chamomile tea for dampening off??

snugglekitten · February 7, 2015

Has anyone ever tried this??

http://www.deeprootsathome.com/preve...chamomile-tea/

Labradors2 · February 7, 2015

I haven't used chamomile tea BUT I pour off any leftover black or herb tea as well as leftover coffee into my inside watering can which I use to water my seedlings.

I use sterile potting mix and I don't put a dome over my seedlings.

So far, so good for many years.

Linda

barbamWY · February 7, 2015

I use chamomile tea in a spray bottle and run a fan for air circulation. I am very careful to not over water. I only have had dampening off a couple of times. I did have it in a flat of cucumbers last year and I tossed them and started over.
Barb

**carolyn137** · February 7, 2015

Way back when I was posting in the AOL tomato Forum in the early to mid 80's the subject of Chamonile tea came up. One of the persons there was a lab tech and offered to do tests to see if it helped prevent damping off.

She used different concentrations of tea with several different varieties, no way can I remember which ones now, and found that it made no difference at all.

Since cinnamon had also been suggested she used that as well and found it made no difference.

Carolyn

Blueaussi · February 8, 2015

I've heard of folks using a dilute hydrogen peroxide spray, or sprinkling baby powder on the soil surface; but I have no idea if they work or not.

snugglekitten · February 8, 2015

Thanks guys, it sounds like a superstition....

snugglekitten · February 8, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Way back when I was posting in the AOL tomato Forum in the early to mid 80's the subject of Chamonile tea came up. One of the persons there was a lab tech and offered to do tests to see if it helped prevent damping off.

She used different concentrations of tea with several different varieties, no way can I remember which ones now, and found that it made no difference at all.

Since cinnamon had also been suggested she used that as well and found it made no difference.

Carolyn

You are a living repository of tomato-lore Carolyn. thanks for the info and hope you are feeling better.

efisakov · February 8, 2015

Diluted hydrogen peroxide (1 H.P. to 3 water) is safe for plants as disinfectant and antiseptic spray. It is great to deal with gnats as well. While growing seedlings I water them once a week with HP diluted mixture.

Marigold is great as a companion plant to tomatoes and peppers. I never used it as a tea to water my seedlings. Something I considered but never got around doing. It is known to help with Root Knot Nematode problem when planted side by side.

b54red · February 8, 2015

As someone who dealt with the heatbreak of damping off nearly every year for 35 years I can say that the only solution that has consistently worked for me is planting in DE. I use UltraSorb from Auto Zone and have had almost no damping off since using it despite ideal conditions for damping off. There is a whole thread on this site started by Ray devoted to using DE as a seed starting medium. If damping off is a recurring problem then I suggest looking it up in the seed starting forum.

Bill

spacetogrow · February 8, 2015

I've tried chamomile with no success.

However, for several years I've used dried sphagnum moss (not sphagnum peat). The milled type is more expensive but much easier to use. I use seed starter on the bottom, with about 1/3-1/2 inch of milled sphagnum moss on the top so the stem where it comes out of the "soil" is surrounded by the moss. It has made a huge difference in how many problems I have with damping off.

cippoli · February 8, 2015

To solve your dampening off I suggest you try to cover your seeds with
Milled Sphagnum Moss, A product of the Mosser Lee Co. in WIs.
I raise and sell hundreds of plant every year ,started useing this product
about 30 years ago , I do not have a proplem with damp off.

After I sow the seeds on the soiless mix I shift ( with a flour shifter) the moss
over the seeds sprinkel a little water on the moss put them in a plastic bag then on to the heat mat.

I suggest you get a small bag and try it, I buy it in their 2 buschel bag and that lasts about ten years.

The name of the product is NODAMPOFF

Worth1 · February 8, 2015

I used to sprout seeds in sterilized play sand and never had a problem.
It really isn't hard to prevent this problem as soon as they sprout stop watering them so much.
I have also used plain old yard dirt.
I guess at the time I was too stupid to know better.
Worth

b54red · February 10, 2015

I still have a few bags of the NODAMPOFF left from when I tried it without much success. It did help but not enough. The humidity in my greenhouse gets so high that the moss would stay wet by absorbing moisture in the air and then the damping off would start. So far the closest thing I have found to a guarantee of not having a major problem with damping off is to use the UltraSorb as a starting medium. Despite using the DE I can still get it some if I over-water and the conditions are ideal for damping off. The beauty of the DE is that the surface of the medium will quickly dry enough to prevent DE if the seed starting container is not left in a watering tray to keep absorbing moisture.

There are some problems and quirks to deal with when using DE as a seed starter. If allowed to dry too much it can suck all the moisture out of a very young seedling and kill it. This means daily monitoring of the plants and bottom watering them when the DE gets dry. It has no fertilizer so seedlings need fertilizing much sooner than with most other seed starting mediums.

