New gardeners often go through an unfortunate phenomenon promise “ damping - off , ” a fungal disease that is ironically cause by the same warm and humid precondition that promote sprouting and seedling growth . With damping - off , however , seeds flunk to germinate at all or germinate but break shortly afterwards , sometimes even within a matter of time of day . If you search closely , you ’ll see the roots of the modest seedling are saturnine and waste and the stem may be dark and shrunken . This is damping - off and it can be both heartrending and costly .
Damping - off can occur if the seeds , soil , tools or containers are foul with fungal spores . All veg and heyday source and seedling can be impact , but lolly , snapdragons and zinnias seem most susceptible . If seedling are over - irrigate , overcrowded or too warm or moth-eaten , experimental condition may be mature for dampen - off .
Fungal Control for Damping Off
While there is no cure for break - off , there are for sure a number of measure you could take to keep it . One criterion is through the use of commercial antimycotic . Without going too heavy into the scientific discipline of it , mute - off is in the main due to one of three case of fungi that live at or just below the soil aerofoil : Phytophthora , PythiumandRhizoctonia .
To be effective , fungicides must be targeted to the specific fungi , so it ’s essential you screw which one you ’re dealing with . you’re able to often have the seedling tested at your university filename extension service . Other things to turn over about antimycotic agent are that there are many on the market and they often fare and go rapidly because they ’re deemed dangerous or uneffective , and some are just not recommended for domicile use .
It ’s possible to purchase seeds that fare pre - treated with a antifungal to forestall muffle - off . This is not needs unfailing , because damping - off can also be because of contaminated tool , containers or territory .
Homemade Remedies for Damping Off
Obviously , not everyone feels comfy about the musical theme of using fungicide on their seeded player or seedlings , so more land - friendly remedies can be employ as well , often with fixings institute right in your dwelling house kitchen . Some of those remedies include :
Other Tips to Prevent Damping Off
Want to learn more about preventing damping off?
hold back out these resources : Keeping Fungal Diseases Away from Seedlingsfrom Michigan State University ExtensionPreventing Seedling Disease in the Greenhousefrom Purdue University Extension Service
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