough they were rotted, but there were little tiny white worms inside.
Has anyone else experienced this. I am pretty sure there were no worms on the ones that sprouted at the time I planted them. I am just puzzled as to where the worms came from and worried if I may get them in the seedlings at a later date. Could they be maggots?
Worms in Seeds.
Soil Gnat Larvae
Ya maggotts of a sort lol!
Thanks Malestrom, I figured you would have an answer for me.
I wouldn't worry about the ones that have sprouted. The tiny worms are only in the rotted ones, I'm sure. They just feed on the decomposing matter.
Clare I have had infestations of them in good sprouts too.
I think they eat the soil
I sprayed to kill them and the plants were too young for it.
I killed several plants too.
I couldnt stand the thought of all the flies invading my home though yuk*
Young Seedlings are sensitive to chems....
Be careful!!
Soapy water is best. ;^)
Michael, I know what you mean about the gnat larvae in the potting soil, but I think Josegabriele's good seeds and bad seeds weren't in potting soil yet when she found the worms. I think they were still in the towel, but I could be wrong about that. I too have had problems with fungus gnats in the past and fixed the problem by putting a layer of sand at the top.
Clare, you are right. The seeds were still in the towel when I found the worms. I don't know if I mentioned this, but my greenhouse gets very hot and things dry out quickly. In order to maintain constant moisture, I mist the towels until they are damp and put them in plastic containers, such as the Glad sandwich size.
Well, maybe gnats got in there somehow and laid eggs in the seed? I don't know -- just guessing here. Sometimes the worms are drawn to the bacteria.
They dont take long to hatch
They could have been drawn simply by the moisture in the towel with the bad seeds
The sweet smell of rot travels far to them
When they homed in on the scent then they selected the bad seeds