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Deering, NH

Besides having a small fan blowing over the germination peat pots, can anyone advise on a fungicide or a general product to prevent damping off? I am concerned if a fungicide is applied , damaging the seedling.
Thanks In Advance

2/27/2022 9:08:33 AM

Colorado

Make sure your incubator is cleaned. I use a cooler with a 15watt light bulb and need to clean it with bleach yearly to keep fungus levels at bay.

2/27/2022 10:29:15 AM

Syracuse, NY

You may also find lotsa reading in the Seed Starting category;
Be sure to read everything and heed the advice of pumpkinpal2, lol, and of course any/everything that you may find useful otherwise.
It is all there.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/msgboard/ViewBoard.asp?b=9

F'rinstance, I FULLY SOAK for 3-4 hours others' seeds (they costed me $$$) in 3%, NO dilution (like why?) H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide from the drug store) and then germinate MY seeds at 88-92 degrees Seed Starting Mix temperature for a faster starting of a seed and expect soil disturbance in 72 hours; OLDER seeds (7-15 years) will be noticeably slower at up to like 5-6 days; By then it is a coin toss and I set them out of the loop if they are holding up any other seeds...sometimes they will then sprout a week later at room temperature. Second chances! See - go there, or I'll type all day for you ! It is motivational, as I need to do some test germs right now also, lol---Good Luck!---eric g

2/27/2022 1:20:45 PM

Grittyville, WA

Bleach and hydrogen peroxide. Obviously dont water too much. I think its a nutritional thing too. Im not sure if its calcium or phosphorous or silica or the correct nitrogen or what. But the low quality starting/potting mixes often seem to lack something.

2/27/2022 2:07:34 PM

Grittyville, WA

I often use a spray bottle and just mist the soil surface to keep from overwatering.
Adding a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to the water could make a big difference. Fungicides are another option that should work well if applied correctly.

2/27/2022 2:14:23 PM

Watlington, UK

Sterilising your potting soil before planting will kill bacteria & fungi and destroy their spores. Use your oven or microwave (after getting permission from your wife!). You might even want to keep the pot with the soil in it inside a clear plastic bag which will keep spores out once the seeds have been sown.
Many of us cactus growers use this method when germinating slow-growing cactus which are very prone to damping off or disappearing under a mat of algae, we call it the 'baggy method'.

2/27/2022 3:41:10 PM

Grittyville, WA

Gerald, I thought this caused nutrient issues because some of the nitrogen or sulfer for example? I thought some of these will off-gas at 150 degrees and this might bind up other nutrients as well. I know freezing doesnt kill everything, but it kills anything that isnt dormant, which is a big help. All I know is I have had better luck with freezing. Total sterilization methods kill the good guys and the bad guys so then it would make sense to reintroduce the good guys.
If the water you are using is contaminated then thats a big problem. I heat sterilize my water because I think by the time the water gets from the well to the faucet its not sterile anymore. But a bit of H202 would do the same thing.

2/27/2022 4:16:17 PM

Watlington, UK

Soil sterilisation is often used throughout horticulture. I'm unaware of problems with nutrient issues, do you have a reference so I can check? Young plants don't need much in the way of nutrition before they get planted outside, but ferts & beneficial microbes can always be added if you want.

2/27/2022 5:21:07 PM

Grittyville, WA

I cant find a source so feel free to ignore. It is something I researched a long time ago. I think it would be affected by soil acidity and moisture.
Just be aware that heat could slightly change the soil chemistry. Some soils might be improved, others might be made worse. Some chemicals like urea are somewhat volatile but like I said I couldnt find a good article on it.
So I think its worth a try... I just didnt get good results personally.

2/27/2022 6:56:54 PM

Syracuse, NY

I think I'll go right now and try this:
A 7-day pill reminder box with each seed in its own cell (They're cheap at Wegmans' but it's still a really nice one with lil' rubber feet to keep it in place!) and will use that for the soak and allow them to stay in the H2O2 indefinitely, at room temperature (well, I'll do some random heat (heater fans in my living room)); I DO believe that the problem we have is that we sprout things into a hostile environment - too many analogies could I make - ***I think we do what we need to already, with sprouting things and ThEN putting them into SS Mix;*** Once the car is on the track, the race is begun! If never? Oooo, that's too bad...eg

2/27/2022 7:06:28 PM

Bethlehem CT

Damping off can be a big problem with some vegetables, With the giant veggies I find that AG pumpkins are less apt to get damping off than the watermelons. You should be able to get fairly good control with proper cultural techniques. To be even more sure of good success use a biological like rootshield.

To summarize
-Use a commercial soilless growing media. like Jiffy mix or pro mix.
-Use a biological product like rootshield or mycostop etc.
-Don't overwater, For me this means to water in the morning and let it dry out over the course of the day, at night the roots should be the most dry of any time.
Keep the soil temperatures warm 70-80 F would be really good. 60 would probably be OK if the soil is kept drier.
As the plant ages damping off becomes less of a problem and it will be a little more tolerant of less than perfect conditions. ,a newly sprouted seed is most vulnerable and it is important to be aware of the disease and take action to prevent it.

2/27/2022 8:00:53 PM

Grittyville, WA

I agree the air/soil temps could be a factor The correct light intensity could be a (small) factor also. A plant that is getting less than full light could be less resilient against diseases. It can be a frustrating game of whack-a-mole when somethings not right. Good luck.

2/27/2022 8:20:20 PM

Deering, NH

Thanks everyone! Sometime if I get enough guts I will ask how to grow a 3000 pound giant!

2/28/2022 8:47:05 AM

Partlow,Va

I will also add you could water in Ridomil Gold at planting

3/1/2022 12:09:06 PM