From klier@cobra.uni.eduSun Apr  9 21:33:15 1995
Date: 9 Mar 95 15:01:13 -0600
From: klier@cobra.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Avoiding / treating damping off

In article <arvesen.314.21FA27C0@tivoli.com>, arvesen@tivoli.com (Ralph Arvesen) writes:
> What exactly is damping off and how can it be treated and/or avoided? More 
> specifically, I am trying to germinate Texas Madrone (Arbutus xalapensis),  
> Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis), and Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora) 
> seeds. Thanks.
> 

Damping off is a seedling disease, caused by several fungi.  The most
common cause is Pythium.   (I started substituting an "s" sound for the
"th" in Pythium the year it clobbered most of my seedlings.... ;-) )

The symptoms are that the stems start looking water-soaked or pinched,
and the next day the plant has keeled over.  No hope of recovery.  No
fungal fuzzies.

The treatment is prevention:  clean pots or flats (soak in 1 part
chlorine bleach and 9 parts water for 5 minutes (or water + enough
bleach to stink, and soak for several hours), then rinse in plain 
water and air dry till no trace of bleach smell remains.
Use sterile potting soil or a commercial seed starting mix like
Jiffy Mix.  Cover the seeds with a thin layer (1-2 mm) of milled
sphagnum moss, which inhibits the growth of many bacteria and fungi.
(I save sphagnum, which is expensive, for "good seeds", and use
plain sandbox sand for ordinary flower and veggie seed).  Keep the
humidity high, but also allow for some air circulation.  Don't
slip a flat of seedlings into a sealed ziplock bag or something
similar, as I've seen described in several garden magazines.  It's
ok for seeds, but the second they germinate, get the air circulating!

Kay Klier  klier@cobra.uni.edu


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When starting seeds indoors water with periodically with
a weak solution of chamomile tea to help avoid damping off
disease.
          
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