5 Tips to Reduce and Prevent Mold and Algae in Your Seedling Trays
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- Опубліковано 18 кві 2022
- Eliminate mold and mildew with this guide! Using these 5 simple tips you will begin to have better quality plants, better soil, and less mold and mildew.
Luke that was the best explanation on seedling algae I've ever seen. Increasing perlite up to 50% and allowing drying cycles flipped the switch, as a rookie gardener I now realize my trays were way too moist. The comparison of perlite heavy soil vs poor soil was also eye opening. Excellent video--thank you!
Lift an tray of dry soil, then get your soil and in a separate container get it wet(only add a little). Let it sit for a bit, then grab a handful and squeeze it. Only a tiny bit of water should come out. If nothing comes out then re water. Put that back in your tray and give it a lift. Getting that feel for what wet dirt feels like makes watering container plants a breeze, and makes you adaptable to any soil.
Same i have a clear party cup and its alway moist im transplanting it soon
My very first time starting seeds indoors (last year) I had white fuzzy mold all over my seedling soil. I tried cinnamon, I tried scooping it off, I tried putting them by the windows. Nothing worked. I used the peat cups, I didn't have a fan and I top watered. 🤦♀️ Fungus gnats and mold were taking over my spare bedroom. Hard lessons learned... Fast forward to this February. Growing in plastic cups, grow lights, fan, and bottom watering. 2 months in and no mold or gnats!!! I'm so happy!
I wish I could give ten thumbs up! You just solved my biggest gardening problems I've been struggling with the last two years. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 🤗
Really needed this information…. Much appreciated
The dryout also helps encourage roots to grow searching for more moisture 👍👍
Never thought about that. Good point!!
good to know thank you
I made this mistake a LOT this year. I thought that I could just water all my seedlings the same amount everyday. Turns out that some of my seedlings are doing better than others so I learned to individually assess how much water each seedling needs. It's more work but my plants are doing much better now. Phew!
Wow, just what I needed
This is something I haven't seen covered
You are a gardening genius. I’m 28 and you’ve taught me so much in the last month. I just started my seedlings last weekend. I actually noticed the difference in germination time for certain seeds.
I decided to plant 2-3 different seeds in a 72 pod tray; they have the same germination growth times. I’ve learned that it takes 18-24 days for flowers to germinate.
I’d love a new video of your indoor seedling setup with LED and (temp control)heat pads.
How did you know I needed this very video today?! Thank you for this! My seedling tray developed algae for the first time and now I know why. Much gratitude!!
Thank you Luke! I had more trouble with algae this year than ever. I'll be using your tips for sure!
This video helped me realize that the majority of my seedlings are stunted due to fungal or algae growth. I didn't overwater necessarily, but my perlite proportion could be too low. Also, the ones I surface misted to encourage germination did worse in the long run.
Super helpful! As always. Thanks for teaching us and explaining the “why” of things. I am about to start my greenhouse and I think this will make a huge difference in production this year.
I have to say how much I appreciate the explanations provided. I have a severely minimally budget so I have to make do with whatever resources I have available at the time. With your knack for explaining things I am able to use the information provided prioritizing resources available and having a better idea of what can wait until I can obtain more STUFF. Thank you.
I’m with you! I dislike the fiber pots !!!!! I always struggle with mold/algae! I just made an investment in the bootstrap reusable plastic pots because the cheap ones are getting difficult to find! I have been using solo cups but they tend to be tippy and don’t fit as nice in my seed trays. When you have hundreds and hundreds of starts a nice fit is very beneficial!!! I struggle when hardening my plants off with the tippy nature of the solo cups. Moving the trays in and out and wind has claimed many victims over time!!! Bootstrap offers hard plastic pots that fit 1020 trays perfectly! There 1020 trays are the absolute best too! Very sturdy and long lasting. I’m on year 5 and no breaks or complaints! They are an investment but add up how much you spend on the cheaper trays and lost seedlings, it has paid for itself!!! I can carry my trays one handed with no issues
I also invested this year in heavy duty trays for same reason! But, what I discovered and LOVE this winter I probably won't need them anymore and that is Winter Sowing in Jugs! It's the best--Set it and forget it! Sooo excited about this. Those tiny seeds of Fox Glove would have been difficult indoors and never produced direct sown, but WOW! In the jugs all of the seeds germinated!! I'm pretty good at transplanting so separating is no problem. And the brassicas are stout not leggy--even with LED lights close indoors they are not this healthy. No watering, mold, gnats, lights, hardening off or room hogs! Winter Sowing in Jugs is a blessing for me.
