Bugger, bugger, bugger........

I have in previous years lost some tomatoes to damping off - despite,
as I thought being meticulous re hygiene in my greenhouse and using
cheshunt compound

Last year I kept them all in the house on window sill until ready for
potting on to 3 inch pots - all fine.


This year:

Washed plug tray, seed tray, seed tray cover all in disinfectant and
washing up liquid.

Bought new seed potting compost.

Soaked compost well with Cheshunt compound

Planted my 42 seeds and put them on windows sill in bedroom - two
weeks ago.

Bottom watered with Cheshunt compound

Only sixteen seeds through - tallest about an inch. Thought I'll
speed up germination and use the heated sand bed in the greenhouse -
so moved everything in to greenhouse.


This morning - 14 of them all with damping off - gone, finished,
done!!

I am very sure that it is damping off.

So the point is - what more can I do - does the greenhouse itself need
a good Jeyes Fluiding or something.

Is the damping off "spores"/bacteria or whatever in the green house
and air-born?

Or - despite my certainty - could it be something other than damping
off??

For now I am repeating last year - starting again - and keeping in
the house until ready to pot on.

Did I say : bugger, bugger, bugger

"Judith Smith" wrote

Bugger, bugger, bugger........

I have in previous years lost some tomatoes to damping off - despite,
as I thought being meticulous re hygiene in my greenhouse and using
cheshunt compound

Last year I kept them all in the house on window sill until ready for
potting on to 3 inch pots - all fine.


This year:

Washed plug tray, seed tray, seed tray cover all in disinfectant and
washing up liquid.

Bought new seed potting compost.

Soaked compost well with Cheshunt compound

Planted my 42 seeds and put them on windows sill in bedroom - two
weeks ago.

Bottom watered with Cheshunt compound

Only sixteen seeds through - tallest about an inch. Thought I'll
speed up germination and use the heated sand bed in the greenhouse -
so moved everything in to greenhouse.


This morning - 14 of them all with damping off - gone, finished,
done!!

I am very sure that it is damping off.

So the point is - what more can I do - does the greenhouse itself need
a good Jeyes Fluiding or something.

Is the damping off "spores"/bacteria or whatever in the green house
and air-born?

Or - despite my certainty - could it be something other than damping
off??

For now I am repeating last year - starting again - and keeping in
the house until ready to pot on.

Perhaps you are keeping them too wet, or too cold and wet (humid).
Normally once I've sowed my seeds and put them in the heated propagator in
my heated greenhouse (min 50°F) they don't need watering again until they
are up and growing and then only to keep the compost just moist. I raise the
trays up off the bottom of the propagator so they don't stay wet from
condensation.
Alternatively, what sort of compost are you using? I had a lot of trouble
once with a peat free compost (New Horizons) and cured it by going back to a
peat based compost (Levingtons).

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:33:50 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

snip


Alternatively, what sort of compost are you using? I had a lot of trouble
once with a peat free compost (New Horizons) and cured it by going back to a
peat based compost (Levingtons).


B&Q John Innes Seed Compost - this is the first year I have used it.

Judith Smith wrote:
On Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:33:50 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

snip


Alternatively, what sort of compost are you using? I had a lot of
trouble once with a peat free compost (New Horizons) and cured it by
going back to a peat based compost (Levingtons).


B&Q John Innes Seed Compost - this is the first year I have used it.

I never have probs.........green fingers?
30/32, one inch high in one week. Used JI potting compost, unheated
propogator on chest of draws in bedroom. Watered once mid week. They were
free seeds from magazines....Golden Pearl, and Moneymaker.
--
Pete C
London UK

Bob Hobden wrote:

Alternatively, what sort of compost are you using? I had a lot of trouble
once with a peat free compost (New Horizons) and cured it by going back to a
peat based compost (Levingtons).

I confess to using peat based compost for seed sowing. After that the
New Horizon stuff is fine for growing on.

Paul.



--
CTC Right to Ride Rep. for Richmond upon Thames

On Mar 28, 11:16*am, Judith Smith wrote:

Bugger, bugger, bugger........

Did I say : bugger, bugger, bugger

Now, therein lies your problem. Tomato seedlings are very sensitive
and can't stand bad language!

The message

from moghouse contains these words:
On Mar 28, 11:16*am, Judith Smith wrote:

Bugger, bugger, bugger........

Did I say : bugger, bugger, bugger

Now, therein lies your problem. Tomato seedlings are very sensitive
and can't stand bad language!

If you call them 'tomato' rather than 'tomato', they don't notice,
unless they're first generation immigrants.

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk

On Mar 28, 11:16*am, Judith Smith wrote:
Bugger, bugger, bugger........

