mold on seeds help

Need some advice. Am attempting to start seeds in 200 count flats and am having trouble with some of the seeds molding. Also have started seeds on paper towels in a flat tupperware with lid and then moved them. The seeds in the tupperware also molded after a week or so. What should I be doing?

I use miricle grow seed starting mix, these particular seeds are shasta daisy sown on top of the mix. I adequately wet the mix before planting, planted and then sprayed the flat with my kitchen sprayer. and placed them on drain trays with a clear dome. I have them on a mat at 71-73 degree under flour. lites. on a timer for 12 hours per day. I open the clear dome each day for a few minutes for fresh air, mist the seeds with my hand bottle sprayer with water mixed with a good splash of hydrogen peroxide, and reclose.

Tonite I noticed a few seeds in the flats had a touch of mold on them. The seeds started on the papertowels and then moved were looking ok and showing some new growth.......................................help with advice please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Howdy Lotton,

If your seeds are molding it sounds like you have too much moisture and not enuff air.

The ones you mentioned above in tupperware with lid, take off the lid, put them in an airy place...that may help get rid of the excess moisture and the mold.

The seeds you are starting in seed starting mix (shasta daisy) it sounds like you are wetting the medium a bit much. If you initially wet the mix, then again sprayed them with your kitchen sprayer, that sounds like too much water, especially if you covered them w/a dome top. For something like shallow planted seeds would recommend placeing the seed on top of your medium, then barely cover with more soil (use of a fine-mesh colander is great!), then mist with water. (By the way, no need for light for germination...perhaps the heat from the light is what is encouraging the mold growth?)

Hope this helps. If you can elaborate on anything else going on that would help (temps, light/darkness, etc).

Take them off the heat mat..these really don't needheat to germinate and that is als o encouraging the mold!
Gail

Way too wet and warm.

The clear dome seed starters should only have a faint mist of moisture on the lids...and you shouldn't have to raise the lids till you get germination. No need to water again for quite some time

Seed starting mix should be only slightly damp...like a well wrung out sponge...any wetter and it's too wet.

Your lights will provide enough heat...they don't put out much, but it's enough.

It also does not hurt to add a bit of peroxide to your water. Make sure you are using clean trays, tools and hands. Once you get the mold on you or your tools you can easily spread the spores around to other things.

Badseed,
I want to thank you for the peroxide information you gave me on another thread.I spray my roses that I'm rooting with it and have pretty good results,when I ran out of peroxide I started loosing them.It works,Jody

Thanks to everyone for the advice. It appears I am definitely giving too much water. It was frustrating to see and I had thought the Hydrogen Peroxide would help with the mold


Is there anyway to kill the mold?........................maybe just wishful thinking? The plants that are sprouted don’t seem to be bothered so far, and it just appears that it is the seed itself that is molding.


I have a thermometer in the mix in the tray and the temp is staying between 71 - 75 so I didn't think that was excessive. Should these domes have some ventilation holes?

Again, Thanks to all for the advice and I am going to reduce moisture and heat and see what happens

Hi Jody, Nice to see you. The peroxide is VERY helpful when you need it. :)

Usually if seeds are rotting themselves, they were either bad, too wet or too cold. It seems cold is out of the question. It also sounds like they are way too wet. Is it possible the seeds were not viable or needed some other treatment before you started them? Often the coating on brugs will mold but not affect the seed itself. Some seeds just need to be nicked or chilled before they will sprout.

I've mauled several plants and seeds with to much water.Seedlings need good drainage and a little air on the roots.Jody

Did you purchase this seed or did you collect and save it? While I agree that you have used too much water, poorly stored seed will rot much faster than seed that is kept cool and dry. I also nuke the soil before I use it. Jessamine

I saved the seed. It was dryed and has been in the frig since last fall. I just put some more from another batch onto some damp towels to see if they do better because I also suspect it is the seed. I did however nuke the soil with a couple cups of water and checked that the temp reached a minimum of 180 degrees

This message was edited Feb 24, 2005 9:21 PM

Well, I think we can say what has gone wrong for you. Most seeds should be stored in airtight containers at a temperature of 45oF. Colder temps can kill the embryo although some can be stored much colder. I would include a pinch of a fungicide and insecticide to kill any hitch hikers. Mason jars are a good choice and they come in lots of sizes. Jessamine

This message was edited Feb 27, 2005 2:00 AM

I didn't have them in airtight containers (I had them in an envelope) however the temp in the frig is set at 43 degrees The shasta Daisy is hardy to -30 so I don't think that was it. The second batch I had forgotten and left on a drying screen in my shop which has had the heat set at 55 degrees all winter so I will see if they do better. Jessamine, do you just store all your seeds in the jars at a set temp ?

Lotton, when I do save seed which is not often since I mostly grow hybrids, I put them in an unbleached envelope in a small ziplock bag and place in a plastic trunk which I store in the basement in a cool corner. I don't have the space for mason jars, small or not. The Extention office fridge was turned into a seed saver and set at 45oF. They don't have space for the jars either and package them the way I do. The fridge resembles Fibber Mcgee's closet if you are old enough to remember that. You open the door and expect a landslide. I'm told the jars are still the best and I remember my mother retrieving seeds from jars that were several years old and still germinated. The rates may be lower but a botonist just last year germinated a lotus seed retrieved from a newly uncovered river bed that had been dry for 300 years and seeds of corn found in Inca tombs have germinated. Below 55 I would give them a chance if they did not dry out too much. The plant of the Shasta may be hardy to - 30 but I would have doubts about the seeds. Jessamine

Ya'll should consider the type of seed you're saving (as well as the method of storing it).

Temps do play a role in some seed saving ( as does humidity/light, etc).

I store most veggie seeds in paper envelope or a plastic freezer bag, and then put that in a canning jar in a fridge. Some seeds I've reliably saved in a deep freeze (much lower temps than 45*) and have been astounded at their viability...simply wonderful! (Last year I planted corn that was stored in a deep freeze since 1997; had so much germination I had to go thin out the rows!)

So, in essence, differenct seeds store differently and that will depend on their genes. (gosh, some weed seeds/weeds will easily "greet you" for years and years, eh?)

jessamine, you hit the nail on the head when you said "Below 55 I would give them a chance if they did not dry out too much." Seems like "drying out too much" plays quite an important role in seed saving.

Seed saving...growing from seed. Ain't it grand!?

Most seeds should be stored in airtight containers at a temperature of 45oF. Colder temps will kill the embryo.

Seeds can be frozen at mcuh colder temps than this without any harm. As long as the seed is sufficiently dry it will not kill the embryo. Drying out too much is under 5% moisture where permenant dormancy may result. Extremely rare for the home gardener to get this low as far as seed moisture is concerned.

The problem here is little to no air circulation, too much moisture/humidity and way too hot!!
Heat will kill and then rot seeds as easily as cold, wet soil will rot them before they germinate.
Poorly stored seeds could play a part but even after a year in poor conditions you might be suprized how well they still germinate.

Caron, thank you for pointing out my careless statement. I should have been more exact and have edited my post to correct that. :) Jessamine

Thanks to everyone that gave me advice. I heeded your advice, used less moisture, used a fan for some air circulation, and started some more on towels to fill in the empty cells. I appreciate everyones help and everything seems great now. I have learned much from this web site

Now my thought is "What was I thinking starting so many and where am I going to put them?" Guess I will be furnishing the neighbors some plants also

Thanks

LOL My husband always asks me who's yard I'll be planting all my plants in. :)

great info on storing seeds
never thought of a mason jar.....