The appearance of white mold in glasses with seedlings - is not so rare. If you grow seedlings at home, on the windowsill next to indoor plants, in most cases mold will appear without fail. In this case, the surface of the earth in neighboring indoor colors can be completely clean.
This is explained by the fact that for adult green plants the development of mold is impossible due to the substances released by their roots. But young seedlings are not yet able to resist mold. It is young and fragile, because large and ready for transplanting seedling already copes with the mold, so that the soil under it is always clean. Seedlings do need to be protected from fungus prior to picking.
Prevention of mold in seedlings
Preventive methods include mulching the soil surface with seeds. This requires crushed charcoal mixed with wood ash in a 1: 2 ratio. Repeat mulching should be 2-3 weeks later.
Another preventive method of preventing the appearance of white mold is pre-treatment of the soil before planting seeds: calcination, freezing, treatment with antifungal agents. In addition, it is necessary to make the soil weakly acidic or neutral, so that the growth of mold is suppressed by other microorganisms.
Sometimes due to improper soil preparation and non-compliance with growing conditions, the mold in the seedlings appears, what to do in this case - we will tell below.
How to remove mold from seedlings?
If on the ground with seedlings nevertheless there was a mold, it is possible to try to remove at first mechanically, though at a small seedling it is rather difficult to do. If there is a risk of damaging the roots and stems, it is best not to touch the ground. But if the seedlings are already strong, try at least to mix the top layer.
In any case, you need to dry the soil, with the entire layer, not just the top or bottom. In doing so, try not to dry the seedling itself. The best way is to plant the seedlings in the sun.
If the weather is cloudy and there is no sun, you need to create a warm and low humidity in the room. The dried layer of soil can be sprinkled with a thin layer of wood ash . In this case, the seedlings must be dry, so that the ash does not stick to it.
After strewing, the remains of the ash should be gently shaken off the leaves. After that, the soil becomes dry and disinfected. To prevent mold from reappearing, it is necessary to water the seedlings gently, only when this is absolutely necessary. Also, do not create excessive humidity in the room.
Another means of mold on seedlings is a weak solution of manganese, which need to lightly sprinkle the earth under the seedlings after its easy loosening with a toothpick. When the soil dries, you can fill it with a thin layer of river sand.
What else can you do if there is mold on the ground in the seedlings: try to remove the top layer of soil with mold, add soil deoxidizer and pour a mixture of humus and leaf land.
Common errors in growing seedlings
Fungus appears in an acidic environment, low temperature,
Another reason is the watering of the seedlings with the cold water that has not just settled, just recruited from the tap. Doing this is highly discouraged. The water temperature should be room, that to its composition, the water from the aquarium , melted snow or simply standing is ideal.