Damping off
Damping off is a fungal or cryptogamic diseasethat is to say a disease caused by microscopic pathogenic fungiwhich develop on the seedlings and penetrate their roots and their crown causing them to die back.
It is also called “basal rot” Or “black foot disease”. This invasion can occur before their growth or a few days after, which corresponds to the times when the plant is most vulnerable.
The problem with this disease is thatit can spread quickly to all the young plants in the same space, which would reduce all your efforts to nothing. Several signs should alert you and make you think that your seedlings are victims of this disease:
- Your seedlings do not germinate and nothing comes out of the ground;
- Emergence has taken place, but the base of the stems is thin and soft, and the seedlings tend to lie down on the ground;
- The base of the stems takes on a brownish color;
- The seedlings become necrotic.
Which plants are impacted by damping off?
Unfortunately, all plants from which we seed can be impacted by damping off. This disease can affect vegetables as well as flowers or aromatic plants.
Factors favoring damping off
It is difficult to combat damping off as they are naturally occurring fungi that cause it. However, it is important to know that if certain conditions are met, the risk that your seedlings will be impacted is much higher.
Here are the factors that favor the emergence of this disease:
- the substrate if it is not suitable for sowing;
- excess humiditywhether it is compost or ambient air;
- poor quality seeds ;
- lack of disinfection of the equipment usedwhether pots, terrines, etc., but also your hands;
- inappropriate growing conditions. For example, you must ensure that you sow at the correct depth and avoid sowing too densely.
- temperatures too low where you keep your seedlings.
Good actions to avoid damping off of seedlings
Now that you know the risk factors, you will be able to take the necessary measures to sow your seeds in optimal conditions to limit the spread of this fungus which wreaks havoc on crops.
You must know that The first victims of damping off are seeds sown indoors. However, this can also happen outdoors. To counter the various factors that promote damping off, here are the right actions to adopt.
To combat excess humidity
Use a substrate suitable for sowing and perfectly decompacted, drained and free-draining to prevent water from stagnating. In addition, water your seedlings very moderately and always with fine rain. It is even advisable to prefer spraying water on young plants to direct watering of the substrate.
To combat factors linked to climatic conditions
Remember thata temperature between 15 and 20°C and a slightly humid atmosphere promote rapid emergence of seeds, giving fungi less time to grow and wreak havoc. Whether your seedlings are in a room, in a greenhouse, in a mini-greenhouse, etc., remember to ventilate regularly to renew the air and evacuate humidity.
To combat the large-scale spread of the disease
Proceed with light sowing. Indeed, the closer you sow, the more likely your seeds and seedlings will be victims of damping off. Likewise, be sure to thin as soon as it can be done. Furthermore, if you spot one of the symptoms of the disease on a young plant, tear it off as quickly as possible. This may, perhaps, be enough to prevent the spread of the disease.
To avoid accidentally bringing fungi into your seedlings
Carry out a regular disinfection of all of your growing equipment. Likewise, choose quality seeds. If the seeds don’t look good, don’t risk sowing them. If you have doubts, you can soak them for a few minutes in water at 50°C. They will thus be disinfected. Before sowing, refer to the instructions provided for the correct depth.
Preventing damping off
The only possible measures against damping off are preventative. Indeed, once the seedlings are victims of these fungi, there is no longer any solution to save them.
Horsetail manure
This real antifungal is very effective without forgetting that it nourishes the soil, and a soil rich in nutrients will be better able to fight against disease. You can buy horsetail manure ready-made which you then simply dilute in water following the instructions for use. Once the mixture is ready, spray it on the seedlings. During emergence, you can spray once a week, then move on to once a month.
Charcoal
Charcoal has the capacity toabsorb many elements including pathogenic fungi and water. To take advantage of its properties, add powdered charcoal to your substrate when you prepare it. Be sure to choose horticultural wood or wood for your own fireplace. By helping to limit humidity, this solution helps prevent the appearance of certain fungi.
Garlic infusion
Garlic is a powerful antibacterial and antifungal which can be used to combat damping off. To do this, you can prepare a garlic infusion as follows:
- Put 500 g of garlic cut into small pieces in 5 liters of water.
- Bring this mixture to the boil, then simmer for about thirty minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cover it with a lid.
- Leave your pan alone for at least half a day.
- After this time, filter the mixture and pour it into a sprayer.
- Spray once a week for emergence.