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| Here's the facts:
Newbie WSer
QUESTION: Half or more of my containers have a green film on top of the soil (see photo: http://awes.me/ztRJ2W). I am hoping that by opening them up to the air on these nice days I can get the top to dry out more and salvage them. Or is any sign of green film on top of the soil a sign that I have a soil-born disease of some kind (fungal?) and I need to throw them all out and start over? Any thoughts appreciated! http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6973345369_c997cf3245.jpg |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| From the looks of it, you should be fine. I get some of that almost every year, and the seedlings have no problems. Letting them dry out a bit might help; I've also read where some folks use a chamomile tea mix (?) to get rid of it. Hope someone else comes along with suggestions, but I wouldn't stress it. PV |
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| I wouldn't worry about it. Once it warms up and there is more fresh air circulating and sunshine on them it will be ok. I can't say for sure but I suspect its some kind of mold.. that happens in dark, damp, warm places--which is what you create in your containers to get your seeds started. Some of my containers have it, some don't. I think anything other than the above might harm your seeds/seedlings. |
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| Not a disease, its algae and I don't think will hurt your seedlings itself, although its an indication of too moist sowing medium, little air movement. A little air circulation if your temps will allow will take care of it.... If you've got a whole layer of it on pots you don't plan to plant out for a while, when your germination is finished and you can accomplish it without disturbing your seedlings, just 'fluff' up the surface between seedlings a little, use something like a toothpick, chopstick... |
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- Posted by littleonefb z5MA (My Page) on Sun, Mar 11, 12 at 16:47
| Never hurt my seedlings, interfered with any germination for me in 8 years of WS. Just give them some extra venting while your temps are warm and just remember to close the containers at night, as the nights still can get very cold. You should be fine and dandy to plant them out before you know it. Fran |
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| Thanks so much everyone! Will try to get them as much air circulation as the temps will allow (and will never ever buy that moisture retention stuff again!) |
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| Green's okay, open the containers and place in full sun for a few hours to allow the sunshine to dry the soil a bit, also the sunrays can help control the algae. You can scrape it off if you like. Sometimes I've seen red slime on top of the soil, but that's usually when I've not provided enough drainage or vents and that it's been very rainy and cold, and dark and dreary. Red slime, whatever it is, generally is a fatal marker. It's a rare occurrence because it's caused by my own negligence--not enough sun and not enough drainage and/or fresh air. From my own experience I know that when I see the red slime I can toss the flat contents onto the compost heap. |
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- Posted by fixerupperinnh 5 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 15:17
| That algae growth is the reason I stopped using peat pots in my basement. Happened everytime I did. Has never once happened since I switched to reusing plastic yougurt cups. Haven't got it in any of the ws containers. But when I did have it, I found that scraping it off was fairly easy. In situation where I had too many seedlings to do that I just did my best to loosen the soil. Plants made it through just fine. |
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- Posted by ladyrose65 6bNJ (My Page) on Mon, Mar 12, 12 at 17:37
| I was given the advice of using cornmeal in my mixture to prevent this from happening. I was a newbie last year, so far I don't have any green, but the green did not hurt my germination either. I just squeezed the container to open up some small cracks into the soil and 'voila' circulation. |
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| Any pots that I know will be with me for any length of time before sprouting, I top with chick grit. That discourages the algae and moss too... |
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| I dont have any chick grit on hand, but I do have cornmeal. This may sound a bit slow, but do you pour it on top or mix it in? Did you use fine or coarse ground? |
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