HelpfulGardener.com

Chamomile tea can help reduce damping off fungus that attacks seedlings


One of the most frustrating aspects of starting seeds indoors is to have them fall victim to damping off once they are an inch or so tall. Damping off is a term for a fungus that attacks seedlings. The seedlings are looking just fine but then you can almost see the seedlings start to droop then fall over. Sometimes the stem gets a grayish color as well.

A very organic approach to help with this problem is to use cool chamomile tea as a spray or soil drench.

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https://www.examiner.com/article/chamomi ... -seedlings


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I've never had problems with damping off but after hearing about this last year I started occasionally putting a tea bag in my watering can. I figured it cant hurt!

With my basement seed starting area and no air circulation, I used to always lose some seedlings to damping off. Then I started putting chamomile and cinnamon in the water I water with, and no more damping off and no more fungus gnats. Since I have always used them together, I can't really tell you if it is the chamomile, the cinnamon or the combination that works, but I'm not messing with success!

I need to get one of those little personal fans to aid in air circulation, but in winter when I'm starting seeds they don't sell them and in summer, I never manage to remember that my seed starting operation (all put away at that point) needs one.

Also when the operation is going full tilt, I am running 16 four foot long fluorescent tubes 16 hrs a day and two heat mats 24/7. I kind of hate to put any more electric devices in there if I don't have to....

Ahh...I guess that's why I've never had any damping off problems. I always have a fan blowing on the seedlings. I do find that the fan does wonders for strengthening the stems which them help them immensely when put out into the garden...but that's another subject...