If you live in an area with normal or below normal humidity then by using a sterile planting medium and not over watering, damping off should not be too much of a problem for you.

Bill

amideutch · February 10, 2015

Actinovate works well and it's organic.

Gardeneer · February 13, 2015

How about Hydrogen Peroxide ?

The source/cause of damping off is BAD soil ant too much water. It creates an environment for things like fungus gnat and other problems. ( me thinks). The soil that has high moisture retention and high PWT perhaps should be avoided.. Peat moss based media have very high PWT. Bark based media, on the other hand, have much lower PWT, especially when about 20% perlite is included.

Gardeneer

February 7, 2015	#1
snugglekitten BANNED Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Land of the White Eagle Posts: 341	chamomile tea for dampening off?? Has anyone ever tried this?? http://www.deeprootsathome.com/preve...chamomile-tea/

February 7, 2015	#4
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Way back when I was posting in the AOL tomato Forum in the early to mid 80's the subject of Chamonile tea came up. One of the persons there was a lab tech and offered to do tests to see if it helped prevent damping off. She used different concentrations of tea with several different varieties, no way can I remember which ones now, and found that it made no difference at all. Since cinnamon had also been suggested she used that as well and found it made no difference. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

February 8, 2015	#8
efisakov Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NJ, zone 7 Posts: 3,162	Diluted hydrogen peroxide (1 H.P. to 3 water) is safe for plants as disinfectant and antiseptic spray. It is great to deal with gnats as well. While growing seedlings I water them once a week with HP diluted mixture. Marigold is great as a companion plant to tomatoes and peppers. I never used it as a tea to water my seedlings. Something I considered but never got around doing. It is known to help with Root Knot Nematode problem when planted side by side. __________________ Ella God comes along and says, "I think I'm going to create THE tomato!”

February 10, 2015	#14
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Actinovate works well and it's organic. __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

February 7, 2015	#2
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,898	I haven't used chamomile tea BUT I pour off any leftover black or herb tea as well as leftover coffee into my inside watering can which I use to water my seedlings. I use sterile potting mix and I don't put a dome over my seedlings. So far, so good for many years. Linda

February 7, 2015	#3
barbamWY Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: North West Wyoming Posts: 466	I use chamomile tea in a spray bottle and run a fan for air circulation. I am very careful to not over water. I only have had dampening off a couple of times. I did have it in a flat of cucumbers last year and I tossed them and started over. Barb

February 8, 2015	#5
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	I've heard of folks using a dilute hydrogen peroxide spray, or sprinkling baby powder on the soil surface; but I have no idea if they work or not.

February 8, 2015	#9
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	As someone who dealt with the heatbreak of damping off nearly every year for 35 years I can say that the only solution that has consistently worked for me is planting in DE. I use UltraSorb from Auto Zone and have had almost no damping off since using it despite ideal conditions for damping off. There is a whole thread on this site started by Ray devoted to using DE as a seed starting medium. If damping off is a recurring problem then I suggest looking it up in the seed starting forum. Bill

February 8, 2015	#10
spacetogrow Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: MN zone 4 Posts: 359	I've tried chamomile with no success. However, for several years I've used dried sphagnum moss (not sphagnum peat). The milled type is more expensive but much easier to use. I use seed starter on the bottom, with about 1/3-1/2 inch of milled sphagnum moss on the top so the stem where it comes out of the "soil" is surrounded by the moss. It has made a huge difference in how many problems I have with damping off.

February 8, 2015	#11
cippoli Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: wauconda Il. Posts: 15	To solve your dampening off I suggest you try to cover your seeds with Milled Sphagnum Moss, A product of the Mosser Lee Co. in WIs. I raise and sell hundreds of plant every year ,started useing this product about 30 years ago , I do not have a proplem with damp off. After I sow the seeds on the soiless mix I shift ( with a flour shifter) the moss over the seeds sprinkel a little water on the moss put them in a plastic bag then on to the heat mat. I suggest you get a small bag and try it, I buy it in their 2 buschel bag and that lasts about ten years. The name of the product is NODAMPOFF

February 8, 2015	#12
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I used to sprout seeds in sterilized play sand and never had a problem. It really isn't hard to prevent this problem as soon as they sprout stop watering them so much. I have also used plain old yard dirt. I guess at the time I was too stupid to know better. Worth

February 13, 2015	#15
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,930	How about Hydrogen Peroxide ? The source/cause of damping off is BAD soil ant too much water. It creates an environment for things like fungus gnat and other problems. ( me thinks). The soil that has high moisture retention and high PWT perhaps should be avoided.. Peat moss based media have very high PWT. Bark based media, on the other hand, have much lower PWT, especially when about 20% perlite is included. Gardeneer