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Trouble for my D. rotundifolia!

ok, heres the deal. I am germinating some D. rotundifolia in a pot and i didnt use any fungiside(Stupid!
mad.gif
). Its been about 1.5 months and nothin sprouted, so i looked closer and saw algae/moss, i cant tell which, but it was green, and wasnt a sundew. So i need some help, and just in case your wondering, YES i did put them through cold stratification for a month. Thanks for any help.
 
In my experience the presence of algae, moss and mold are real danger signs. Drosera seedlings cannot compete with these other species, especially in the early stages of growth.

Once the problem starts, it is difficult or impossible to deal with. This is why care must be taken on the preventitive level, esp. when sowing seed.

These competitive species arise when there are micronutrients available for them to exploit. Once bluegreen algae and cyanobacteria get a toe hold, they fix atmospheric nitrogen into the mix, and the process accelerates. Careful washing of the sand used in the medium will go a long ways in prevention of the problem. Rinse the sand before you use it until the water runs clear. I also use only peat that has weatered outside where the rains leach out any nutrients that may be present. I keep my peat in a bin with drainage holes, and the seasons rains does the work for me. I find that droserae prefer older peat.

Another alternative method is to sterilize the mix with heat, but I have not used this method much. Others report excellent results doing this, so it is a consideration.

Finely milled LFS is also a good germination medium. If the moss is living, it should be very well milled in a food processor. The low PH of this medium is naturally aniseptic, and I have yet to meet a CP that would not grow in LFS sphagnum.

In all events, a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and cleanlieness is next to godlieness in any method of CP propagation.
 
ok, so in essence, what you are telling me is my dews are gonners. Just wondering,will LFS die when put through cold sratification?
 
Sphagnum returns from a freeze, no problem. Keep an eye on the pot, and if you get any visable germination, transplant immediately.
 
You shouldn't have to rinse perlite, it is already sterile. If your problem is just perlite turning green, don't worry, algae always seems to grow on perlite. At least in my experience, it doesn't hurt seedlings.
 
Yep, having things compeat with seeds can be tuff, but it isn't the end of the world, see *evil grin, rubbing alcohal doesn't go over well with the microbs, but it doesn't cause much damage to the seedlings/seeds because it evaporates befor it messes up their cellular structure. Try getting a Q-tip and dabbing the problem areas, worked for my seedlings (which I have so many of I don't know what to do with)
 
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