@@dustyflats3832 that’s fabulous! I’ve seen folks use the jugs but it won’t work where I live. I live on the cusp of zone 2b/ 3. We still have 2 ft of snow on the ground and we are forecasted to be below 0F again this week. Last year my entire berry harvest and oak trees all got blasted with a hard frost that hit in late June early July. We only have 3 growing months, mid June to mid September. I need to start indoors 😁😂 I’m soooo glad that the jugs are working so beautifully for you!!! That’s an awesome upgrade to grow lights, shelving, heat mats, dirt inside!!!! Keep spreading your success story! I think lots of people would benefit from learning what has been so beneficial to you 👍🏻 I help a family with content on a UA-cam channel and they use the jug method and she has a couple videos out on it. ❤️❤️❤️ 😊
@@bearrivermama6414 yes, I have read where it may not work for zones 3 and up. That is unfortunate. I was going to mention, but I tapped out some pretty long messages already🤣 If we think hard enough there has to be a way it would work for upper zones. I wonder if a double covering would do it like some cover a smaller and larger dome of PVC pipe and plastic and sit over raised bed. That would lock the heat in just to get them started. Although I understand you need to transplant to get them as advanced as possible. I did read a hint to choose the quickest maturing varieties of seeds for upper zones. Ugh, there has to be a way because its so perfect! I had tiny Fox Glove seeds in jugs--doing Great! Couldnt do that inside--too warm. We thought of moving up north, but I think of gardening limitations😐 Keep thinking and trying because there has to be a way. I planted in late February and early April in Jugs. We had 19°F and snow Easter Zone 5a and the seedlings were fine. At night if it's that cold just cover the jugs with a blanket. Our main safe frost free (hopefully) is suppose to be anywhere from 5/5 to 5/21, but we wait until last day of May for safe bet. In late 90s we had a frost every month. Growing mostly ends in September without protection. Sending you sun and heat🤗
@@dustyflats3832 I’ll take some of your heat! ❤️. I have poly tunnels on my raised beds. They help but when things dip in to the full freeze mode it’s not enough. Last year I lost even my brassicas in the hoop tunnels. All of my kohlrabis and Brussels sprouts where killed off. The kale, broccoli, and celery all made it but others feel victim 😖 I am planning on building a glass green house in the future but will be using a poly greenhouse with cold frames inside once we get past the below zero weather. Cold frames (I think your milk jugs would work beautifully too) inside a green house is a fairly good solution. Once we get the glass green house built I will be heating with solar electric heat and a wood stove. Then we will be off to the races! saved all the patio doors and windows when we renovated our house for the green house. We are milling some cedar trees for the lumber. But it all takes time😁. I’ve never grown foxglove. It sure is beautiful!!! I have, all totaled, about an acre of perennial flower beds but no foxglove. My real passion is food gardening!!! I love my flower beds but most of my passion goes into my veggies and perennial fruit orchards and perennial veggies and herbs. We live way way out in the woods and grow all of our foods for the year. The cold is challenging but there are work arounds. There are just something’s I can’t produce but the longer daylight compensates for the shorter growing season. Every climate presents it’s challenges but we work with the blessings and shrug off the challenges 😉. By sharing our failures and successes with each other we can all get better and better and more self sufficient. It’s just lovely ❤️ I love hearing what others are doing and helping my friends and neighbors create successful gardens. Gardeners are such a helpful community!!! Keep encouraging others ❤️ with your experiences! Its wonderful that your sharing good knowledge with folks! Blessings too you!