I have in previous years lost some tomatoes to damping off - despite,
as I thought *being meticulous re hygiene in my greenhouse and using
cheshunt compound

Last year I kept them all in the house on window sill until ready for
potting on to 3 inch pots - all fine.

This year:

Washed plug tray, seed tray, seed tray cover all in disinfectant and
washing up liquid.

Bought new seed potting compost.

Soaked compost well with Cheshunt compound

Planted my 42 seeds and put them on windows sill in bedroom - two
weeks ago.

Bottom watered with Cheshunt compound

Only sixteen seeds through - tallest about an inch. Thought *I'll
speed up germination and use the heated sand bed in the greenhouse -
so moved everything in to greenhouse.

This morning - 14 of them all with damping off - gone, finished,
done!!

I am very sure that it is damping off.

So the point is - what more can I do - does the greenhouse itself need
a good Jeyes Fluiding or something.

Is the damping off "spores"/bacteria or whatever in the green house
and air-born?

Or - despite my certainty - could it be something other than damping
off??

For now I am repeating last year - starting again *- *and keeping in
the *house until ready to pot on.

Did I say : bugger, bugger, bugger

Poor Judith, scrap them and start again there is plenty of time. Keep
them a bit on the dry side. It could be that it was too humid in the
greenhouse and add that to a wet compost and you have excellent
conditions for damping off? Good luck with the next lot.

Judith

On Mar 28, 3:30*pm, "Pete C" wrote:
Judith Smith wrote:
On Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:33:50 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

snip

Alternatively, what sort of compost are you using? I had a lot of
trouble once with a peat free compost (New Horizons) and cured it by
going back to a peat based compost (Levingtons).

B&Q John Innes Seed Compost - this is the first year I have used it.

I never have probs.........green fingers?
30/32, one inch high in one week. Used JI potting compost, unheated
propogator on chest of draws in bedroom. Watered once mid week. They were
free seeds from magazines....Golden Pearl, and Moneymaker.
--
Pete C
London UK

I have a problem with seed compost here, it is really too heavy does
anyone know of something else that I could use to improve the French
seed compost, it's not fine enough. I tried making my own last year
by sieving earth and a synthetic mixture, I ended up with a lot of
weeds amongst the growing seeds.

Judith

On Mar 28, 7:46*pm, Judith in France
wrote:


I have a problem with seed compost here, it is really too heavy does
anyone know of something else that I could use to improve the French
seed compost, it's not fine enough. *I tried making my own last year
by sieving earth and a synthetic mixture, I ended up with a lot of
weeds amongst the growing seeds.

Sieve your earth and then, when you have finished baking, turn off the
oven and stick the earth in for an hour in an old metal baking
tray.That will take care of most of the weed seeds. You might care to
leave the extractor fan running as the aroma does not please everybody.

On Mar 28, 8:57*pm, moghouse wrote:
On Mar 28, 7:46*pm, Judith in France
wrote:



I have a problem with seed compost here, it is really too heavy does
anyone know of something else that I could use to improve the French
seed compost, it's not fine enough. *I tried making my own last year
by sieving earth and a synthetic mixture, I ended up with a lot of
weeds amongst the growing seeds.

Sieve your earth and then, when you have finished baking, turn off the
oven and stick the earth in for an hour in an old metal baking
tray.That will take care of most of the weed seeds. You might care to
leave the extractor fan running as the aroma does not please everybody.

Good tip, thanks.

Judith

On Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:30:33 -0000, "Pete C"
wrote:



Judith Smith wrote:
On Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:33:50 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

snip


Alternatively, what sort of compost are you using? I had a lot of
trouble once with a peat free compost (New Horizons) and cured it by
going back to a peat based compost (Levingtons).


B&Q John Innes Seed Compost - this is the first year I have used it.

I never have probs.........green fingers?
30/32, one inch high in one week. Used JI potting compost, unheated
propogator on chest of draws in bedroom. Watered once mid week. They were
free seeds from magazines....Golden Pearl, and Moneymaker.



Yes - that is more or less what I did last year - bedroom window sill
until pot on time.

They seem to be susceptible to the problem when in the green house.
That's why I wondered if the fungus is already there - but not in my
bedroom :-)

Bob Hobden writes
Perhaps you are keeping them too wet, or too cold and wet (humid).
Normally once I've sowed my seeds and put them in the heated propagator
in my heated greenhouse (min 50°F) they don't need watering again until
they are up and growing and then only to keep the compost just moist. I
raise the trays up off the bottom of the propagator so they don't stay
wet from condensation. Alternatively, what sort of compost are you
using? I had a lot of trouble once with a peat free compost (New
Horizons) and cured it by going back to a peat based compost (Levingtons).

--
I don't have any trouble with damping off using New Horizon
despite not being in the least bit meticulous, so doubt it's that. Peat
free composts are said to have improved immensely over the last few
years.
--
Kay