"Dampening off? "

[Jerry]

I bought some nifty tomato seed from Burpee's.   I have them under a dome and now I am seeing some white deposits on a few peat pots.
I have more than enough seed and promised to share with a friend.

70 at last today and supposed to be 80s all week.  I took the dome off the seeds and plan to let the dry out a bit.
I can always ship seedlings!   :'(

[emm]

That may just be something leaching out of the peat pots Jerry.  I haven't used them for a very long time but I seem to remember that that often happened.  If that's all it is it probably isn't anything to be concerned about.

I find that those domes just don't allow enough air circulation around the seedlings which causes problems with mold and fungi. I usually lift them slightly off the tray or remove the lid entirely once germination is complete.  If I am concerned about cold temperatures at night I put the lid back on while the seedlings are still tiny but don't do that for very long.

The way you can tell if you have damping off is to look at the base of the seedling just where it comes out of the soil.  The stem will be very thin, thinner than the rest of the stem.  It looks as if it has been squeezed tight.  This thin, thread like section of stem will rot and the seedling will fall over.  It happens very quickly.  Once the seedling has its first set of true leaves damping off is no longer a problem.  Damping off can affect the whole tray very quickly so if you do have seedlings that have fallen over you should remove them as soon as possible.

Up until this year there was a product in Canada called "No Damp" which very effectively treated damping off.  It is no longer available to home gardeners in Ontario, don't know about elsewhere.  To prevent damping off from occurring avoid damp and cold conditions and ensure good air circulation around the plants.  Sowing seeds fairly thinly can help with air circulation.  Water seedlings earlier in the day so that the leaves have time to dry off before the cooler temperatures begin in the evening.  Allow the surface of the soil to dry down slightly before watering again.  A small fan in the growing room is a big help in keeping the air moving.  You probably don't want to point it directly at your seedlings.  It is also a good idea to use a sterile growing medium.

Hope these special tomatoes grow well for you Jerry.
emm

[Jerry]

Thanks Emm, super info!  I have no germination I can see.  I did remove the domes.  We will see.
These cleverly made somes have a ventilation device too.
This was the first time this happened to me.
I have some back up seed and now that it's warm again will try it the old fashioned way.

Ill add a pic of the cute dome later!

[miguynmkoi]

Jerry, you're made of tougher stuff than me.     Aside from the tomatoes that seeded themselves from the compost pile I only have success with any plant when I buy the seedlings all ready to plant into the ground. 

My tomatoes that are growing from the compost have been growing on their own with Mother Nature and producing tomatoes, although small, all winter long.  Can't wait for the big ones soon!  Good luck with your seedlings!

[Jerry]

How tough is it to plant seeds?

Here is the OSH  too cute store bought dome. Also a jar works too, especially on cuttings

[miguynmkoi]

I just remembered you have a greenhouse to boot.  My seeds never make it.  Seems just when they are about to set out leaves they wither and die.  I can't seem to find the right conditions for them.  Plus I forget to check them  Woe is me.  So I buy my seeds already growing nicely. 

[Jerry]

So do I! Just like to play with some special ones.  Something unique.

There was no way i'd not buy these gems!

[pondlady]

If you mix one cup of 3% H2O2 in one gal. Of water and spritz it on the soil around you little seedlings it will keep the dreaded dampening off at bay. I have lost 3 little plants so far, None sense I started with the H2O2 stuff. Bottom water also help to keep it from attacking tiny seedlings. FYI

[Jerry]

It's been a week, no sign of a sprout.  Now that it's warm I will start over.

[Johns]

Jerry,

I am ging to share with you a little known method of producing healthier more robust tomato plants from seedlings.  I place an oscillating fan so that it blows across my seedlings and touch them as much as possible.  The process is called  THIGMATROPY.  You can google it but a concise explanation is at http://books.google.com/books?id=NazuLUg8iNkC&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=THIGMATROPY:&source=bl&ots=-dvTbBtdKR&sig=GgNHN5GNRYPKxm3Um_n3V2JzgTE&hl=en&ei=mXagS8XHO4z98Qbvo4mLAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=THIGMATROPY%3A&f=false

[Jerry]

To those new members who don't know,,,,, You can always count on Johns!
Now for a very long extension cord!

Thanks

[Freddie Peepers]

I also use a fan on my seedlings. The difference is dramatic in regards to the thickness of the stems from the moving air. and bottom watering is the best way too

[Jerry]

My seeds are in the green house.  There is pretty good air movemnent now,
Are you saying to use a fan even before seeds sprout?

[Freddie Peepers]

no fan until you have sprouts, although a fan would give more air circulation if it is too "stuffy" in the greenhouse.

[Jerry]

I dried the peat pots out and dumped the ones with the white stuff. Voila, sprouts are poking their heads up!

[PHYLAL]

I have always had major problems with starting plants from seed.  So much so, that I have not even tried for several years.  I will next year, thanks to emm, pondlady, Johns and Freddie Peepers.  Amazing, the amount of combined knowledge there is out there.  I always suspected that “water gardeners” and “ponders” were above average people.

[Jerry]

   I bet no one argues with you!
My seedlings are now in the ground and doing well.  Tomatoes are heat lovers (me too) and will take off as soon as we get warmer.

[Johns]

Jerry,

You are right that tomato plants grow profusely in hot weather.....But, during extended periods where daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees F and nightime temperatures exceed 80 defrees F, tomato pollen efficacy is compromised and blooms may fall off producing no fruit.  In fact, at temperatures over 100 F, tomato pollen dies.  The effect of this is that 60 to 70 days after period of extreme heat that might last for two weeks you may experience a couple of weeks of very few ripe tomatoes, with the harvest picking up again afterwards.