New Age United
Well-Known Member
I posted this in the newbie section but thought that I should put it in here too. I am growing outdoor this year but I am starting my plants indoors, I have a very small grow space and I knew that I needed good air flow for my plants, I was going to get a couple of fans asap, but I didn't realize just how important good ventilation is. I came home today to find that the entire room smelled like mildew, like a hundred old dirty towels, I already knew I had a problem and what it was, but I called up a veteran gardener just to confirm and solve this problem. That smell is fungus, not neccessarily mildew, but could be one of the deadly fungus'. Plants have an imune system and just like children that system is much weaker when they are young, so it is absolutely vital to prevent fungus growth when they are just starting off, this is refered to as "dampening off", keep in mind that they have only been in there for 3 days, it can grow quick. First off you should always sterilize your starter soil.
Oven Method: (small batches)
Microwave Method: (small batch)
Sterilizing your soil will not gaurantee that fungus will not grow, if the right conditions for fungus to grow are met, chances are it will grow there. If you ever smell mildew, like a dirty wet towel, it means you have fungus, smell the soil directly, if the smell is stronger in the soil, it means it's growing in the soil, if this ever happens to you this is what you do. Get some ground cinnamon, sprinkle it on to the soil fairly heavily, see pic to get an idea of how much, it should cover the entire surface, let it sit there don't churn it. You will notice the smell of mildew goes up 10 fold right away, this means it is working, cinnamon is a natural fungicide. The smell of mildew will fill the entire house and you won't even be able to breathe in the grow room, this will last for about 20 mins, after a few hours it will go away and all you should smell in your pots is cinnamon. It is also a good idea to water your plants by taking several loves of garlic, also a fungicide, mash them up and boil in an inch of water for a few mins, let it cool and then mix this in with your water, you can also take chamomile tea(fungicide) and steep 3 bags in a cup of water for 20 mins, let cool and mist your seedlings with it. You should only do the cinnamon once, but the others can be done repeatedly. Yes I know that I used too big a pot to start them and this may also be part of the problem, too much water sitting in the soil bc there are no roots to soak it up, I need to drill some holes in them to for better drainage and aeration.
Just want to add here, as advised by another member, you should not sniff to close to any mold or fungus as the spores can grow in your lungs and it is poisonous.
Oven Method: (small batches)
- Fill an ovenproof container about 3 inches deep with soil, mix in a generous amount of water (not enough to make it runny or soupy but thoroughly wet) then cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake in a preheated oven (200°F) until the temperature of the center reaches 180°F (use a meat thermometer to measure). Once the temperature reaches 180°F, bake for 30 minutes.
- Do not overheat or overbake since it can release toxins harmful to plants as well as kill beneficial organisms.
- It can smell quite foul when baking, this is normal.
Microwave Method: (small batch)
- To use the microwave, put about 2 pounds of moist soil in a thick, plastic bag. Leave the top open and place it in the center of the microwave.
- Heat it for two to five minutes on full power, checking the temperature in the middle of the dirt with a thermometer. When the target is reached (180°F to 200°F), close the bag carefully and put in a cooler to hold the heat in.
- Allow to cool.
Sterilizing your soil will not gaurantee that fungus will not grow, if the right conditions for fungus to grow are met, chances are it will grow there. If you ever smell mildew, like a dirty wet towel, it means you have fungus, smell the soil directly, if the smell is stronger in the soil, it means it's growing in the soil, if this ever happens to you this is what you do. Get some ground cinnamon, sprinkle it on to the soil fairly heavily, see pic to get an idea of how much, it should cover the entire surface, let it sit there don't churn it. You will notice the smell of mildew goes up 10 fold right away, this means it is working, cinnamon is a natural fungicide. The smell of mildew will fill the entire house and you won't even be able to breathe in the grow room, this will last for about 20 mins, after a few hours it will go away and all you should smell in your pots is cinnamon. It is also a good idea to water your plants by taking several loves of garlic, also a fungicide, mash them up and boil in an inch of water for a few mins, let it cool and then mix this in with your water, you can also take chamomile tea(fungicide) and steep 3 bags in a cup of water for 20 mins, let cool and mist your seedlings with it. You should only do the cinnamon once, but the others can be done repeatedly. Yes I know that I used too big a pot to start them and this may also be part of the problem, too much water sitting in the soil bc there are no roots to soak it up, I need to drill some holes in them to for better drainage and aeration.
Just want to add here, as advised by another member, you should not sniff to close to any mold or fungus as the spores can grow in your lungs and it is poisonous.
