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soil fungus

YnneadYnnead Posts: 250
in Problem solving
Hi for my recent seeds I used some old compost after supposedly sterilising with boiling water. Im trying to germinate Operculicarya decaryi seeds which need light. Put them in my heated propagator and this fungus keeps growing.
I know it likes the moist warm conditions but is it likely to rot the seeds before they germinate if they ever do?

London

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Perhaps the compost is a bit too damp?

    I’ve never grown them myself, but from what I’ve read one way to germinate the seeds is to soak them for 24 hours then place them on wet sandy grit. I suppose that avoids the likelihood of fungal growth. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Can you get some vermiculite?
    That would be ideal - Perlite should work too.
    Use just Vermiculite or Perlite that has been soaked (e.g. in a sieve under a tap) then drained.
    They need light to germinate, but you can still cover the seed with vermiculite/perlite (so the whole seed is just covered) - light will still get through.
    I'd sow them in small pots too - 1 seed to a small pot. Put the pot inside a plastic bag and tie the top. Keep somewhere warm and bight - they can take upto 3 months to germinate. They need to be kept around 25C to germinate.
    You'll need to pot them up into normal compost as soon as they're up as the vermiculite/perlite has no nutrients.

    Fungi spores are everywhere - some have landed on your sterilized compost and as they have no competition they have started to grow.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • YnneadYnnead Posts: 250
    Thanks for the replies. I read about soaking them but from other places growers said they needed no pre soaking.
    I changed the compost for some John innes seed compost I had lying around. Hopefully the disturbance won't impact the seeds.
    No perlite/ vermiculite unfortunately.
    London
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I think you only grow indoor plants so you probably have no need to buy 'garden sized quantities' of stuff ... but if you can get to a pet shop or similar some aquarium grit/fine gravel mixed half and half with your seed compost will lighten it considerably  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I bought grit from B&Q, so if that's an option for you, it might be worth trying. Fiver for a decent sized bag. 
    I agree with @Dovefromabove - mixing around half and half helps considerably for anything needing good drainage. I do it for things like Dianthus, although I mainly use Perlite for seeds. It's quite cheap online, and because of it's light weight, the P&P is often nothing, or very low.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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