@@bearrivermama6414 that is disheartening to lose crops. Two miles away I had a wonderful dwarf peach. I tried twice here and they die. We are in a low area with sandy soil that previous owners abused. It's trying eventhough we are in zone 5a. It gets unusually warm and we get surprise freezes in the low area. I have learned to look for later budding fruit as I've got the courage enough to try again. I need compost by the semi loads🤣🤣
Interested in your solar heat project as I thought of trying that, but I can imagine it would take a large expensive battery bank. We used scrap to build ours and would like to remodel and design a heat sink in ground using a passive heat box separate from greenhouse so as not to overheat plants. The GH is only 6x8' and only want about 2 more feet--keep it small to heat easier. Fingers crossed we get no more cold blasts.
Good timing! Just found mold on some seedlings this morning.
So true, it's moisture. I use an outer tray with a single drain hole for my seedling trays.
The only time I see algae is when that hole blocks up and I don't notice.
It's really good that you are teaching people to solve the problem rather than treating the symptoms. 👍
Your enthusiasm is beyond contagious. Thank you for all you do and for being you.
Thanks Luke for explaining this so well.
This was exactly what I needed! Been struggling with mold and gnats. I’ve been bottom watering, but leaving them in the tray, thus still overwatering. And I buy perlite to add to my mixes, I thought I was almost adding too much, but guess not quite enough!
Did you pour boiling water on your staring soil to kill the gnats, this will keep them out of the house and green house.
@@wilma6181 I had. I think I need to make smaller batches though because I felt like the water wasn’t heating all the soil enough.
You're so good at explaining things! Good job!
Thanks for recommending this video on your live stream. Very helpful.
Awesome work! Appreciate the visuals showing the amount of mold/algae!
Great info and very timely. Yesterday I noticed some mold starting on my seedlings and have been pondering what to do about it. Thanks!
This was exceedingly helpful! Exactly what I needed to hear for my current garden. Thank you so much for all your incredible videos!
The direct comparison of the soil is excellent, really helps make the point that it was the soil moisture which was the key factor.
Perfect timing! I was dealing with this exact topic with my tomato seedlings. Less watering and drying out a little more is my answer. Thank you Luke!
Thank you so much! Your videos have helped me out for years. I am very grateful.
Thank you Luke, as a Plante mama I also over water and I know better, I loved your advise about how to baby them more appropriately.
Thank you for this video and many of your others, it was most helpful.
Stay safe. Maureen from England-UK
Yes, you just solved all of my problems! Thank you so much!
This is fantastic, thank you so much. I actually have some algae growth on my seedlings for the first time ever and I wasn't sure what it was. but i did notice that that tray is growing so much slower, and now I understand why. I really appreciate you doing this video.
Thank you for creating this channel. I'm a beginning vegetable gardener, been doing ornamentals for years. Anyway I live in Florida and the humidity slows the drying process even indoors. Set the fan up today, added a cake cooling rack to elevate the pots hopefully increasing air circulation. Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge!
Great video !! That answers a lot of my questions!!
Thank you! Such helpful and specific instructions.
I totally needed this right now!! You are the best!
This was so informative and helpful! I started seeds for the first time ever this spring and I had tons of algae and mold. I used peat pots, my soil had NO perlite, I was bottom watering but leaving them in the water the whole time and never let them have a drying out period. So the only thing I was doing right was fanning them lol. I can't wait to try again next year implementing these tips. Thank you!!
Thanks for sharing your mold prevention tips 🤩!
Your content is always super helpful! I've been using cinnamon to great effect over the years in my garden, but I am always learning something new with the information you put on this channel. Thank you!
Thanks Luke.🙂
Blessings! 💜
Excellent video! I learned some great information and this will be very helpful in the coming growing season.
