Simple answer is yes, very likely. Even new peat pots are prone to developing damp-off fungus because of the way they absorb and hold water. That's one reason why many won't use them.

Save them to use for older well-established plants if you want to use them.

I suppose you could soak them in a disinfecting solution and let them dry well before using - 1:10 bleach to water mix is frequently used to disinfect gardening equipment and such - but personally I'd just compost them if you can do it without upsetting him.

Dave

Here's a second vote for the compost pile.

Even if the peat pots were new they will still grow mold on them. I bought a bunch of them last year and I will never use them again. They are difficult to get moist to start with and if they dry out they are difficult to get remoistened.

Yes they're a great concept but in reality...meh.

Several years ago I moved from using peat pots to bottomless plastic pipe pots. The larger size gives me much bigger plants that can be transplanted without root disturbance. Setting the larger plants in a weed free bed greatly reduces the time and effort needed to maintain the plants to maturity.

I'm still using many of the same pots I made 5 years ago. The link below is from 2008 when I devised the system.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pipe Pots

Thanks for all the great input! Very helpful!
I really like the Pipe Pot idea!
Thanks!!

Something cheap and easy to use for small pots are disposable plastic cups from the dollar store. Clear ones will last a year and colored ones last a few years. I stack them and run the tip of a hot soldering iron through the bottom to melt drainage holes. Using anything else to punch drainage holes results in cracked cups.