damp off

any one have any suggestions to help my damp off problem I had last year?

I used peat pellets and lost way too many to either fungus or damp off..

should I just skip the pellets and use seed starter mix ... or would just a fan help?

Allison

:)

This message was edited Jan 25, 2007 5:10 PM

You want to make sure all of your supplies are sterile.
If you are reusing continers or flats let tehm soak in a 10% b;each solution for a half hour or so.


Use fresh seed starting mix.

Paul

Winter sown seedlings aren't subject to damping off, you may want to look into that:

http://www.wintersown.org/

This site has some info about damping off fungus that might help you, too.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG1167.html

Good luck!

or at least i thought it was damping off..... the seeds started to sprout and then broke off in the middle and died

thanks for the websites

That sure sounds like damping off to me.

Good important info Paul

Those little pellets are fungus factories as far as I'm concerned. I really dislike them.

Paul is right, if you are reusing pots, disinfect them first, and start with new seed starting mix.

I've had problems with damping off when I start seeds indoors. Bottom watering helps,(put the water the the tray you have the pots in and let the water soak up into the soil through the holes in the bottom of the pots). This also promotes the plant's roots to dig deeper.

A fan on low also helps. It will help keep the surface from staying too damp, and it will help strengthen the plant's stem.

anyone ever try using the pots made from newspaper?.... just wondering if that is a good thing or not

thanks for the advice all.... hopefully this year will go better

:)

when do you set the fan up... right away at time of sowing or when the seedlings start?

I've tried the newspaper pots but didn't care for them.
They seem to fall apart too often.

Paul

Joan right after sprouting... i would say most of them were less than half an inch... I was all happy they started and a few days later... gone

Then I would make sure you are using seed starting soil, rather than potting soil. I usually don't start running the fan until they are up about an inch, but as long as you make sure they stay evenly moist, I don't see any reason you can't start running the fan right away.

I also don't like those trays that have the lids on them. I feel that they keep too much moisture in, and allow virtually no fair flow, which contributes to the fungus growth/spread.

Allison,
Some really great info can be found at the Tom Clothier site on this page http://tomclothier.hort.net/page13.html There is lots of other great info on the TC site also.

To avoid damp off for my indoor started seeds I do a few of the things listed on the TC page I linked to. I water w/ Chamomile Tea occasionally, I top w/ ground cinnamon and/or chick grit and always, always have a fan running in the room. Doing these few things has dropped my damp off rate dramatically from previous years. Both cinnamon and chamomile are natural anti-fungals and will prevent damping off.

I don't ever use chemicals when I'm starting seeds. I try to stay as close to organic as I can in my gardening. Thankfully, I've never, ever needed to use chemicals since adopting these easy techniques.

Hope that helps!
Heather

onewish a lot of people use the peper pots. People on the seed forum were talking about how they have been making them !

Paper pots are fine...I just don't have the time to make them. Damp off is fungal and it's most important to use sterile seed starting mix. Nothing else will do. The anti fungals mentioned are quite useful, but the top of the soil shouldn't stay wet...dead (literally) giveaway for damp-off. Bottom water and don't overdo it.

I hate peat anything...refuse to use it...just a set-up for troubles.

wow what great advice.... thank you very much everyone... hopefully this year will go a bit better

thanks for all this help......I am guilty of not knowing what to do when half the tray is germinated and half has not.....

If you're using cells you can cut them apart and remove the ones that have germinated. That's what I usually do. You may not want to cut them apart though. At this point all of my cells are cut into 6 packs...makes it easier to clean them too.

I have always used bio dome sponges but no more because of this problem.....I have some 38? packs and ordered the 72 cell packs today...bio domes and sponges are great for very expensive seeds, but not for regular ones..thanks for the help
gail

It is definitely damping off. I worked in one of the bigbox hardware stores and in many gardencentres in southern Ontario and there is a product available in Canada called No-damp. It is about 1 or 2 Oz. liquid that you mix with water and water your seedlings with it. Check at Lowe's, home depot, or even Meijers may sell it. Or your neighbourhood garden centre. If they have knowlegable staff, they will know if it is available or something comparable. This is a Canadian website that you can order it from. Make sure they will send it to the US as it is a pesticide. http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/search?keywords=no+damp

This message was edited Feb 4, 2007 9:32 PM

I think I am going to try the Chamomile Tea first.... I read quite a few sites and had advice from other dg members... I also picked up some food grade peroxide... I am going to try both and see what works out

onewish1, last year I used the NO-Damp solution to deal with the slight mold bloom I had on the surface of the pots of my daylily seedlings each time I watered and fertilised - this year, I'm using a solution of chamomile tea - it works like a charm, I have it in a spray bottle, and if I see it starting, just spray, and it kills it instantly - and no hideous chemicals, which is why I wanted an alternative to the NO-Damp.

sounds good to me... thanks 2xeus

I never knew that about camomile tea. That is so cool. A sip for me, and a sip for the babies...
I'm glad I checked this out. Cheaper and less toxic than the No-damp.

I start lots and lots of seeds every spring under lights in my basement. I buy 3.8cf. bags of starter mix, and I sterilize it in turkey roast bags in the oven. I wash all containers with soapy bleach water, and I put the starter trays in flats with domed lids under lights. For those seeds that are very tiny, I mix them with a little sterilzed coarse sand and surface sow them.

I mist the surface of the trays and the inside of the domed lids with a spray bottle of clean water. When the seeds start to sprout, I take off the dome lid and start to water them under the trays.

I believe another contributing factor in dampening off is planting the seeds too densely. All those tight little plants can't get air. Lobelia is usually the one I have to watch closely. I, too, have watered with chamomile tea when necessary, and I always isolate any trays that seem to be having a problem.

Allison,

Try Physan. Here they are http://www.physan.com/PAGES/C_G_G.html

This message was edited Feb 28, 2007 5:06 PM

thanks for the link dale.... your picture makes me pout... the deer ate all my kale

:(

Like the deer I eat them too. But, I am smarter than the deer, I eat them slowly.