Dampening-off?

[Jenegade]

I'm worried about my onion seedlings, none of them are standing upright, they've all flopped over and seem quite weak. Is this dampening-off disease?

I've got some more allium seedlings just coming up that I sowed at the weekend, how do I prevent them doing the same thing?

Thanks for your help!

[Flummery]

They are probably just keeling over a bit because they have only a small amount of root - sometimes just one long thread at this stage - compared to the growth above ground. If you have damping off disease they'll die - rather quickly!
One way that helps is to water from below so the compost doesn't get waterlogged. Good luck with them!

[BrideXIII]

mine are all floppy too, so i was worried when i read this yesterday, but i shall just leave em and see what happens.

[Jenegade]

Thanks for the advice Flummery, will hopefully straighten up later! They don't appear to be dying and re-potted some the other day - they only had one long root.

[Two_Sheds]

I think you're too early, and they are possibly too warm & not light enough ... but I could be wrong!

[Jenegade]

Wouldn't have thought they would be too warm, light may be a problem though. Have moved a couple of pots of onion seedlings to back of house to experiment with light levels!

[Flummery]

My onion seedlings are in the cold greenhouse. It's traditional to sow them early - I've heard that after Christmas dinner is favourite - gets the blokes out of washing up!

[snohare]

If you're really worried about damping off, I came across a blog by an American smallholder who grew organically, and he swore that steeping chamomile teabags in buckets until the water was golden brown, and then watering seedlings with that, prevents damping off.
But going by what happens when I don't give mine enough light, it's just paley-weely syndrome due to lack of sunshine. I find even just a couple of centimetres back from the window makes a big difference to some plants.

[Jenegade]

Really? A few centimetres? I'll move them forward a bit then! Thanks Snohare!

[Digger Don]

If they are short of light, then tucking a couple of old CD's into the edge of the seed tray so that they reflect the window light back onto the seedlings can work well.

[Jenegade]

If they are short of light, then tucking a couple of old CD's into the edge of the seed tray so that they reflect the window light back onto the seedlings can work well.

Thats a good tip, thanks! Will find some CDs that we don't listen to anymore!

[Flummery]

Thats a good tip, thanks! Will find some CDs that we don't listen to anymore!

Works just as well with cooking foil!

[Jenegade]

Hmmm, maybe I should use that rather than my boyfriends Metallica cds! Would keep him happy, though I'd still have to put up with that noise!

[BrideXIII]

i made up some light boards with tin foil and cardboard today, and have a halogen lamp heating the whole lot nicely

[Snadger]

I use Cheshunt Compound. It's a traditional soluble powder fungicide that prevents damping off disease in seedlings.

Sounds more like lack of light than damping of though.

Like flum my onion plants are now in an unheated greenhouse.