Thanks Luke, good info. The doctors need to watch this. Teach people about lifestyle changes instead of putting a bandaid over the problem.
Thanks for this, I'm having some issues and this was extremely informative.
BEST VIDEO, I learned so much, great job!
I always just love you and your info!
Thank you so much! After years of false starts due to root for, I'm feeling excitedabout planting seeds again
Great content - thank you! I needed every tip you provided!
Great explanation buddy. As always, I enjoyed it.
Thanks for the tip on perlite! I didn’t know such a high amount is needed. I’ll try it.
I Love Your Videos!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!! God Bless!!
This is exactly the information I needed, thanks 😊
Great information! Thank you!
Thank you!! I sprinkled cinnamon on my plants just hours before this video came out. Making the necessary changes you suggested today and hopefully I can save my plants!
Thanks Luke for the 40-50% tip of perlite; I notice mold growing on the surface of my peace lily plant. I added more perlite but I will water less and use the fan in that room.
This totally helped me!!! Thank you!
Thanks for the more in depth explanation of the mold growth. I would like to get a cooling fan added to my shelving.
Thank you so much for this video....such a good source of info!!
Thank you! Good info. Stay Blessed😊
The fan and the water from below are KEY!
I'm a new subscriber and really enjoying the first 6 or 7 videos I've seen from you. Thanks! I have been trying less peat moss, too...
Great video, thanks for the info.
Thanks for this. I have this problem but I didn't know it was a problem. But I now know how to fix it thanks to this video
Brilliant Luke👩🌾👍
Thanks for the timely video! I've got my grow trays in our basement (although it has a dehumidifier) and I've noticed some fungal growth on the soil as well as gnats!
I've been using the Bootstrap Farmer grow trays, but usually leave some water in there. I'll definitely be working to have watering and drying cycles instead. I've got a fan down there too, so hopefully that'll fix the issue up!
Thanks again,
-Cody
The lack of UV indoors is one of the big issues as well.
Peroxide is really good knock back but overall the key is like you say moisture.
For my larger pots I use pine bark which doesn’t wick but does allow air flow. Perlite can be used but I’ve found pine bark is way more effective at staying in place and obviously looks more “natural”
I use capillary mats under my seedlings and sometimes get algae, so thanks for the tips on soil aeration with perlite!
Ty for this video. This is my first year growing seedlings indoors and I've had to water many of them every couple of days because they are drying out so fast. I thought I was doing something wrong, but I guess its because they have good drainage and really need it.
Thanks Luke. I have been using a different soil for seed starting and up potting this year and been having this problem. I now know i need to add perlite to it because it gets too compacted.
Great info! Thank you
I list a half tray seedlings. I wish that I had seen this video sooner. I saw algae, gnats, and mold. Seeing this video help me realize that I can have better success next year. Thank you
Great video, just great.
Fun hearing your Michigan accent! So different from the South.
This was very helpful. I was without the soil/ soil composition materials and was improvising, I had run out of seed starting mix and potting mix. Did not want to go out to the shed where I live, and used coco coir mixed with some potting mix. Because it is so often mentioned that coir is an aid in lightening the soil, I decided not to put the effort into dragging out and adding perlite. It might have helped me. Now I have some seedlings that are struggling and I don’t have an all access, indoor area to do a lot of repotting, as I wait for better weather here in zone 7.
Great info thanks for sharing
Really informative thank you 😊
Thank you Luke! Great information! I had some of my tomato leaves yellowing. I used the good seed planting soil you use. I ran out and used cheaper potting soil. The good soil held more water and was holding water. I watered the same amount because the cheaper soil seemed to dry up faster. I haven’t lost a plant yet but am very careful on watering. I bottom water.
It is all about the soil. Watch to not get potting soil with wetting agents and Yes to adding more perlite, not vermiculite. I learned big lessons this year and I've been doing this a long time. Not straying from what I use to do IF I do anymore seed starting indoors as I've found my New way and that's Winter Sowing in Jugs--absolutely love it!
