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Panic! Mould on my seedlings!

• Message 1. 

  Posted by Niblet (U14438752) on Wednesday, 9th February 2011

  Hi there,
  
  Had a bit of a fright this morning when checking on my chilli seedlings!
  I sowed them in trays on Saturday and bunged them in my heated propagator with the lid on. I've been wiping the condensation off the lid every morning as directed by the prop leaflet. Some of the seeds have sprouted which is brilliant, but in the same night they've sprouted they've also developed little patches of mildew over where almost all of the seeds should be under the compost.
  I've taken the lid off the prop and sprinkled the trays liberally with cinnamon as I read it has antifungal properties... what else can I do? The seeds need to be warm, hot almost @ 25oC and humid so with the lid off I'm worried the others won't germinate.
  Please can anyone help me?
  
  Thanks in advance!

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Wednesday, 9th February 2011

  I think your compost is too wet and the drainage is poor,but this might be down to the quality of the compost,i.e.it is lacking sand content and is not free draining enough.
  
  I can suggest a couple of things and they are;
  
  Spray them with a fungicide, but the trouble here is, it will make the compost wetter.
  
  My preferred method would be to leave the lid off the propagator during daylight hours and replace it after dark.
  
  There will be sufficient bottom heat to keep the compost at a germinating temperature and allow the compost surface to dry off a bit during the day.
  
  You could also cover the compost with vermiculite and this will keep the mildew at bay.
  

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by mummyduckegg (U8437139) on Wednesday, 9th February 2011

  I'm very impressed by your dedication, but please don't panic! My system for chillies is - sow each variety sparingly in half-size trays, put two together per gravel tray. They just go onto my kitchen window sill in a sunny position. I don't cover them. Water so they are just damp. Unless you have a very particular variety, they do not need to be that hot to germinate - it is more a matter of providing a good constant warm temperature throughout the season.

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by Niblet (U14438752) on Thursday, 10th February 2011

  Oh ok, I did not know vermiculite could do that. Good tip, thanks!
  I used Levingtons seed compost; when sieved it looks and feels like finely grated chocolate. Didn't realise I needed to use sand too
  *adds sand to shopping list*
  I have now moved the prop to a light windowsill over radiator, so hopefully it'll dry out soon and I can carry on using the lid again.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Thursday, 10th February 2011

  Didn't realise I needed to use sand too  
  
  Sorry I might have misled you!
  
  It is not absolutely essential!
  
  What I was inferring was; some compost recipes have fine sand or coarse sand in them in different proportions.
  
  Then there is the quality of the peat or peat substitute which can be very variable, particularly the cheaper brands can be.
  
  The sand determines the the drainage attributes of the compost.
  
  Good seed composts remain damp but not waterlogged.
  
  Too wet and the seed can rot before they have germinated
  
  Plus you can often get the mildew you have found.
  
  It is difficult for me to describe (in text) what I mean but perhaps if I were to say a texture like dry topsoil which is often more granular rather than silky.
  
  I always make my own seed compost for a couple of reasons, one being; it is cheaper, but the main one is I can control its quality.
  
  Each year when I buy my multi purpose compost I let some trickle through my fingers to get a feel for its sand content and if it needs sifting.
  
  I often find some varieties are more sandy than others.
  
  Subject to this test I determine how much sand I am going to add, meaning
  I cannot give you an exact recipe.
  
  But I generally find anything from two to four measures (by volume) to one measure of sand works fine for me.
  
  You can do a few experiments with 3" pots to get a feel for it prior to mixing up larger batches.
  
  Sand type? There was a time when I used sharp sand but some pundits will say use silver sand.
  
  I found that when I went to a garden centre for silver sand it was quite expensive relative to other forms of sand.
  
  By trial and error I found that 'kiln dried sand' from a certain DIY store
  
  ( sorry I have got to remember my p& q's here as I am not allowed to advertise)
  
  works a a treat an a 25kg bag lasts for years!
  
  The following link might give you a better idea of what I mean.
  
  Click on the pictures here to see what I do;
  
  
  
  

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