"Neil Jones" wrote in message
om...
Can anyone suggest a better medium to prevent damping off problems.
I have beein using coir fibre and I find that even with cheshunt
compound I am still getting problems with certain seeds going moldy.
This is particularly the case with my heated propagator.
I usually find mouldy seeds are caused by too much watering. Until the plant
has really got going it just likes to be moist. A seed hardly uses any water
at all beyond the initial re-hydration. I usually soak all seeds in warm
water for 24hrs and then water *very* sparingly until germination. Depending
on the seeds I then get them out of the propagator as soon as possible and
spray with copper fungicide at the first sign of any problems. Keep an eye
on them and remove affected seedlings immediately. Finally, don't sow too
close together as it impedes the air-flow and makes it easier for infection
to spread. Try sterilising the propagator regularly as well. If its similar
to mine (Sankey), I wash it and leave it to dry completely, and separately
soak the capilliary mat in boiling water to kill of anything living in it.

Vermiculite or perlite are possiblities. Which is best? I am a
conservationist and I love wild plants and their habitats too so I do
not wish to use any products containing peat.
I think they are both made from some sort of volcanic product. Don't know
what but I haven't heard of any environmental concerns over the production
of either. I was thinking of trying (compost)+(thin layer of
vermiculite)+(seed)+(vermiculite). I'm wondering if keeping the seed off the
soil but close enough for the roots to reach it may help reduce problems.

Martin