damping off or? Frustrated

10 years ago

These Flopped over today in full sun. :(

There's a skinniness at the stem touching the soil line so im thinking its damping off but I wanted to make sure. This is my second batch of seedlings this year that have gone this way and it's frustrating. I've read through all the damping off threads and I've tried almost everything including cinnamon, halfing my watering, bleaching, cooking my starter mix, etc. I don't even use the humidity dome anymore because of how paranoid I am and how many times It has happened

One thing that I always notice with all my batches that die this way is that they always flop over in the heavy sun. Literally two hours before I put them in light, they were perfectly fine. Is it just a coincidence that the symptoms of damping off always happen when I put the seedlings in the sun?

After today I've questioning whether or not it really is damping off or if it is the excessive sun and Need to harden off more conservatively. I am questioning what it is because of all the precautions that I've taken with prevention of damping off and because it always happens when I place the seedlings in the sun

also it was my chard and kales that keep getting hit hard. My tomatoes don't have any problems despite the same conditions I give them. Even in my last batch the tomatoes did fine while everything else damped off

Featured Answer

tete-a-tete

10 years ago

I expected to see in your photos a batch of thickly-sown seed. Because it is thickly-sown seed that is more likely to succumb to damping off.

I don't think it is damping off. As someone above said, it's more likely to be due to lack of 'hardening off'.

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Comments (8)

albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
10 years ago
The soil in the pictures is not familiar to me. Is it seed starting mix? Potting soil and natural soil may have fungi that cause damping off.
gvozdika
10 years ago
You are right, hardening off should be more gentle, strong sunlight is too harsh for new seedlings. The tomatoes are more resilient and can take that harsh treatment; they are practically weeds.
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theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
10 years ago
The wilting and falling over is definitely caused by the sun. You cannot take seedlings that were started inside and just put them into full sun, if that is what you are doing. They have to be hardened off first and it is a gradual process of exposing them to outdoor conditions. Lots of info available on hardening off if you do a search.

Rodney
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
10 years ago
I have to say the thinning and blackening of the base of the stems does look just like damping off to me. But then I've never seen sun scorch. Wouldn't that affect the leaves rather than the base of the stem where it comes out of the medium?
ahappy camper zone10
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
thank you for the responses everyone

albert: it is the jiffy sterile seed starting mix, yes

floral: i believe it is dampening off. its just so hard for me to believe because i've taken so many precautions in preventing it from happening. it took out all my brassica seedlings but also moved onto my basil and everything else as well. i dont know what im doing wrong but at this point its like theyre asking me to put on a full on biohazard suit to handle all my seedling utensils. when i would do the initial watering from the bottom i would water until the surface was completely darkened.

i restarted some chards two nights ago and am going to cut my water down even more. instead of seeing the surface being completely darkened im going to stop watering when the surface is only "partially" darkened. this is how they looked after the initial watering

i really hope they make it this time. ive gone through basically the entire seed package of chards without having a single one survive
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
10 years ago
I agree with floral....it looks exactly like damping off disease, which causes the collapse of the stem at soil level.

I'd say that the powdery Jiffy mix is at the heart of the problems. Awful stuff, in my opinion. Its super fine texture makes very changing to grow without having problems such as damping off fungi, fungus gnats, etc.
ahappy camper zone10
Original Author
10 years ago
ty. rhizo, what brand do you use?