Mold in seedling container.

[hostilis]

Hello everyone. I just started a TON of cacti seeds in these containers...

There seems to be some mold showing up. I sterilized everything so i'm not sure why. I was just wondering if there's anything I can do. Can I spray the inside of it with a diluted H2O2 solution without killing off the seeds?

Thanks.

[Bert&Ernie]

Man I cant see any mold lol maybe im just to tired..

put it in the sun for a little while, that should take care of any mold.

[bogfrog]

Hmmm are you sure it's not just the first little roots coming off the seeds. It sounds a bit odd, but I've seen what looks like mould coming off the seed in the first stage of germination, and it has always been fine. Maybe a closer picture if you can muster one?

[hostilis]

This picture was before the mold showed up. I'll see if I can get a pic. I'm having a hard time telling if it's mold or the little root hairs. But it's white and it's even on some spots where there aren't seeds so I think it is mold. And it's way too cold outside to put under the sun. So that's not an option. There is a heat pad under it. I turned it off so it wouldn't fan the flames so to speak.

If it is mold then could i spray a diluted h2o2 solution on it? Or would that kill the seeds too?

[hostilis]

Here's a picture. Do you see any mold there. There's some spots of white fuzz that almost look like mold. Do the seeds usually put out tiny roots like that before the shell cracks open?

Edited November 14, 2013 by hostilis

[bogfrog]

Personally I think it looks fine. Others may disagree, but to me it looks like the white fuzzies are just the initial roots. I have seen white fuzz coming off the seed with pretty much every sow, I'm not sure if they are officially "roots", but something along those lines, helping the embryo get its first drink.

Look closely at the whitish seed in the bottom left hand corner and you'll see the fuzziness is connected to the seed itself.

Maybe they are little arms and legs which help the seed climb out of the shell

If you're not convinced just make sure you open the container to let in fresh air a couple times a day, and report back with more photos in a few days.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

This is what mould looks like in a seedling tub, you reminded me to fix this today with your post lol! And yes diluted bleach will work, at least for me.[

attachment=42106:image.jpg]

[hostilis]

What's the water/bleach ratio you use?

Edited November 15, 2013 by hostilis

[GoOnThen]

I have used straight store bought hydrogen peroxide ( 3% ? ) many times with out any adverse effects. I have recently washed seeds in it before sowing as I have had mould grow on the seeds themselves not from my sterilised mix. If you think about it its a good practice to wash all seeds before sowing as there is a very good chance that you are putting contaminants into your sterilised and clean container if you don't.

Another thing that is good to know about hydrogen peroxide is not to keep it in a clear spray bottle. I have a small pump spray bottle that I have painted black and it seems to keep ok in that for a reasonable period of time.

The packaging of hydrogen peroxide in brown bottles is essential to ensure that it retains its chemical properties. If hydrogen peroxide is heated or is exposed to trace amounts of metal or metal ions it turns into water or oxygen. Glass bottles sometimes have small amounts of alkali metal ions dissolved in it. This is why plastic bottles or glass bottles coated with wax are used instead. The brown tint of the bottle prevents light being absorbed by the solution, preventing the oxidation and reduction reaction.

Cheers

Got

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

For me, hostillis, I don't measure, maybe a cap for a 500ml spray bottle. I don't even know what chem it is, it's just bleach to me lol

[hostilis]

GOT, I treat my seeds with GA3 solution before planting. I've had very bad results using h2o2 on them after soaking in GA3. I guess I could do it beforehand though. Too late now though. I'm going to just keep an eye on it, let the containers get fresh air a few times a day, and just let them keep going. They're all germinating really well right now so i'm not too worried. I have a bunch of nitrogen's crosses in there too. Pretty stoked about those.

Just potted up 60 pereskiopsis cuttings in preparation for these seedlings today. Will keep everyone updated.

Edited November 15, 2013 by hostilis

[doxneed2c-me]

I have used cinnamon and had great success. I use powdered cinnamon and a straw which I cut to make a scoopula.

I have read elsewhere that people put cinnamon in one of those empty tea bags and leave it in water then spray this on the soil.

I have also read that people the the same as the aforementioned but substitute vinegar for water. I tried this on some less important plants and it killed a number of them.

