@Jraven I sprinkle cinnamon on the soil surface and repeat the application when the cinnamon gets damp from repeated watering and begins to lose its effectiveness. Cinnamon has a pleasant smell. It’s inexpensive. It’s common so you don’t need to go hunting for it at specialty food stores. I buy the large bottle at Costco for less than $5, making it very economical. Cinnamon is nontoxic to pets and children, too.
Other spices that have antifungal and antibacterial properties:
Cayenne
Turmeric
Garlic
Cloves
These are stronger smelling than cinnamon, but will also work, if you need it in a hurry and are out of cinnamon.
Use spiced “tea” to water your seedlings:
Whole Spices that are antifungal and antibacterial:
Whole cinnamon Sticks
Whole cloves
To Use:
Make a strong tea using the whole spices by simmering them on the stove for 5 minutes. Use about 1 tbsp of broken pieces of whole cinnamon sticks and whole cloves, per cup of water. Allow to cool completely with the spices in the water. Strain when it is cool. Use this to water your plants about once a week to keep damping-off disease away.
Water with hydrogen peroxide:
Add 1 tsp. of hydrogen peroxide to 2 cups of water and use this to water your plants. It helps to oxygenate the soil and helps to keep fungus spores from multiplying within your potting soil. Hydrogen peroxide super-oxygenates the soil, effectively killing bacterial and fungal spores.
Let the plant’s root system mature before transplanting:
Mature plants that have filled the root zone in their pots give off plant compounds that inhibit fungal spores. Allowing the plants to fill their pots with roots before transplanting to a larger size pot, or into the ground will help the plant to overcome any stray spores of damping-off fungus.
Conversely, transplanting too soon, will make it harder for your plant to ward off the fungal disease without extra help. You don’t want the plant to become root bound, as many nursery plants are by the time you buy them. But you do want them to extend their roots right through the soil of the pot. Well rooted plants are more likely to be able to overcome fungal problems.
The Recap: The natural way to keep damping-off disease away
Keep the environment within the pot clean
Use powdered kitchen spices on the soil surface
Water with spiced “tea”
Water with hydrogen peroxide solution
Let the plant’s root system grow so it can protect itself before transplanting
Arm yourself with these natural and easy steps to keep your seedlings growing strong and defeat damping off disease once and for all.
Of course overwatering & cool temps is part of the cause, running a fan helps, overcrowded seedlings is also a problem. Sterilizing the soil in the microwave may help.
Here's what Google Search came up with. What do you recommend?
Chamomile Tea: Naturally high in sulphur, this popular tea is a fungicide. Make an infusion with three chamomile teabags and allow it to steep for about 20 minutes. Add the concentration to a sterilized spray bottle and mist the seedlings once they start to sprout.
Ground Cinnamon: A natural anti-fungal, sprinkling the soil surface with some ground cinnamon can stop damping off. This needs to be done only once.
Hydrogen peroxide: Add one cup of hydrogen peroxide to one gallon of boiled water. Allow it to cool and mist the seedlings.
Organic gardeners have reported success using sprays created with seaweed extracts or diluted Neem oil.