FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

As i sowed some Nidiformis seeds a week and a half ago im worried about the green algae that is growing in the pot(s).

Pictures:
A possible seedling?

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Green, as u can not so clearly see.

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Here u can see the diffrence from "fresh" prepared medium(left pot)

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Here are the conditions,
Media, 40/40/20 peat/sand/LFS
Humidity: 80-95%
Temperature: 18-25 degrees C(18 at night, 28 at max during day)
There in a "closed container", since they were covered with a plastic bag.

Now i am wondering, can they hurt my seeds and how to prevent this from happening again?
(i boiled the medium, rinsed it 3 times with demi water)

That's why algae is growing, high humidity, and lots of light. I'm not sure if there will be an issue or not honestly. But with my VFT seeds, I watered them just like my normal VFTs, and I did not keep the container closed, they grew just fine.

BoothEatsBUGS wrote:That's why algae is growing, high humidity, and lots of light. I'm not sure if there will be an issue or not honestly. But with my VFT seeds, I watered them just like my normal VFTs, and I did not keep the container closed, they grew just fine.

i just removed them from the tray to let the soil dry just a little(since i dont want to kill the possible seedlings).

I've read that algae is not harmful, but it is a sign that factors are favorable for mold, but other sources tell it is, so thats why im confused.

Also, ive read that cinnamon works, but i couldnt find a source about how/if it affects seeds.

Ill keep u posted, btw, is the thing in the 1th photo a seedling(nidiformis)?

I wouldn't worry about it. When I have algae problems I just let my soil dry out a little in between watering. Won't hurt your plants either. Sundews are tough little guys to kill lol.

Also not sure what that seedling is. Too early to tell for me. Just give it time relax and everything will work out okay

BoothEatsBUGS wrote:I wouldn't worry about it. When I have algae problems I just let my soil dry out a little in between watering. Won't hurt your plants either. Sundews are tough little guys to kill lol.

Well, ive used the same peat and LFS for all pots of CP that i bought seeds off( indica, venusta, nidiformis, rotundifolia, intermedia, s. purpurea, d. muscipula)
So i was worried about the seeds getting destroyed or not able to germinate because of the algae.

Just a quick update, i removed the saran wrap that covered them, and let a little airflow in, seems it is not getting worse.

Also, the seedling has 2 points already.

Nice! Just stick to the basics. I give my seeds the same conditions I give the adult plants. Think about it, in nature the seeds are growing in the same environment that the mother plant is, so if it is good enough for the mother plant, it should be good enough for the seeds.

Good luck


-Booth

Ok just an update for u all, cause i hate it when i look at topics and cant see what the end result was.

i had problems with algae in 3 pots (2 with nidiformis seeds, 1 with venusta seeds).
They were in a indoor greenhouse at that time (no ventilation, high humidity and warmth)

So i removed them from there "home" and placed em along my other plants which are just in a tray.
The growth of algae really, really slowed down a lot, it didnt dissapear but didnt become a lot worse either.

Now after about 1,5months i have sucsesfull germination on both species, the nidiformis is really clear and has 2 true leaves already, as for the venusta, i think they germinated but dont have true leaves yet cause it took them about 1-1,5 weeks longer.

The downside is the germination rate is quite low so far for the nidiformis (around 30%), but this may increase as more seeds sprout.

Edit, the 1th photo with the plant, it seems like some kind of grass, its not a carnivorous plant as far as i can tell, ill leave it in there for now cause im curious about what it will become

I currently have a little algae in my seed tub also and have noticed no ill effects (except confusing new bits of algae for seedlings ). I'm glad to read that you've had success with germination and I wish you the best of luck with them! I hope germination rates increase for you.

Grey wrote:I currently have a little algae in my seed tub also and have noticed no ill effects (except confusing new bits of algae for seedlings ). I'm glad to read that you've had success with germination and I wish you the best of luck with them! I hope germination rates increase for you.

Well, i sowed them directly on the soil, im trying water germination with 3 seeds from a purpurea, and no growth yet, used the cleanest water that can be found on earth, so it would be a miracle if something would grow in there

Ill post a mssg here in a month or 2 to note final situation

Good luck to you to!

You may want to check out these links.

http://www.growsundews.com/rinsing_peat ... lants.html

http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showt ... n-Dawnstar

http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/can-i ... t9226.html

To break down a few useful tips in your situation.

A. Don't expose the media to excessive light or water until you see signs of germination. Using bright light before there is germination causes algae and moss growth.

B. Post pictures of the brand of LFSM you use... some brands are high quality and others lower, some will require successive and multiple cleanings, while others may need only one or two soaks in pure water. (Aaron, "sundewman")

C. WASH all of the components you use when trying for seedlings, even when using peat moss you may have mature plants before needing to transplant (Tamlin).

D. If you use LFSM you will need to aerate it using agregates like perlite, pumice, vermiculute, charcoal, sand (blasting or pool filter granite/silica), coconut husk 'chips'. The best agregate in high humidity and stale air conditions by far is sand, while perlite/vermiculite/orchid bark being the worst. If you use an agregate (which is recommended to get oxygen to the plants roots and help flush the media of water / other nutrients. (Steve), (Tamlin), and (Sundewman).

In my experience LFSM will require less washing than milled peat,
but most sundews do better with milled peat in the long run in. (Tamlin)

Algae/mosses/byrophytes will regress a plants health and or stifle it's active growth, further infestation will encourage additional pests like fungus gnats.

Don't give up though! Plants will germinate for a long time after you sow them!

Hey,

I took all of that into acount, but how can u have to much light on germinating seeds?
I used 2x7w lamps about 10-15cm from the pots.
I rinsed the peat multiple times (its a peat/sili sand/LFS mix in about 60/20/20), and left it outside in the rain etc for another 3 weeks.

I think its due to inferior grade peat, since im using other (called Blonde peat) peat this didnt happen, so imo it was do to 4 things, to humid, not enough aeration and bad materials.

You don't need to have the seed under lights until there is germination, the factors in a seeds germination are temperature and water.

The longer you have them under lights and sopping peat, then the longer algae and moss has time to develop.

You need to air out your seeds once a day and they don't need to be sopping wet, just very moist and humid.

It may very well be because of the peat and lfsm you use, you may want to change brands or wash it more.

Its hard to find decent amounts of good materials here, and shipping costs abroad are insane.

So im trying to find stuff that works, but since i only have 9 species and just started, im still in the process of trial and error