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 This fall and winter, many of us will be sowing seeds in flats that will be planted out later on in the year.
But one common nemesis of seedling flats or trays is fungus that can attack at any time.
One of the most common problems is damping-off which is caused by a fungus that attacks sprouting seeds and very young seedlings.
One type of damping-off fungus keeps seeds from germinating altogether, but the type most troublesome to gardeners kills seedlings not long after they've sprouted. The seedlings rot at their bases and fall over, or they just wither and die.
How To Solve This Problem
The solution is simple: use ground or milled sphagnum moss across the flat, or in between the rows of seeds.
This works because sphagnum moss helps fight fungal problems in seedling flats because the acidity of the moss keeps the fungus from developing.
Simply sprinkle about 1/4 of an inch (.625 cm) of ground sphagnum moss in between the rows of seeds, or lightly dust it across the entire top of the tray. This will help keep your seeds and seedlings safe.
If you don't have milled or ground sphagnum, just rub regular sphagnum moss in between your hands or fingers and grind it up yourself.
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