Is this "damping off"?

[warmfuzzies]

I am SO not good at starting seeds inside!! I have them in pellets, and about half of them are dying. I am keeping them inside till most of the seeds have sprouted and then moving them outside to the cold frame. I had them all out there, but they were taking forever to germinate.

Anyway, they are doing great, and them all of a sudden the stem will wilt at about ground level. It just turns brown and dies, the plant falls over, and then eventually the rest of the top dies off.

They only have their first leaves at this point.

 

[bid]

What you describe sounds like classic damping off to me.

It's caused by fungi and some ways to prevent it is to make sure you don't overwater, decrease humidity by giving the seedling some air movement and making sure there is good drainage. Don't let them sit in water after watering.
Hope this helps a bit!

 

[patandchickens]

Yup.

What bid said. You'll have to try again.

Insufficient air movement is a really common cause -- don't enclose them on any sort of little greenhouse-y little box, leave them entirely or partly open to the room air; and if they are somewhere that just *is* rather humid and still, try running a very small fan, not pointed at the seedlings, just enough that you get a little faint breeze around the seedlings.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[warmfuzzies]

Thank you! I am sure it was because I over watered them. I am always afraid they are too dry. I will do what I read and let them get to the almost wilting stage first. Thanks guys!

 

[COgirl]

I read this on one of the garden sites as a help for damping off and it worked for me. Steep 1/4 c chamomile flowers in 2 cups hot water let cool to room temp and strain lightly spray your seedlings at the first sign of anything white on your growing median. I saw some fungi stuff and did this and it disappeared immediatly and I did not lose one single seedling. You can keep the mixture for about a week in the fridge. Hope this will help you out. :rainbow-sun

I lightly sprayed all my seedlings as a precaution

 

[vfem]

What you describe sounds like classic damping off to me.

It's caused by fungi and some ways to prevent it is to make sure you don't overwater, decrease humidity by giving the seedling some air movement and making sure there is good drainage. Don't let them sit in water after watering.
Hope this helps a bit!

Agreed! I've done it

 

[Greenthumb18]

Yep the fungus caused by damping off needs moisture to survive, so by cutting this out you'll kill the fungus.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Ok. So, if I let the pellets completely dry out, (they are jiffy pellets) and then let them sit in the sun for several days, can I use them over again? I really hate to throw them away, but I dont want to just spread it.

 

[momofdrew]

the fungus is in the soil I wouldnt want to risk it myself...maybe if you spritz with bleach solution to help kill off the fungus spore

 

[bid]

Ok. So, if I let the pellets completely dry out, (they are jiffy pellets) and then let them sit in the sun for several days, can I use them over again? I really hate to throw them away, but I dont want to just spread it.

Reusing them is possible but not practical in my opinion. It all depends on how much bother you want to go to. The sun won't provide enough heat to kill the fungus. It takes 160-180 degrees to kill the fungus. I would just start with a clean medium rather than risk losing another batch of seedlings myself. Good luck!