How To Prevent Damping OffGet Gardening Information on mps-gardening.com. How To Prevent Damping Off topic will increase your understanding on Gardening Information. We at mps-gardening.com only provide news, articles, information in Gardening Information. Gardening Information at mps-gardening.com provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter, ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it remains unchanged and you include the copyright and author information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam). You may retrieve this article by: Autoresponder: dampingoff@getresponse.com Website: http://www.apluswriting.net/articles/dampingoff.txt Words: 446 Copyright: 2005 Marilyn Pokorney Please leave the resource box intact with an active link, and send a courtesy copy of the publication in which the article appears to: marilynp@nctc.net ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------ Damping off is the single term used to describe underground, soil line, or crown rots of seedlings due to unknown causes. The term actually covers several soil borne diseases of plants and seed borne fungi. The fungi which cause root rot are species of Phyium, Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium. There are two types of damping off: pre-emergence and post- emergence. In pre-emergence damping-off, seeds may rot and seedlings may decay before they emerge. In post-emergence damping off the seedlings emerge then may pale, curl, wilt, and collapse from a rot at the soil line and below. The base of the stem is generally water-soaked at first then turns gray to brown or black then rots. Vegetable seedlings often do not grow well under humid conditions, particularly if the soil is cold and wet. Damping off fungi flourish in moist, unhygienic conditions. The disease often starts at one end of a seed tray, and quickly spreads to the other end. A fluffy fungal growth may also appear on the soil surface as well as on the dead seedlings. When preparing to plant be sure that flats, tools, plant containers, and benches are clean. Damping off pathogens can live in these containers. The easiest way to disinfect them is to dip them in a bleach solution for 10 seconds. Use 1 part bleach to 4 parts water. Or use 70 percent rubbing alcohol. Plant in a light, well drained fertile seedbed. Preferably use sterile soils that have been pasteurized with heat before planting. Maintain a soil pH at the low end of the average scale. A soil of 6.4 pH is less susceptible to root rot than a pH of 7.5. As plants are watered the pH gradually increases. Test often and continue to maintain a lower pH while the plants are still germinating. If necessary use one tablespoon of vinegar to 1 gallon of water to lower a rising pH level. Plant seeds no deeper than 4 times their own thickness. Keep the seedbed soil on the dry side after planting and allow plenty of bright light but not direct sunlight. Use plant containers with drainage holes, water from the bottom only, and avoid excess watering. Do not allow pots to stand in water as excess water cannot drain and the roots will be starved for oxygen which will stop all growth of seedlings. Never water late in the day. Avoid overcrowding and overfeeding of plants. Do not overfertilize, especially with nitrogen. For additional organic tips from the experts on damping off: http://www.apluswriting.net/dampingoff/dampingoff.htm
|
More Articles:1. Greenhouse Gardening A Greenhouse can extend your growing season by months and allow you to sow seeds and harvest crops much earlier than you normally would. With proper planning, some crops can be harvested continuously. This can turn your gardening and cultivation into a year round activity. A wider variety of plants started from seed. The germination rate will be much higher as well. The amount of sunlight that a greenhouse allows and the ability to control temperatures will give you a healthier and more product… 2. Cut Flower Gardening For Beautiful Bouquets Imagine a never-ending supply of beautiful flowers for your home, bouquets and arrangements to give to friends, flowers to pluck at will for gifts, get-well visits, anniversaries and birthdays. By planting a garden stocked with flowers that happily give up their blooms for your pleasure, you can have fresh flower arrangements in every room in your home all throughout the spring and summer.To create your own bouquet garden, start with a sunny spot in your yard. A garden spot that gets 6 to 8 hour… 3. Brilliant Corners-House Plants and Your Health Discover some benefits of having a house plant. This article originally appeared in the March 2006 issue of the Zone Net Newsletter. Zonenet is a producer of high quality fish oil supplements Although many of us cannot deny the emotional benefits of filling our house with various breathing green things, we usually do not see the house plant as something which can improve our physical well-being. Nonetheless low maintenance indoor plants can help to absorb carbon dioxide as well as possibly harmf… 4. A Hobby Greenhouse Will Get You Growing! For people who would like to do more gardening but live in a short growing season area, a hobby greenhouse is the answer. A hobby greenhouse is not large enough to produce vegetables or flowers on a commercial basis. It will, however, give you a place for a tomato plant or two and some fresh greens even if you live in the northern regions. Greenhouse enthusiasts even have their own association, called the Hobby Greenhouse Association, which publishes a quarterly magazine. The organization also s… |
||||
