Mold!

[Kate]

Recently a few forum members where kind enough to send me some D. capensis seed. Which I planted in a tray containing 50/50 sterilized peat and finely crushed perlite (couldn't get ahold of sand which I would have preffered). tray was left uncovered but perpetually moist. No special lighting (never really found light neccessary before gernimation anyway) though they were under the flourescents beside my african violets for lack of space anywhere else. Tempuratures were in the 70-75 range. A week later I have mold. The dark dusty green almost looks powdery kind of mold. I have never experienced mold during germination for drosera before so this is a new one for me.

So, what did I do wrong?

Edit: And this should be in the Drosera forum! Would one of the mods be kind enough to move this for me?? Please?

 

[unknownclown]

moving by request to the Drosera forum

 

[Kate]

Thank you!

 

[Bugweed]

A light spray with Cleary 3336wp preferable. If it is mold instead of a certain algae that sounds the same in description. Nasty stuff either way. Cut down on water a little, and dry the soil down a bit. Definitely use the Cleary. Too wet is most likely. Also note if the air circulation in the room is adequate.

 

[Kate]

It is definately mold <sigh>. Already treated with fungicide. Air circulation should be alright though I am thinking in future I will try putting them elsewhere with a little more of a "draft" and keep them a little dryer. I haven't given up on them yet, though it is looking rather bleak at the moment.

Thanks Bug.

 

[jimscott]

Kate, I think you did things correctly. I could understand getting mold in a closed environment, but sheesh, it was uncovered. Personally, I think you were just unlucky. I've gotten away with wet and closed without getting mold ofr seed germination - and I DO mean 'gotten away with'! Some people also use cinnamon for mold.

 

[Kate]

I was more or less expecting to have problems eventyaully. I am in such a radically different climate than I am used to growing these in I am expecting to lose more than a few plants while I firgure out how to grow them here. Somehow though I wasn't expecting very dry air to produce mold lol! Of course given that it is so dry it could just be that I gave the airborne spores a home.

 

[moonflower]

i actually used cinnamon on my D. capensis seeds when they got mold, on jimscott's reccomendation, and it seemed to work pretty well. I also bumped up air circulation by placing them closer to the window and removed the heavily infected pieces of sphagnum, the stuff hasn't come back regardless of what did it in. in fact, both pots of capensis are sprouting

(they're cute when they're little!) i hate using chemicals so i was glad something natural worked.

 

[jimscott]

Quote[/b] (moonflower @ May 05 2005,10:50)]they're cute when they're little

But watch out when they become adolescents! 18 is such a volatile age! Here, there, and everywhere all at the same time. Oh, the worry!

 

[Kate]

off galivanting with those D. scorpioides were they? Well you know.. I hear those pygmies are bad news anyway.. they have tendancies of coniving to escape their pots and float off downstream for parts unknown! Can't be trusted!

 

[jimscott]

Don't say downstream! Oh, the memories! The flashbacks! The guilt! *must take my pills*

 

[Kate]

Why do I get the sudden image of years from now you sitting on your front porch in a rocking chair mumbling "downstream... just floated away... never found!"

 

[jimscott]

Years from now?

 

[Kate]

well it could be tomorrow.. but you seem to still be in possesion of some of your faculties..................

Yes I know.. I am a brat! It has taken years of practise!

 

[jimscott]

We can do the existentialism thing: How do you know that we are actually carrying on a conversation?

'Seem' is the keyword!

 

[Kate]

Ahh, see the thing here is regardless of the presence of others I carry on conversations all the time where I am the only participant!

 

[jimscott]

Ah yes, I know that scenario! I refer to it as, "Oral organizational thinking". It puts a better spin on things!

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

Quote[/b] (jimscott @ May 05 2005,4:43)]Ah yes, I know that scenario! I refer to it as, "Oral organizational thinking". It puts a better spin on things!

That does sound better than "I'm talking to myself. Don't interupt!"

 

[Treaqum]

No you aren't talking to yourself. You are talking to people in other dementions that you may or maynot be able to see. Everything is inter-related

 

[Kate]

I love tangents... and oddly enough a topic started about mold has now reminded me of the conversation I had with my daughter yesterday about the invisible people that live in her stomach...............................