Home
Add Beauty To Your Home With Climbing Roses
Colorful climbing roses can add a dramatic effect to your home. They're nice because you can wind them around a trellis, a column, or even let them climb up the side of your...read more on organic gardening
The Easiest Homemade Hydroponics System
Not every type of hydroponics system lends itself well to
homemade design. For systems that use drip or spray heads, you
have many costly items to purchase before you can...read more on organic gardening
Love to garden but short on money Here s 10 money saving ideas
Copy-write 2005 Jan Money. A great perk of organic gardening is finding different ways to achieve the same or improved result. Many items that are normally binned can be...read more on organic gardening
Green roofs on Garden Buildings
Everybody these days is concerned about our environment and the
impact our actions have on it. We have been actively involved in
various environmentally sound projects over...read more on organic gardening
Planting Guide For Roses
The art of planting roses doesn’t have to be a complicated thing to do. When you have the right knowledge there is no limit to how beautiful a garden or rosebush that you can...read more on organic gardening
Here is Why You Should Use Gypsum in Gardening
Do you have clay or layer of hard subsoil problems in your garden? Then gypsum may be the answer to help loosen the soil structure. It is not considered a miracle substance...read more on organic gardening
When to Plant Vegetables
If you’re planting a vegetable garden you’ll want to pay close attention to frost and freeze dates to determine when to plant. This article gives an overview of how to...read more on organic gardening
Working with dahlias
Dahlias are among the most beautiful and most exotic residents
of any garden. The large blooms of the dahlia are impossible to
ignore, and they stand out in any garden in...read more on organic gardening
|
 |
REQUIREMENTS FOR REPRINT: You have permission to publish
this article free of charge in your e-zine, newsletter,
ebook, print publication or on your website ONLY if it
remains unchanged and you include the copyright and author
information (Resource Box) at the end. You may not use
this article in any unsolicited commercial email (spam).
You may retrieve this article by:
Autoresponder: dampingoff@getresponse.com
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net/articles/dampingoff.txt
Words: 446
Copyright: 2005 Marilyn Pokorney
Please leave the resource box intact with an active link,
and send a courtesy copy of the publication in which the
article appears to: marilynp@nctc.net
------------------------------------------------------------
------------
Damping off is the single term used to describe
underground, soil line, or crown rots of seedlings due to
unknown causes. The term actually covers several soil borne
diseases of plants and seed borne fungi. The fungi which
cause root rot are species of Phyium, Phytophthora,
Rhizoctonia and Fusarium.
There are two types of damping off: pre-emergence and post-
emergence. In pre-emergence damping-off, seeds may rot and
seedlings may decay before they emerge. In post-emergence
damping off the seedlings emerge then may pale, curl, wilt,
and collapse from a rot at the soil line and below. The
base of the stem is generally water-soaked at first then
turns gray to brown or black then rots.
Vegetable seedlings often do not grow well under humid
conditions, particularly if the soil is cold and wet.
Damping off fungi flourish in moist, unhygienic conditions.
The disease often starts at one end of a seed tray, and
quickly spreads to the other end. A fluffy fungal growth
may also appear on the soil surface as well as on the dead
seedlings.
When preparing to plant be sure that flats, tools, plant
containers, and benches are clean. Damping off pathogens
can live in these containers. The easiest way to disinfect
them is to dip them in a bleach solution for 10 seconds.
Use 1 part bleach to 4 parts water. Or use 70 percent
rubbing alcohol.
Plant in a light, well drained fertile seedbed. Preferably
use sterile soils that have been pasteurized with heat
before planting. Maintain a soil pH at the low end of the
average scale. A soil of 6.4 pH is less susceptible to root
rot than a pH of 7.5. As plants are watered the pH
gradually increases. Test often and continue to maintain a
lower pH while the plants are still germinating. If
necessary use one tablespoon of vinegar to 1 gallon of water
to lower a rising pH level.
Plant seeds no deeper than 4 times their own thickness.
Keep the seedbed soil on the dry side after planting and
allow plenty of bright light but not direct sunlight.
Use plant containers with drainage holes, water from the
bottom only, and avoid excess watering. Do not allow pots
to stand in water as excess water cannot drain and the roots
will be starved for oxygen which will stop all growth of
seedlings. Never water late in the day.
Avoid overcrowding and overfeeding of plants. Do not
overfertilize, especially with nitrogen.
For additional organic tips from the experts on damping off:
http://www.apluswriting.net/dampingoff/dampingoff.htm
About the Author
Author: Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net
Written by:
Marilyn Pokorney
|