Hello,
Stacey suggested that I ask you all over here how you rate using Chamomile Tea for fungicide/damp off preventative. I have been reading in the different forums on the use of this, but would like your opinions. I have so many seedlings up now and I am starting to be the old mother hen and want to prevent this.
Thank you, Kathy
Stacey sent me,, yoohoo I'm here to ask for your opinions
Never used it Kathy, but am looking foreward to the responses.
I have never used it, but I plan on trying it this year.
Hmm.. I drink mine and will direct sow this year! :) Good luck.
Never used it -- but my advice is: don't borrow trouble. What makes you think you'll get seedlings damping off?
Suzy
Suzy,
I have had that happen before to my seeds and I was just trying to prevent it. This time though, I live in a cabin that we heat with only wood, so its kind of dry in here, I have to keep a good eye on the moisture in the flats, so maybe it wont be a problem here.
Kathy
Hi Kathy, I heat up 2 cups of water in the microwave and brew up as strong a batch of chamomile tea as that will allow. After it cools a bit, I add 1 cup to about 1 gal of water and use that to water from the bottom. So far I've had no damping off, although there have been times when I know my seedlings were too wet. Not sure if it's made a difference, but I'm stickin' with it!
Robin
Oh, sorry Gus/Kathy, I didn't realize you had had damping off before. So many people are looking to prevent it before they even get started.
Suzy
Thank you for all of your help!
Kathy
I've never had widespread damping off, but I'm still a believer in taking preventative steps... Chamomile tea is one possibility, and I've described some other preventative measures in this article: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/277/
I tend to alternate between adding some chamomile tea, as Dryad described, and adding hydrogen peroxide (1 Tbsp per quart) when I bottom water.
HTH!
Thank you so much, ya know that's actually how it happened. I started using the Hyd Peroxide to the water at the start, then when they sprouted I switched to the tea. All seems well, I even have second leaves on my Lupines, yaaayy~~!
Now, what the heck am I going to do with all of these plants as they get larger, lol!! It's not going to be warm outside until May, oh Lord. lol.
I'm going to be living in a jungle, and actually, that won't be a bad thing.
Animals and plants, ahhhhhhhh
Lions, and tigers and lupines - oh my!!!