Mold on Jiffy Pots

HeirloomNewb · March 19, 2006

I'm one week in on my grow for some peppers and I haven't watered my pots at all. I've had them in a plastic bag with the end opened.

This morning I went to check on the jiffy pots and one of the ends was collapsed. Upon further looking there was some green mold growing on the jiffy pots. Its not a ton, but it seems to have a little on just about every cell.

How bad is this? Do I need to restart my seeds?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

HeirloomNewb · March 19, 2006

Well after picking trough some posts on the web I found out two things.

#1. There are a lot more sites on how to grow marijuana than there are on gardners dealing with green mold on jiffy pots. (searched "green mold jiffy pots")

#2. Most people are not concerened about the green mold that can grow on jiffy pots.

My newest question is should I pull my pots out of their bag (which I have done) or should I leave them in there with the ends propped up?

Thanks!

**Mischka** · March 19, 2006

Peat pots and peat cells are notorious for this.

Not to fret, it shouldn't bother your transplants one bit.

After the seedlings emerge from the soil, it's always best to uncover them or risk "damping-off" - which certainly WILL kill them.

HeirloomNewb · March 19, 2006

Mischka,

Thanks for the fast reply. I'll go back downstairs and put my pots back in the bags

As a newbie that was kind of scary and made me a little mad becuase I thought I messed up my first attempt at growing anything.

sacratomato70 · March 21, 2006

I have all of my seedlings in peat pots and it is best to keep them open, with good ventillation and out of any bags. A tray is best or on a flat surface. If they are moist and the pellet is enclosed partially, mold can develop. Also since the roots are more exposed, it can also lead to dampening off if too much moisture is present combined with the presence of fungi.
No need to restart seeds, but if there is too much moisture in the pellets, the seeds can rot and not germinate. If after 2-3 weeks the seeds have not germinated, restart them.
With peat pellets it is a balancing act of keeping the soil not too wet and not allowing them to completely dry out. Otherwise they are great.

Stephanie

Tomstrees · March 21, 2006

HeirloomNewb -

For me ; not having too many in a
given area has helped alot to
cut out the mold prob. -
I also have found out , mold will not kill them
but dampening off will ~ Lots of ventilation
and air flow as well as not over-watering can
help the battle of mold ~

Tom

HeirloomNewb · March 21, 2006

Well some seedling have started popping up. I'm not too worried since I have not watered since I made the soil. Now that things are popping up they are coming out of the bags and under the lights... I'm pretty excited about it.

Tomstrees · March 21, 2006

HeirloomNewb ~

Thats the best part right ?
Its just cool ~

Tom

travis · March 21, 2006

HN,

I decided to experiment a little with peat pots as starter cells this Feb. and March. I'll never use them again for any purpose!

I got the mold and mildew just like you. I expected them to retain moisture, but they did far worse at that than plastic or styrofoam starter cells. And the mold was obnoxious.

I've transferred most of the pepper starts over to styrofoam cups, but the ones left in peat pots are a royal pain in the tuchus. They need constant attention to watering, dry out overnight in some cases and over the weekend in all cases, so leaving them on the window sill at my office is risky. I lost about six Peter Peppers last weekend alone.

My recommendation for the best starter cells are 2" x 2" minimum sized plastic multi-cells or 8-ounce styrofoam cups with holes punched in the bottom with a phillips-head screwdriver. I stack up about 4 - 5 cups and run the screwdriver though making about 4 - 5 holes in the bottom of the cups. (The steel shank of the screwdriver doesn't drag and squeek as much as a pencil.)

I use a Sharpie to label the cups. Generally, I sow four or five seeds per cell and thin out the seedlings into 12 and 16-ounce styrofoam cups when they have a set or two of true leaves. I'm using 1/3 Canadian sphagnum, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 mix of perlite/diotomacious earth granulated oil absorb. This mix is really porous but holds moisture well.

Peat pots? They're a waste of money ... forgettabowdit.

PV

Tomstrees · March 21, 2006

I agree with the above -
Next year = plastic

Moldy herb pots ... lame ~

Tom

melody · March 21, 2006

Hate peat pots for all of the above reasons. Just way too much effort that could be directed into something more useful.

I like clear plastic drinking cups with flat bottoms. They come in a variety of sizes and you can see the root systems at a glance. This makes it easy to tell if you need to repot.

Poke a few holes in them and you're good to go...label them with a sharpie and it's there for the duration.

HeirloomNewb · March 21, 2006

I'm gonna use plastic cups when I pot-up, I just used the jiffy starter thingies to get going (they are 5x2 starter cells). As long as the mold doesn't bother the plants I'm fine with it and thus far have no problem with the product..... but then again I'm a newb. I'm looking forward to getting home from work to see what has popped up.

paxpuella · March 21, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa Vic

I'm using 1/3 Canadian sphagnum, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 mix of perlite/diotomacious earth granulated oil absorb. This mix is really porous but holds moisture well.
PV

Hi Papa Vic,

You are almost my neighbor. I live about 45 minutes away from Evansville in Illinois.

Quick question for you. Your mixture that you use above, can you buy that most anywhere like Lowes or Walmart? I'm still fairly new to gardening, and am not familiar with those ingredients.

I've used the peat pots for the last few years and have had pretty good luck with them. I've developed mold on them, but the seeds seem to do fairly well. This year I am going to try to put a small fan on them to see if I can toughen up the roots like someone else suggested.

Thanks.

