Looking for a Seed Starting Fungicide

I've been searching on-line for a fungicide that can be used as a soil drench to prevent damp off. I've found one called Root Shield, but I'm wondering if there are any others available. Any recommendations?

I've been using physan this year, with pretty good results. Makes everything smell like the dentist's office, but otherwise not a problem indoors.

Hydrogen peroxide is great, and very inexpensive. And many folks have reported great results with chamomile tea, and I'm sure it is much cheaper also than many of the commercial mixes.

Unless you've had really bad damping off in the past I don't see a reason to use anything...just use a good draining mix, keep the area well-ventilated, and keep temperatures at a moderate level and you should be fine.

Shoe.

I'm a little concerrned about using H2O2 on seedlings. I used it on Amaryllis plants last winter and some of them developed leaf burn and this was using only about 1 1/2 tsp to a quart of water.

I would just water the soil with it, not the plant foliage, like you would do with a fungicide drench.

Hope your amaryllis bounced back. (I love those plants!)

Shoe.

I agree, I only apply H2O2 solution to the soil, not to the leaves (although of course a little splashes from time to time...but not enough to cause damage) I use it with my seedlings and have never had a problem.

I'll use an H2o2 drench for oxygenation of a medium. Although I like Physan and will use it, I prefer the RootShield but then I've always leaned toward biologicals. What really seems to help me avoid damping off is using rinsed and microwaved sand as a top layer to the medium of choice while training an oscillating fan on trays.

I was not eager to use physan, but the air is so terribly dry here I have to create a more humid environment for seedlings just a little longer than someone in a midwest or other relatively humid environment might be used to. Also I root a LOT of cuttings, and I would rather apply physan to a scarce cutting than risk losing the entire batch to some fungus or mildew.

Equi - Do you put a top layer of sand on all the seeds you are starting? Do you do this after they germinate or before? I've read about using sand or grit to hold the seed in place. Do you have another reason you use the sand? If it's to keep the seed in place, how does that work for seed that needs light to germinate?

It's pretty humid here in the summer but by winter, we're running both of the humidifiers attached to the furnaces to try to keep the house at 30% to stop us all from ending up with nose bleeds. I end up using cut off tops of 2-liter pop bottles to create cloches to retain humidity for cuttings as well as wick or pebble trays to try to keep the relative humidity up for seed being germinated but sometimes these little extras work and sometimes they don't. The big issue for me is that we seem to have an inordinate amount of airborne algae and fungus spores that can turn my Long Fibre Sphagnum into mushy green in all of about a month. When I use LFS, I have now begun to routinely use Physan because it is great to use as an algaecide. Try as I might by cooking other mediums, it never fails that I will end up with a soil borne pathogen such as Pythium if I don't apply RootShield. I think some regions are literally riddled with nasties out to destroy propagation efforts. That being said, for me the Rootshield works better for actual damping off based on what's floating around my neck of the woods but I don't expect it to work miracles as it has its limitations which is why I am now in the habit of topping off growing medium with a layer of sand and running mini oscillating desk size fans. Winter sowing basically cut my damping off issues down to virtually zip but you can't w/s all seeds and many plants can't be propagated sexually so that means back to cuttings. For what ever it's worth, damping off issues appear to be more common for those who garden in close proximity to wooded or wetland areas.

I use the sand before I sow the seeds. About a quarter inch should be perfectly fine. Think of the sand as an extension of your medium. For seeds that need to be covered, I cover them with more rinsed and microwaved sand. The sand discourages damping off but in the case of cuttings, it provides the added benefit of additionally discouraging foot rot. Rinse your sand until it runs clear by swishing it in a bucket and draining.

Please don't skip rinsing the sand. Tap water is fine for rinsing. The organic matter will float up and you can simply tip your bucket and it will float out and down your drain but the real reason sand is rinsed is to remove contaminants such as pollutants but more important is the removal of heavy metals. Tube sand from any home improvement center is fine as it is a little bit coarser.

Nightie night beaker

What ratio of H2O2 to water do you use?
I've been using copper fungicide spray, being careful not to hit the seedling, and it's been doing okay, but not good enough.

Depends on what grade of H2O2. What strength do you have?

Assuming it's the 3% peroxide from the drugstore, I usually use a tablespoon or so per gallon of water. I've seen some people say they use it straight from the bottle though so I'm not sure the concentration matters that much. The copper fungicide is stronger than peroxide though, so if that hasn't been working for you, you may want to look into what's causing the fungus...too much water? Not enough air circulation? something else? and try to fix that condition

A Tblsp of 3% per gallon would be so dilluted it would have no beneficial effect at all. If it's only 3%, I'd just pour it on straight.

I don't know that the Copper Oxychloride is stronger because they're very different.

Thanks- I'm off to try all the above!

Ground up vermiculite sprinkled over the top of your seeding soil helps alot with damping off. Ive had good luck with seed starting inside using this method.

H2O2 update:
Within 48 hours, I had 90% germination. I had some Oenothera seedlings that had sprouted and then stopped growing, and they doubled in size practically overnight. I love this stuff!
I have now completely resown a couple of trays after sterilizing everything and this time soaking seeds in H2O2 before sowing. Several have already started germination. I had Clitoria ternatea seeds sitting in cell packs for over a month that had done nothing, but after 24 hours soaking in H2O2, they had started germinating!
Thank you thank you thank you thank you!

I have great results using a equal mixture of cinnamon,garlic powder and sage.
I coat the seeds before sowing.

ecrane3, I've been using the H2O2, with mixed results, but I just sent for a sample of Fungaflor-TR. by Whitmire Micro-gen. www.wmmg.com. it's supposed to treat Alternaria, Botrytis, Downey mildew, and rust. I'll let you know how it works. Jim

In the tomato forum a grower from Germany spoke well of Actinovate®
the other day. Said a little goes a long way.

Company website:

http://www.naturalindustries.com/index.html