[hostilis]

Cinnamon is good to prevent if there isn't already an infection, but it doesn't do anything if there's already an infection present in my experience. Thanks for the suggestion though. Have you ever used it on seedlings?

Edited November 15, 2013 by hostilis

[tripsis]

I definitely see mould, both on the seedcases and on the soil. Had problems with mould in the past, it came with the seeds. The problem with sterilising is that you create an environment where moulds can explode, as they have zero competitors.

[hostilis]

That first pic has no mold. That was about an hour into when i started them and before anything showed up. That's condensation on the sides. There's no mold on the containers though and it's only in little spots on the substrate. The second picture i the one that has the suspected mold in it. I just posted the first picture as a reference to what I was germinating the seeds in.

Edited November 15, 2013 by hostilis

[tripsis]

Did I say anything about the first photo?

[hostilis]

Ah nevermind. I thought you said it was on the sides of the containers (plastic containers.) I see that you meant the seed shells now. My bad. Anyways I hope I can get this under control. There's a lot of awesome seeds in there (Lophophora alberto, fricii x koehresii, ect,,,)

Edited November 15, 2013 by hostilis

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

I always get some mould issues in each container, a dilute household bleach spray (.5-1 cap to 500ml-1L) normally stops it until they can be handled into something like this. These are 4mths old and it's how I've always done them with success. It's a grit/seed mix/perlite/verm mix to a ratio if 50/15/25/10 and they take off for me under CFL. Maybe it's silly but I've learnt to live with it and when transplanted there's no mould at all. I always give a quick bleach spray before I transplant and water.

[IndianDreaming]

I used to get mould - and green slime, but since I started adding about a level tablespoon of cinnamon in a rectangle take away container thingo like yours, i've had none.

The other thing I do, is once that container is sterile and i sprinkle the seeds on, I mist them with a mister that has: 2 cap fulls of 3% peroxide in 250ml water - and I give them about say 5-8 squirts. I find this knocks the seeds into the soil grooves nicely too. Either the cinnamon or the spray has helped, because I've done 20-25 containers since then and there's no mould, slime or anything and the seedlings look great.

Edited November 15, 2013 by IndianDreaming

[Foo]

I use "yates fungus gun" on my seedlings for any green/white/red/black that shouldn't be there. It was given to me and i think its meant for roses, but seems to have handled everything thats come up in my seedling conts.

[hostilis]

Cool. Well I checked it this morning and it's spreading extremely fast. So I decided to pull out and take any of my important seeds out of there (Like nitrogen's crosses and l. alberto) and let them dry out. I sprayed the tops with hydrogen pyroxide mixture and i'm letting them air out. I think I will germinate the important seeds in petri dishes in case there's an infection so it doesn't hit all of my important seeds at once.

[Funtick]

I do not have any molds whenever fluorescent bulbs are closer to seeds; perhaps UV and high temperature. I grew seeds successfully with around 35 degree Celsium.

Now, with 30 degree C during day & 21 at night, I have some mold from only some seeds from some suppliers - which tells me that it comes with seeds.

I bought very special UV light (Verilux CleanVawe), just 30 seconds - up to 1 minute is enough to kill mold.

Also, I always add Potassium Permanganate to the water; I used to soak seeds 2 days in such water before sowing, not anymore.

From my experience: I used non-sterilized Cactus soil (Miracle Gro) from store, boiled water & Potassium Permangranate & Miracle Gro fertilizer, and didn't soak seeds -> results were super excellent. I believe it depends first of all on seeds quality, second: on high temperature and UV light.

Try to germinate at 15 C and at 35 C, you will see the difference.

[Evil Genius]

Yes, mold is usually caused by the seeds. a.) unviable seed is vulnerable to mold as it decomposes dead material. So if you have mold on the seeds, its a good sign they are dead. Apart from that, dirty seed attracts molds too. If the collector didnt wash off the fruit well enough, you can get mold too. And there are very rare cases when you have mold in the soil but if you use Sowing Soil or sand, that shouldnt be an issue.

Light and UV Rays play a very important part in germination. Just by adding a 100W lamp, I could increase my germination rates by 40 percent. But BE CAREFUL with this UV Lamp. They can cause skin cancer and I personally know two cactus growers who got skin cancer from working under the lamp.

[hostilis]

Wow, somebody must've been looking at the 40th page of threads. Lol.