View Full Version : mold! my seeds and banana are molding!
Cazieman
02-10-2008, 12:56 AM
i am trying to germinate banana seeds and they are molding. i tried the zip lock baggie method with a paper towel, and also the pre-packaged greminating tray with the soil nuggets by jiffy.... both have resulted in molding seeds. also i have a basjoo that i brought inside to give a head start for spring that the top soil is molding. i keep washing the seeds every few days to keep down the mold. any ideas what i can do? help any imput is good. they are at room temp and the basjoo was dry when i brought it in and then i watered it 2 times, once with about 1 cup of water and then again 2 weeks later with 1/ 4 cup its in a 1 gallon container. the soil is moist on top to date.
bikoro child
02-10-2008, 03:21 AM
hi,i think you have to treat your soil with anti-fungal (i'm not sure it's the real term)
Lodewijkp
02-10-2008, 06:56 AM
treat it with a fungicide, one on copper base , or some other less poisoned fungicide.
if you move the seeds alot ( turning, washing etc ) THEY WIL NOT GERMINATE or have a lesser germination rate.
its not a problem when you move them once but if you start moving them 3 weeks later they wil not germinate for a time.
magicgreen
02-10-2008, 07:30 AM
I sprinkle a lil' powdered cinnamon on top of planting medium and on my tray bottom. It seems to help mine with mold. I read that in another germinating site to combat mold.
jellyfish_sky
02-10-2008, 11:19 AM
Are your nanas in a warm enough place? My plants tend to mold when it's cold and humid.
The cinnamon works well for a few days, but it doesn't do much. What kind of mold is it? I've had some kind of white fluffy mold on the soil of my pitaya that wouldn't go away until I gave it more sun and heat.
Tropicallvr
02-10-2008, 02:33 PM
I wouldn't use paper towels. You can use basically any soil but, the soil needs to be sterilized first. You can do that in your oven, or even an old microwave.
If that sounds like too much, I'd use coco peat(made from coconut shells), and perlite, or a seed starting mix from your local nursery.
Try a LARGE zip lock baggy, with a sterile soil. Take your seeds and give then a dilluted hydrogen peroxide rise, and scrub. Also crack open one of the seeds to make sure they are still viable, and not rotten inside. I've had this happen quite a few times when I used regular peat moss.
Cazieman
02-11-2008, 01:36 AM
one kind of mold is a white cotton looking and the other is long hair strands and also a green alge looking one.
Lodewijkp
02-11-2008, 05:42 AM
thats the worst type , i always microwave my soil first.
bigdog
02-11-2008, 04:22 PM
You can try fungicides, or even a weak bleach solution, to spray affected surfaces, but the best method is prevention. Like Kyle mentioned, the best practice is to make sure you have a sterile medium. I bake any medium that isn't sterile already in the oven for an hour at 180F. That will usually take care of any critters or fungus. Sterilize the seeds right before placing them in the medium also. I use a 10% bleach solution for this, for about 10 minutes, stirring (or shaking) frequently.
NanaNut2
02-11-2008, 09:57 PM
What great ideas. I've tried just about everything to prevent mold and damp off. I even had sterilized the water. Have sterilized seeds either in 10% bleach or 10% peroxide in sterile water, in sterlized soil, in steralized containers. I've scraped excess material off the seeds and scarified. Finally some will sprout, then they get damp off. There used to be a fungicide called damp off. I couldn't find it when looking a week or two ago. I tried lysol spray. What do you all think of that strategy? I know I've gotten the temp right, but maybe not the light.
I have just about figured that it is naturally occuring molds/mildews in our damp northwest. I let others grow the seeds now. But always optimistic, I bought new seed starting mix and perlite. LOL.
NanaNut2
bigdog
02-11-2008, 11:26 PM
What great ideas. I've tried just about everything to prevent mold and damp off. I even had sterilized the water. Have sterilized seeds either in 10% bleach or 10% peroxide in sterile water, in sterlized soil, in steralized containers. I've scraped excess material off the seeds and scarified. Finally some will sprout, then they get damp off. There used to be a fungicide called damp off. I couldn't find it when looking a week or two ago. I tried lysol spray. What do you all think of that strategy? I know I've gotten the temp right, but maybe not the light.
I have just about figured that it is naturally occuring molds/mildews in our damp northwest. I let others grow the seeds now. But always optimistic, I bought new seed starting mix and perlite. LOL.
NanaNut2
Damping off is a pretty common problem, and you can use a few different fungicides to attack it. If you have a problem with it, you need to dump that soil in the trash can, sterilize the container or throw it away, and start again fresh. I don't know what to say about using Lysol, lol! Light isn't necessary for germination, but it sure is for seedlings.
jellyfish_sky
02-12-2008, 01:07 AM
I bought this fungicide called No-Damp from Plant Prod at HD. I haven't used it yet... anybody tried it?
magicgreen
02-13-2008, 08:36 PM
I read on another site that chamomile tea is good for dampening off. I havent tried it yet.
mskitty38583
02-13-2008, 08:57 PM
sprinkle powdered- ground cinnamon on it, or yes magic green you can use camomile tea. one tbsp of strong camomile tea to a gal of water.
jellyfish_sky
02-13-2008, 09:22 PM
wow, gonna try that chamomile! Organic and natural remedies are so much better than chemicals that might kill you in your sleep :p
frankthetank
02-13-2008, 09:27 PM
I once tried sterlizing some soil in the microwave and it start making zapping noises! I think there must have been metal or something in my soil.
mskitty38583
02-14-2008, 12:07 AM
the camomile tea thing came off of daves garden weekly newsletter.
Tropicallvr
02-14-2008, 03:05 AM
I once tried sterlizing some soil in the microwave and it start making zapping noises! I think there must have been metal or something in my soil.
I've never tried it, just heard second hand. I bet rocks would pop too.
sandy0225
02-14-2008, 05:17 PM
I tried putting a couple of those purple pod green beans in the microwave (just laid them on the turntable glass plate whole) to show some kids that they turn green when they get hot, and they caused the microwave to arc! It was quite a show for the kids though...LOL...I thought there must have been something wrong, so I tried it again another time, same thing!
NanaNut2
02-14-2008, 08:51 PM
With regards to the lysol treatment, I did spray my alocasia pot and top soil with the lysol as an experiment. No more more mold smell out of that pot. This is important when household members have asthma and allergies. There seems to be no ill effects on the plant. I just don't know about what it would do to delicate seedlings. I'm afraid it would be oily and coat them and kill them. But I have had limited success with the treatment so I thought I'd share.
NanaNut2
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