Can you show pics? Where are you located?

damping off?

I'm in north Texas and seedlings are in the garden,not trays. Has anyone tried hydrogen peroxide for the damping off disease?

Damping off isn't usually a problem outdoors. Pictures would really help.

I'm curious why you have watermelon seedlings outdoors in North Texas in late August. You have about 3 months of growing season left, and that might squeeze into the DTM, except watermelons like heat, which you won't get towards the end.

Also, damping off usually happens in cool moist soil. You sure don't have the former, and it would take some effort to get the latter.

Yeah I knew I would be cutting it close on the ripening date but I've seen some pretty warm novembers in my 48 years living in this area. I started the seeds a month ago. And they're Sugar Baby variety which ripens a little faster than the larger varieties. The reason I think its a soil problem is if it was a cutworm or the like the seedlings would already be dead,instead of slowly dying. I think I might be overwatering them.