Plant Lady · March 22, 2006

I also hate those peat pots, It just takes one time to know that is not the right thing to use to grow anything in. Even though you are suppose to just be able to place them directly into the ground...They do not break down like they are suppose to. I use plastic containers to start my seeds then transplant the seedlings into the 3"-4" plastic pots and when I run out of those I use the styrofoam cups. Stryofoam cups are alot cheaper anyway.

garnetmoth · March 24, 2006

Ive found peat to be a waste of money and time. they wick like mad so you have to water more, peel them off before you plant out, get moldy, etc.
Im reusing paper cups from instant soup, waxed paper drive-thru cups, and the bottoms of rinsed milk paper cartons for my give-away seeds, and ive saved yogurt cups that dont have lids and cut small drainholes in the bottoms for me-seeds.
way more eco-friendly than styrofoam, but I understand why styro is attractive. Even waxed paper bathroom Dixie cups would be good. good luck!

March 19, 2006	#3
Mischka Tomatoville® Administrator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Bay State Posts: 3,207	Peat pots and peat cells are notorious for this. Not to fret, it shouldn't bother your transplants one bit. After the seedlings emerge from the soil, it's always best to uncover them or risk "damping-off" - which certainly WILL kill them. __________________ Mischka One last word of farewell, Dear Master and Mistress. Whenever you visit my grave, say to yourselves with regret but also with happiness in your hearts at the remembrance of my long happy life with you: "Here lies one who loved us and whom we loved." No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail.

March 21, 2006	#5
sacratomato70 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West Sacramento, CA Posts: 19	Peat Pots I have all of my seedlings in peat pots and it is best to keep them open, with good ventillation and out of any bags. A tray is best or on a flat surface. If they are moist and the pellet is enclosed partially, mold can develop. Also since the roots are more exposed, it can also lead to dampening off if too much moisture is present combined with the presence of fungi. No need to restart seeds, but if there is too much moisture in the pellets, the seeds can rot and not germinate. If after 2-3 weeks the seeds have not germinated, restart them. With peat pellets it is a balancing act of keeping the soil not too wet and not allowing them to completely dry out. Otherwise they are great. Stephanie

March 21, 2006	#6
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	HeirloomNewb - For me ; not having too many in a given area has helped alot to cut out the mold prob. - I also have found out , mold will not kill them but dampening off will ~ Lots of ventilation and air flow as well as not over-watering can help the battle of mold ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

March 21, 2006	#8
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	HeirloomNewb ~ Thats the best part right ? Its just cool ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

March 21, 2006	#10
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	I agree with the above - Next year = plastic Moldy herb pots ... lame ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

March 19, 2006	#1
HeirloomNewb Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Elwood, IL Posts: 53	Mold on Jiffy Pots I'm one week in on my grow for some peppers and I haven't watered my pots at all. I've had them in a plastic bag with the end opened. This morning I went to check on the jiffy pots and one of the ends was collapsed. Upon further looking there was some green mold growing on the jiffy pots. Its not a ton, but it seems to have a little on just about every cell. How bad is this? Do I need to restart my seeds? Thanks for any help you can give me!

March 21, 2006	#9
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	HN, I decided to experiment a little with peat pots as starter cells this Feb. and March. I'll never use them again for any purpose! I got the mold and mildew just like you. I expected them to retain moisture, but they did far worse at that than plastic or styrofoam starter cells. And the mold was obnoxious. I've transferred most of the pepper starts over to styrofoam cups, but the ones left in peat pots are a royal pain in the tuchus. They need constant attention to watering, dry out overnight in some cases and over the weekend in all cases, so leaving them on the window sill at my office is risky. I lost about six Peter Peppers last weekend alone. My recommendation for the best starter cells are 2" x 2" minimum sized plastic multi-cells or 8-ounce styrofoam cups with holes punched in the bottom with a phillips-head screwdriver. I stack up about 4 - 5 cups and run the screwdriver though making about 4 - 5 holes in the bottom of the cups. (The steel shank of the screwdriver doesn't drag and squeek as much as a pencil.) I use a Sharpie to label the cups. Generally, I sow four or five seeds per cell and thin out the seedlings into 12 and 16-ounce styrofoam cups when they have a set or two of true leaves. I'm using 1/3 Canadian sphagnum, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 mix of perlite/diotomacious earth granulated oil absorb. This mix is really porous but holds moisture well. Peat pots? They're a waste of money ... forgettabowdit. PV

March 21, 2006	#11
melody Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kentucky Posts: 162	Hate peat pots for all of the above reasons. Just way too much effort that could be directed into something more useful. I like clear plastic drinking cups with flat bottoms. They come in a variety of sizes and you can see the root systems at a glance. This makes it easy to tell if you need to repot. Poke a few holes in them and you're good to go...label them with a sharpie and it's there for the duration.

March 22, 2006	#14
Plant Lady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Arkansas-6b/7a Posts: 55	I also hate those peat pots, It just takes one time to know that is not the right thing to use to grow anything in. Even though you are suppose to just be able to place them directly into the ground...They do not break down like they are suppose to. I use plastic containers to start my seeds then transplant the seedlings into the 3"-4" plastic pots and when I run out of those I use the styrofoam cups. Stryofoam cups are alot cheaper anyway.

March 24, 2006	#15
garnetmoth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: cincinnati, oh Posts: 492	Ive found peat to be a waste of money and time. they wick like mad so you have to water more, peel them off before you plant out, get moldy, etc. Im reusing paper cups from instant soup, waxed paper drive-thru cups, and the bottoms of rinsed milk paper cartons for my give-away seeds, and ive saved yogurt cups that dont have lids and cut small drainholes in the bottoms for me-seeds. way more eco-friendly than styrofoam, but I understand why styro is attractive. Even waxed paper bathroom Dixie cups would be good. good luck!