Gardensong » vegetable gardening http://gardensong.net Getting your garden growing! Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Four Ways to Prevent Dampening Off http://gardensong.net/dampening-off-156/ http://gardensong.net/dampening-off-156/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:41:55 +0000 Garden Grrrl http://gardensong.net/?p=156 One of the many reasons I haven’t been blogging is that whenever I started writing about gardening I found myself on another rant about climate change. There is nothing like paying close attention to the weather to make one notice strange patterns. So rather than going on another rant, I will simply reference this Sac Bee article on the changes in the jet stream that has made this winter-spring so cold in much of the West.

A mixed bunch of seedlings (with the names in notes, roll your mouse over ...)
Creative Commons License photo credit: hardworkinghippy

Here in the Williamette Valley temperatures are still below normal. I lost some basil to dampening off. When conditions are cold and damp they stress tiny seedlings and promote the growth of fungus. If this happens seedlings will suddenly just fall over and die. So sad.

So here are four things to do to prevent dampening off.

1. Clean your containers. Recycling old containers is very environmentally friendly, but without a good cleaning they can harbor diseases. Before reusing your containers, wash them with very hot water and a biodegradable soap. If you still have trouble, you can mix a small amount of bleach in to help sterilize things.

2. Sterilize your seed starting mix. If you are reusing old potting mix it also could be hiding diseases. Commercial mixes aren’t always sterile either. You can bake your potting soil in the oven at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes. However this process does involve a smell that some might not enjoy. Another option is to cook your seed starting mix in the microwave. Cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes until steaming. Allow to cool.

3. Provide ventilation. Seeds need to stay moist in order to germinate, but there can be too much of a good thing. Providing a little fan for your seedlings can help them grow strong and stocky as well.

4. Avoid overwatering. You don’t need to water unless you see the top of the soil is starting to get dry, especially once the seeds have germinated. I find that even tiny seedlings without their first “true leaves” often have roots going right down to the bottom of the container.

Truthfully most of the time I find I can just buy some seed starting mix, pop it in a container, water, add seeds, water again, and presto! Baby plants! However, if you are starting seeds when it is cold and wet, dampening off can be a problem. Depending on what seeds you are starting, you might need to provide a seedling heating mat to avoid stressing your little darlings. In general, the more ideal the conditions, the less you have to worry. So give them lots of warmth and light too!

Hopefully warm, sunny weather will be on the way soon and we can forget all about the dreaded dampening off.

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]]> http://gardensong.net/dampening-off-156/feed/ 0 Encourage the White House to “Eat the View” http://gardensong.net/encourage-the-white-house-to-eat-the-view-43/ http://gardensong.net/encourage-the-white-house-to-eat-the-view-43/#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:20:09 +0000 Garden Grrrl http://gardensong.net/?p=43 Great video from Kitchen Gardeners International! They are starting a campaign to encourage the president, or more realistically, the next president to “eat the view” i.e. tear out some white house lawn and plant a vegetable garden.

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