Seeds going mouldy

[freddyuk]

I have in the past managed to germinate about 10% of my batches of arenga seeds but this year i bought 100 as i thought i was getting better at it. I have sowed in batcheS using various methods.

I have used fungicide after soaking and used media which has been cooked in the microwave,also i have washed with mild bleach but they have all gone mouldy.

They are prone to fungus but this is ridiculous

I seem to be going backwards as a beginner!

Any ideas please

[Palmə häl′ik]

Could you be keeping your media too wet/moist? I too am a rookie though.

[edric]

Hi Freddy, try using Coco Peat Coir, make sure you have excellent ventilation, at all times, soak them first for a couple days, make sure to change the water every four hours, in you climate, you may have to start indoors, Ed

[Palmə häl′ik]

Yep.

Works great.

My first attempt at germination was very successful w/ around 99.9% success on around 100 or so Wodyetia bifurcata seeds... The coir drains super fast, and stays just moist enough to handle the bizness. I picked up a few bricks of the stuff, but I should've just bought the big block that they had...

~Ray.

[John in Andalucia]

Some seeds, no matter how many times you rinse them, bleach them or dip them in fungicide, will always develop fungus, if the seeds have already become infected and the bacteria is working from the inside. One important tip after rinsing or soaking seeds, is to let the surface dry properly, i.e. evenly - especially fibrous species, or those with an uneven surface. I have an odd way of determining if seeds are getting enough moisture, and that is to touch the seed against my top lip. You can detect the presence of moisture immediately, even if the seed appears dry.

I had a batch of Pseudophoenix ekmanii last year, which kept turning into fungus "snowballs" no matter how many times I treated them. At the point of giving up, I dipped them in 100% bleach for 30 seconds, rinsed them only lightly, let them dry, but again the same thing happened. It's all about fresh seeds. The thing to remember is that during collection, a few borderline, bad seeds are going to get mixed in. One of these may end up in your packet, and then go on to infect a few more. Aside from the float test - which is only a "rule of thumb", look out for seeds that are darker than the rest. If fungus has already attacked the endosperm, moisture will enter the seed, and the seed coat may show a dark patch. Smell each seed if possible, and put any "sweeter" ones to one side. In other words, segregate your seeds as you would imagine the final percentage for successful germination to be. That way you will know if your instincts were right. You can then concentrate on giving the suspect seeds your best attention, and if one or two in that group sprout, you will feel better for it.

Ray, you mention coir being a fast draining medium, but that is a little confusing. Coco-fibre actually retains moisture up to 8 or 9 times its own volume. It has good air porosity, so it never feels very wet on the surface. However, it holds the moisture further down in a pot, and once saturated, can easily become water-logged (a bit like a sponge sitting on the side of a wet bathtub.)

I used to use coir on its own as a germination mix, but I find it too smothering. I prefer a course mix, almost like muesli, with fine mulch, soil and vermiculite. Pure vermiculite is also good IMO, because as people who dislike using it will tell you, it turns to sticky mush if you over-water it. So naturally, don't let it get to that stage, and you have a medium with its own moisture warning device! Just my 2 cents.

[Palmə häl′ik]

How is it confusing?

It drains as fast as you pour it in. Maybe I'm speaking in broken English...

Let me reiterate...

The water will come out as fast as it goes in... And no it's not like a sponge sitting on a wet bath tub.

I use it with a 50/50 mix of perlite with great results so far... Maybe you had some bad luck with it...

But I've used it in the past with all kinds of other plants, and they all have loved it.

Granted I've only used it for the last year with palm germination... But it's been working for me... Sounds like for others too...

I'll be sure to smell all my seeds real good before I germinate them too... That's brilliant.

~Ray.

[John in Andalucia]

How is it confusing?

It drains as fast as you pour it in. Maybe I'm speaking in broken English...

Let me reiterate...

The water will come out as fast as it goes in... And no it's not like a sponge sitting on a wet bath tub.

I use it with a 50/50 mix of perlite with great results so far... Maybe you had some bad luck with it...

But I've used it in the past with all kinds of other plants, and they all have loved it.

Granted I've only used it for the last year with palm germination... But it's been working for me... Sounds like for others too...

I'll be sure to smell all my seeds real good before I germinate them too... That's brilliant.

~Ray.

Well you obviously have a fine set up, Ray. But like I said, coco-fibre retains moisture up to 8 or 9 times its own volume. Mixing it with 50/50 with perlite will obviously make it free flowing. I'm English by the way, in case my avatar settings misled you.

[Palmə häl′ik]

My apologies then.

I'm just really happy with it so far that's all... Draining and Retaining have different meanings BTW...

Just trying to spread some CoCoCoir love brother... Amen. Glory!

~Ray.

[John in Andalucia]

No problem, Ray. I'm also a fan of coir blocks. I mix it with regular compost, mainly to stop the soil from clumping too hard around seedling roots in pots. It certainly makes re-potting them easier, as you just tap the soil lightly, and it falls away without pulling any roots off.