1
PYTHIUM CONTROL
Would using a supersonic fogger [5 microns, ( believe) in an enclosed water reservoir with the roots hanging above create too high a level of humidity inside the reservoir and Lead to pylhium? My garden has succumbed to pythium multiple times, and so far the only thing ( haven’t eliminated is the fogger.
Kevin
0ear Kevin,
(t looks like pythium is alive and well in your growroom! Pythium wilt (a.k.a. damping-off) also attacks seedlings and clones, rotting them at the soil line and impairing root development. (t’s caused by a combination of factors, including fungi already present in an unsterile rooting medium, overwatering and/or maintaining a soggy grow medium, and excessive humidity. You can usually avoid the disease by controlling soil moisture, though in your case this is impossible. Too much water is the biggest cause of damping-off.
The first thing you need to do is to wash every surface, nook, crevice and cranny in your grow-room with a 5% bleach solution. Spray all cracks and borders with the solution to ensure that you’ve killed the disease. Also, you need to make sure that the room is completely pest-free, since pests can spread pythium.
Keep the germination temperatures between 70°F and 85°F (21°C to 29°C) Damping-off is also inhibited by bright light, so grow your seedlings undera high-intensity discharge (H(D) light rather than fluorescent bulbs. Keep the fertilization to a minimum during the first couple weeks of growth. Germinate your seeds between clean, fresh paper towels and move them into soil once they’re sprouted. Don’t plant the seeds too deeply, and cover them with soil only to the depth of the seed. Use a fresh, sterile medium and clean pots to guard against harmful fungus in the soil.
You should always keep the nutrient solution below 68°F to discourage pythium and other problems. You can also run Pythoff (flairform.com.au/Products/pythoff.htm) in your solution to keep it clean. You can prevent pythium wilt biologically with applications of Polygangron (Pythium oligandrum) granules. Bak Pak or Intercept can be applied to the soil and water, while Deny or Dagger—forms of the bacterium Burkhofderia copacia—can be applied to the seeds. Epic, Kodiac, Quantum 4000, Rhizo-Plus, System 3 and Seranade also work to suppress many causes of damping-off. Chemical solutions include dusting the seeds with Captan—but avoid using benomyl fungicide soil drench, because it also kills beneficial organisms.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislike