Mold on seeds

[yimmz]

Every year i attempt to grow some Sarracenia's from seed and have the same issue. Once they start germinating i start to see a white mold layer on the media. Is there something i can use to kill off the mold without killing the seedling?

[jdallas]

When sowing seeds, especially ones that need cold stratification, you need to use fungicide. Unless you're just broadcast sowing outside in planters or "minibogs" anytime the seeds are on a tray in any enclosure you need to spray them. I like using sulfur based fungicides since they are long lasting and low tox. Avoid copper based fungicides, but most others tend to be safe on Sarracenia seeds.

You can also help fend off some mold by treating your growing medium with boiling water before sowing. It will help kill both mold and algae spores. The seeds, however, still harbor fungal spores. This is one of the reasons Sarracenia tend to be so hard to tissue culture.

Jeff

[Alexis]

Are you actually finding it harmful? I find fresh peat can sometimes grow grey mold, but it doesn't harm germinated seeds and disappears after a couple of months.

I've never had to use fungicide on the seeds. If they grow mold and fail to germinate they are usually dead anyway. If your conditions are right you shouldn't have to use fungicide for sarracenia.

[yimmz]

Yea it's a grey mold but i like the idea of it not harming them!! I spryaed fungicide about a week ago and then again last night. The mold has not visibly harmed them yet i'm just afraid of it overtaking the media.
I love the CD/ebook you guys offer jdallas!! (Unless you are not the person i think you are oops)

Thanks for all the input and if things work out my Sarracenia collection should grow in number substanitially

[jdallas]

Alexis,

This is one of those situations where the devil is in the details, and what you define as "doing it right". If you sow Sarracenia seeds in outdoors in seed trays or on pots, you'll have no problem with mold at all. The rain/snow and UV light will keep any fungus at bay. I would define that as one of the best ways to stratify your seeds, nature's way. When you're in a greenhouse, or in a home the concentrations of airborne fungal spores are often higher. You can cover trays or pots, and that does help significantly, but if mold does get started, now you have a great little grow chamber for the fungus. Many folks like to stratify in the refrigerator. Now you have out of site, out of mind, so by the time they get around to checking their seeds, botrytis has wiped them out. All of this is why I recommend a fungicide as a preventative. It just saves lots of grief later if you didn't sterilize your trays and media well enough, if some contamination occurs, etc...

I am curious how you sow your Sarracenia seeds, however. It sounds like you have a very effective technique.

Yimmz,

That is us. Glad you liked the e-book. I just try not to advertise on the forum.

Jeff

[Alexis]

Hi Jeff

There's no 'right' way to do these things usually, so I hope I didn't come across in a preachy way!

I've stratified seeds in the fridge in wet paper towels and I've stratified in a greenhouse. I've also sown seeds indoors in December under growlights, as well as letting nature do the work by sowing in the greenhouse in winter and letting them sprout in spring. They've always been open and never covered or put in a propagator.

I've never needed fungicide in any case (and there's pretty much nothing available in the EU now that is effective anyway) and never come across mold on the seeds. They sprout like crazy!

[yimmz]

I used a little of peat and mixed the seeds into a ziplock bag, added some distilled water, shook, and then put an elastic around at the time to keep some air in the bags. i then placed them in a fridge for 5 weeks. However, i did not do anything to sterlize the peat/perlite mixture i potted them. I was in a rush and forgot to do it. After that i placed them in a glass aquarium under some grow lights and have sprayed with a fungicide every two weeks since then.

[coldcoffee]

I have rarely had problems with mold developing during stratification. I have recently begun spraying all seedlings with sulfer based fungicide (largely prompted by a youtube video staring jdallas). Where mold tends to be a problem for me is after they are sown. One thing I have been experimenting with is actually dipping the larger seeds for a minute in hydrogen peroxide and then immediately sowing. This is a trick that I have hypothesized coming from tissue culturing. (Incidently, hydrogen peroxide can actually have a germination stimulating effect in some species of plant, much like GA3) Can't comment on how well it works yet- stay tuned for details.

Here is what I am currently doing:
Since it is winter time, I went ahead and sowed my unstratefied seeds onto the surface of a standard peat/perlite mix. I then spayed them down with fungicide (sulfur based- I got the surface good and wet), then set them outside in a tray of water.

Jeff has a really cool idea in his volume 1 carnivorous plant growing DVD that I want to try with this batch (jdallas, please feel free to chime in if you want to add/subtract anything) of cutting out a piece of shade cloth and placing it over the seeds on the surface of the pot. I have not tried this yet but will be doing this when I get my hands on some shade cloth. We have snail and slug problems here where I live, I would hate to lose any newly germinated seedlings to snails!