FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

I believe my lack of success with growing from seed is mold. Working long hours and not being able to allow air circulation by removing dome I see green mold on the perlite. How much spray do I use and can I substitute a 3 tablespoons peroxide to a quart of water mix instead of store bought spray?

Any suggestions on a specific brand of spray?

I don't know what to tell you about a brand of spray. Are you having problems getting the seeds to germinate and sprout or is the problem after germination with mold/mildew attacking the sprouts? A little bit of green algae on the perlite would not seem to be overly worrisome...somewhat of a natural occurrence I would think. A wholesale covering of green, slimy algae is another story. Even with wanting to keep high humidity inside the germination chamber it seems that a small bit of ventilation would help with allowing some fresh air exchange to take place.

I've always loosely covered my vegetable seeds with plastic during germination...my favorite covering is old ice bags from the convenience store<g>. I'd attach them at a couple of points around the Sterilite container I had my seed cups in and cut a few slits in the plastic allowing air inside, but holding most moisture in, too...never had a problem with mold or mildew and you could still see the condensation on the plastic. BUT, once I see a vegetable seed popping up I remove the loose piece of plastic.

CPs are a bit different, though, as the seeds take longer to germinate and the seedlings still want a humid environment for a while after germination. In the wild they are in high humidity BUT (lots of "buts" here, eh? ) they're also exposed to open sky...fresh air. Personally, if I thought I was having a problem with mold and mildew I'd try ventilating my growing chamber a small amount...moisture will stay inside but some fresh air will also be available. And, if the extra ventilation causes it to dry out a bit faster inside you should be back home before it gets dangerous. Oh, and after my vegetable seedlings got to growing I *always* had a small fan softly blowing across them. Even with covered containers (with slight ventilation) I would let the fan run.

I agree that giving them fresh air is very important, but I'm not so sure a completely sealed container is the best if you're having mold and mildew problems. A fungicide will help, I suppose, but fixing the root cause of the problem seems like would work better....not a lot of fungus on those wild plants growing in the bogs!

nycredneck wrote: ↑Fri Oct 14, 2022 1:25 pm Any suggestions on a specific brand of spray?

I just use the brand safer.

So I ordered this from Amazon but can return it if I want. Should I keep it? If I do keep it is it 2 tablespoons per gallon? When I did get algae it looked like a light spray paint coating of green. My seedling germination rate is low for several reasons from drying out, to excessive heat to algae but I keep adjusting and making changes.

D. Capensis are in process of germination now but I ordered some red VFT from Matt. I’m thinking I should wait till late winter to germinate those so they will get better natural sun and warmth once germinated. I can set them on windowsill till outside temps are right. It gets real cold here in NJ during winter. Also joining them will be some Sarracenia seeds.