Please recommend a product for dampening-off

I used to use Hydroguard and it worked like a charm but now it's not working, and the product isn't even near expired yet.

Please recommend a product for dampening off in seedlings!

I'm just looking for a product, not an at home solution or preventative measure.

I've already sterilized, used hydrogen peroxide, cinnamon, chamomile tea, provided air flow, and a bunch of other things so I'm only really interested in a product that I can buy.

What seedlings are damping off?

If you're doing all those other things, I'm wondering if you've really got damp-off or something else going on, like verticulum wilt (I think that's the thing that tomato and basil seedlings can get... seeds can be infected, and it can spread through flats of seedlings... a friend of mine lost nearly all her tomatoes to it one year).

Either that or you're keeping things too wet--if there's too much moisture around it can be hard to avoid problems even if you do all those other things.

Yes, damping off is caused by too much moisture. You shouldn't have to be going to such lengths to prevent it unless there is another factor at work. If you are repeatedly getting it, then look for the cause.

As far as a product, I'm at a loss. I'm just not familiar with them. I have slight knowledge of the home remedies, but have never used any of them myself except for a touch of H2O2 every couple of years if I get heavy handed with the water.

Sorry I can't be more help

sounds like you are keeping them too wet, and maybe the medium is not draining as well as other mediums do. Seedlings can take really dry soil. Its hard at first to allow yourself to let them dry out so much-you think that they will die-at least it was for me, but I learned to let them dry out-and keep them on the dry side. Soak them and then don't water until the soil is dry

Clearys is a good preventative fungicide for rhizoctonium, which is one form of damping off. Pythium is the other and Subdue would be the fungicide to use for that fungus. The problem is that these are expensive products-the smallest container that Subdue comes in is a quart and that runs around $ 150., but you only use a few drops per gallon drenching the soil.

I'm not keeping things too wet because every time I grow from seed, I always keep a different level of moisture and I've tried different mediums over the years. All kinds of seed. Flowers, shrub, tree, everything.

Nothing works, so I'm looking for a product to treat it.

Does anyone know of a product that treats all kinds of the dampening off? Isn't Pythium dangerous and too harsh for seedlings?

The Hydroguard was perfect until this time I tried it... Maybe I got a bad batch. But I bought from Wormsway, a very reputable company. Maybe I should buy another bottle... Which stinks b/c it's like $14 w/o s&h added. I bought it too long ago to ask for a replacement.

I'm so frustrated because the easy fixes that work for most people don't for me. I have a black thumb but still love gardening!

This message was edited May 30, 2008 10:45 PM

No harm in asking. :-)

It still wouldn't hurt to try and keep things a little on the drier side, even if you've tried different mediums and different moisture levels, if you're consistently having issues with damping off then it's possible all of them were still too wet--it's not normal that you should have to use anti-fungal stuff all the time in order to keep your seedlings from damping off, that tells me that there's some other underlying problem going on. Even though I generally don't sterilize my seed starting mix, I don't usually have trouble with damping off because I keep things on the drier side. And the times when I have had problems with damping off, it's always been when I was a little over-zealous on the watering. If it's not the watering, maybe it's the general humidity level, if you've got things covered with a dome and you leave the dome on once the seedlings have germinated that can definitely increase the probability of damping off too.

I let things dry out. I've kept things very dry. I've tried various levels of dryness and humidity and wetness. I've used a dome, I haven't used a dome. I've tried a million different things and I can't do it with out a product.

Pythium is the name of the fungus that can cause damping off, Subdue is the name of the fungicide that is used to treat it.
You could get Banrot which is a combination of Clearys and Truban (which is also used for pythium) and preventative drench the medium before sowing.

I know it must be frustrating-but I still say that you are somehow keeping the medium too wet if you truly are getting a fungus everytime that you sow seeds. That is very abnormal if the medium is on the dry side.
Also, keeping the soil on the dry side is a somewhat subjective phrase. It may be that what you think is on the dry side is still not dry enough. I am talking about after the seeds have popped and they are starting to put out leaves.

Okay, this is what I found out.

Metalaxyl (sold as Subdue or Apron) controls (only) Pythium, Phytophthora, and Aphanomyces.

Etridiazole and Thiophanate-methyl (sold as Banrot) controls most all pathogens.

Any opinions on these:

Phyton 27 (I have a bottle of this from a few years ago, I don't know if it's still good. It's systemic which I like.)

Physan 20 (I don't know if this is systemic too, do you know?)

or No-Damp.

These three aren't even that expensive, they sell it in small amounts also.

This message was edited May 30, 2008 11:40 PM

I know this doesn't help your seedlings, but if you're having trouble this consistently, I'm wondering if you have really high environmental mold levels... might not be a bad idea to get the house tested?

Is there any possibility the soil you are using is a little too heavy? Perhaps adding some perlite or some sand would loosen it enough to prevent the damping off. Or, maybe a fan turned on as soon as the domed is removed? I sure am sorry you are having so much problem. Good luck. Dotti

Guys... I've used all kinds of mediums. Vermiculite, perlite and soil mediums. I don't have a green house either so I don't have a humid area to put the fan on. My mom doesn't want the fan going, in the sunroom where I have plants, b/c of the energy bills. I don't have any place else to grow them.

I've grown seedlings outside, with a lot of different medium also, and had damping off.

I've sterilized.

I've watered from the bottom. I've tried everything.

Which is why I'm looking for a fungicide.

Do you happen to have a camera that you coudl take some pics of the diseased seedlings? Take a coupel of pics of them as they are in the pots and then take a couple of the seedlings out of the pot and just shake the excess dirt off and photo graph.

from the pics, we may be better able to see what is going on.

Just for curiosity sake are you fertilizing these seedlings and what ya using and how much and how often if you are. Since your havign the problem inside and outside, there somethignyour doing that killing them off.

Are they dying before you transplant them, after transplanting?

One thing you might try, is getting some Immuinox. They ave it at Home depot. It a thre ein one, Insecticide, fungigic and a bit of fertilizer too and it is a stystemic. it about 6 bucks for a good size bottle.

Either that or look, for a product that is a fungicide for roses.

Cover the surface with small grit.

I am assuming you have read this article:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/277/

Z

Thanks, Michael... glad you found the article useful! From Micha's first post, it sounded like she'd been through most/all of the tips I mentioned in that article, but I should have included the link for anybody else looking for information on the topic. :-)