When I start seeds indoors I use colored plastic cups. I put one cup inside another and cut small slits in the inside cup to allow drainage of water. Therefore, if I over water the seedlings it will allow better drainage and less chance to have algae and mold issues with your seedlings. Also, make sure to check the bottom cup to spill out the excess water that accumulated from the last watering.
Love this tip! Haha I'm currently working on a video about this topic in ASL for our Deaf gardeners out there! ❤🤟🏼
Be careful with aggressive watering outside because although the pressure vs algae layer probably works, if dirt is kicked up onto the leaves of your garden plants can spread fungi even more. Great points otherwise! 🌱🌱🌱
Please try to stop saying actually!!!! Luke I really like the content your channel puts out and your an extremely likable person. Thanks for the tips!
Ive had this problem alot this year. Especially with not being home sometimes days at a time. I fill the trays up with water knowing I wont be there for 5 days and get the algae. I've even had a few 2 inch mushrooms grow in the seedlings this year. Thanks for this video.
I learned sooo much!!
Thanks for this information Luke! I’m in Iowa (5b zone), and having mold/mildew in my raised garden bed. My spinach, lettuce, and beets don’t seem to mind (so far) but I’d like to get rid of it. The raised bed does allow for watering from below. I think it rained so much that it filled the bottom tank. I just let a bunch of water out in the hopes that the soil will dry some in between rain.
Yes!! This is my problem this year! I mixed my own & forgot to add perlite!! I was wondering why the soil is saturated & not drying out. I'm amending first thing in the morning. I can still transplant to try to save them. 💚🌞
These steps are gonna help me later
good info. encountered this issue today and yup, was my fault! i forgot to drain the tray the last time i bottom watered. hopefully all is not lost in these cells
Sheer luck that I found this video as I am combating this very issue. Thanks, I'll let my plants dry and then keep a close eye on them.
Thanks a lot for this valuable information. I did learn that too much moisture can cause mold & that’s exactly what happened to my plants I was growing inside of my grow tent in my kitchen. I used the cinnamon & sprayed with vinegar & water but most of my plants didn’t survive. I noticed that when I started growing my plants outside in containers & adding perlite I didn’t get mold. I did get fungus flies at one point but I let the soil dry out a little & started watering from the bottom. My radishes have now grown & my peppers are showing now. I’m still new to all of this.
I like to use a pointed squirt bottle when I water my plants that are in seeding trays you can get them at the dollar .25 cent store thanks to inflation.
But once they start to peak from the seed trays I go right to watering underneath so the roots start to pull down instead of expecting it from the top.
and I still use cinnamon in my outside around the boxes for cats and bunnies and I try to tell myself it helps promote bees lol.
Thanks for the tip about adding more perlite! Too bad it's hard to get in bulk here in Canada.. going to have to buy from Amazon. Don't know why it's not stocked more here!
Seedling trays are so tricky. Some cells dry out quickly while others are still wet, so bottom watering feels like I'm adding too much water to the already moist ones. That's how I end up watering overhead lol
Also the balance when not all of the seeds have germinated, so you want to make sure the seeds don't dry out in the surface layer of soil - especially surface-sown seeds!! Very, very tricky!
Not even 5 minutes ago I was googling mold reduction with cinnamon. Good timing.
Great video! 😁 I never had such a problem with gnats and mold as this year. I first blame the soil. I took a suggestion from some other video to use coconut coir--Not Good! I since read it contains salts, there is no nutrient value and the video said use vermiculite which is wrong all the way around as it retains too much moisture vs. Perlite and coir compacts. I also bought heavy duty trays this year with some netted bottom inserts which made the mold problem worse as there was a huge surface and no dividers to help dry it out. I had intentions of making my own soil for soil blocks, but soon realized I start too many seedlings and wouldn't have the room--I think the block maker would be nice for small scale or larger seeds like squash or Maybe nice when I quit starting so many seedlings to share🤣🤣
My 2nd problem was bringing in an annual vine that I wanted to winter over--never again. We've had gnats all winter and I can't wait to kick it outside.
