![]() ![]() High humidity, as this will make them more vulnerable and prone to Regularly, preference should always be given to tap water on susceptibleĪvoid stressing plants and seedlings by preventing waterlogging and 'cooking' in an oven at 150C for an hour or so.Ĭare should be taken when using water other than tap water.Īll storage tanks should be regularly cleaned and disinfected Small quantities of compost for seed sowing can be sterilised by Mains water and a proprietary sterilised seed compost, which is moistĭon't assume all bought compost is sterile, as most is not. Only use cleaned and disinfected pots and seed trays and make sure that Some chemical controls have been employed in commercial practices, butĪre not yet available for use on a small scale.įor the amateur or small-scale grower hygiene at all stages of Treatment is difficult in the garden environment. The grey mould that often accompanies damping off is caused by Botrytis Leaf spots are generally associated with soil-borne Phyllosticta and Stem lesions are often caused by soil-borne species of Alternaria and Pythium and Rhizoctonia solani, surviving as spores in the soil. The most common ones that cause dying out in patches are the fungi Organisms that cause damping off symptoms are varied. Or other discoloration, some even show grey mould on the stems or Some larger seedlings or young plants also sometimes show leaf spotting Stems, sometimes the root system simply rot away. Patches, or the seedlings may become weak looking and have shrivelled Often young seedlings rapidly collapse in small roughly circular Symptoms are varied but all result in seedling death. ![]() Some slow growing trees and shrubs are also very prone to grey mould Petunias, salvias and stocks or vegetable seedlings like cabbages,Ĭress, lettuces, tomatoes, peas and beans. Growing flower seedlings such as antirrhinums, lobelias, nemesias, It can affect all types of seedlings, but is most problematic on fast Planted immediately and the remainder pricked gently with a pin andĪs each seed swells it should be removed and sown before it has timeĭamping off is one of the most common and troublesome types of garden If some seeds of a batch do swell within 24 hours they should be Seeds of some species swell up when they are soaked. If soaking for longer the water should be changed daily. Anything from 1-3 hours in water which starts off hand hot is usually Soaking is beneficial in two ways it can soften a hard seed coat and also leach out any chemical inhibitors in the seed which may prevent germination. Or, with very small seed, pricking carefully once with a needle etc. This can be achieved by chipping the seed with a sharp knife at a part furthest away from the 'eye', by rubbing lightly with emery paper All that is needed is for the outer surface to be scratched or abraded to allow water to pass through. Prevent moisture being absorbed by the seed.
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