So back to soil--I will never use starter mix again--there is no nutrient value and it's like silly sand when wet--it compacts and is muddy and the perlite too small and it's suppose to be a top brand. Never using coir in my own mix with vermiculite. If you make your own soil USE PERLITE NOT VERMICULITE. I will just use a fluffy potting mix from now on with out polymers/wetting agents.
A note about watering. Make sure your flats are level! I have a new heavy duty cell tray that I had to buy a larger tray to go under it and it has a slight dome in the middle and those plants dry out. Not fond of the cell tray as you can't break it apart so I scooped out the soil in the cells that didn't germinate to get rid of dead soil to help air circulate and not produce more mold. I also use a fan. Had the worst problem to evenly water plants this year due to soil mistakes. I used to always water from bottom, but this year some individuals needed top watering to avoid others that were saturated. Lol! I tried the cinnamon and doesn't work, you just get a nauseating smell in your house.
In zone 5a I'm starting to pot up seedlings and decided to heat the greenhouse because I found online ordering of bare root plants ship with broke dormancy and WAY TO EARLY for WI. We just had snow and 19°F and I've had the plants already for 2 weeks. So if you don't have luck planting bare root it's more likely you planted it with broke dormancy when it's too cold. I couldn't believe the plants were all leaded out when I got them--so wrong! I normally buy bare root locally, but found varieties sold out and thought I'd try ordering--So many new things I've learned from trying new things. So I hope this info helps you to avoid the bad things.
The biggest And Best thing I learned this year IS--WINTER SOWING IS THE BEST THING EVER!! Doing all my seedlings this way next year with a fluffy no polymer potting soil. Set it and forget it--What could be easier than that?
Requested video for me today...I was just thinking I needed to do something about my plants. I'm not over watering but I do believe there isn't enough perlite...which I actually thought when planting buuuut....not a pro so thought I was over thinking it...until this video 😁
Always seem to struggle with algae during germination, especially on peppers that like to take so long. Once they get that little tap root going though my general rule is to bottom water them the day after the top layer goes fully dry, that way algae can't form and the roots have a chance to stretch.
I noticed sweet peppers grow bigger and faster than hot. Yes, they take awhile to germinate.
@@dustyflats3832 Yah I was very surprised when a single Habanero seed germinated 10 days ahead of the others, put out its true leaves and appears a tomato seed had snuck into my seed packet! No clue what variety, but its very healthy and will be my mystery plant for the year.
@@CampbellMC90 the tomato will be a fun surprise. Yep, those Hot peppers are a slow grow. Mine are still about 3" but the sweets were 6"and just transplanted. Shoving them to the tiny greenhouse today. Next year I'm doing winter sowing as to start indoors is no benefit. First time WS this year and it has proven to be THE BEST for me. The warm weather crops will grow when the conditions are right anyway. After all the years I've done this and the cost of indoor starts I find Winter Sowing--pure Bliss!! Don't like to babysit seedlings that much--too costly and time consuming.
I have this issue rate now thank you! this video is very helpful my pots in my greenhouse have algae and less often mold and I could not figure out why
Super helpful! I’ve been trying to grow sweet potato slips but it keeps getting moldy! Thanks for the video. I need to stop being so attentive apparently. Lol
Thanks!
good advice
Hi my Darling it has been a while since i logged in with you. We water from underneath in a Tray never on top x Our Seeds are un a large plastic Greenhouse The seed compost can get dry quickly so we water underneath x We buy seed starting Compost x Great info x
im struggling with this right now! my tomato starts looks like garbage and some have died! leaf drop, yellowing. of course i fertilized lol this was a massive help! ill be redoing my set up tonight
Wow, thank you so much! This is my first year starting to grow vegetables and I just started my seeds yesterday and I wondered about them having too much water, so now I know what to do :)
Wow! I’m about to get schooled! Thanks for this vid!