Is this damping off?

[Bongo 76]

Hi, I have a problem with some of my calabrese, they were planted out on the 27th of May.
It looks like damping off to me (never had it before)but I'm not sure if it only effects younger seedlings?
They were in peat pots and the soil is quite firm -I dug it over but then trod it down when I read they prefer it not dug over! I raked in some BFB a week before.
I have watered moderately until Friday when I noticed the first two wilting and I gave them a good soaking as I thought they were drying out. Then this morning there is one more gone.
I dug up one this morning - the ground was moist and it drained (slowly) when I filled the hole with water. It didn't seem to have a lot of root at all.
Please help!

[roitelet]

Damping off is a problem with seedlings. It look as if you have a problem with cabbage root fly. The grubs eat the roots of young plants. You could try cardboard collars round any other plants when you plant them out.

[bearded bloke]

I'm not very good at brassica's in general I believe over watering can cause problems,as can watering young plants from a rainwater butt especially if it has leaf debris &/or algae in it.

[Bongo 76]

Thanks roitelet, I have little carpet collars, I them off for the photo.
I'm not entirely sure I have them protected properly though as they are fairly loose.

[Bongo 76]

I'm not very good at brassica's in general I believe over watering can cause problems,as can watering young plants from a rainwater butt especially if it has leaf debris &/or algae in it.

Ah, was watering from butt at first.

[bearded bloke]

Ah, was watering from butt at first.

I read somewhere that watering seeds/seedlings with water from rainwater butts could encourage damping off due to micro-organisms from rotting leaves (etc) &/or algae.
Will see if I can find a link

[bearded bloke]

Here we go .................

Besides contaminated containers the water moulds can survive in stored water. You might think that it is good to use rain water collected from your greenhouse roof and stored in a butt or tank. Certainly it is said that slightly warmed water, at the temperature of the greenhouse is best for plants. But an uncovered tank in a greenhouse soon collects plant debris, dust, and algae and spells trouble in propagation. Always use fresh mains water for moistening compost and watering seedlings. You can draw off the tap water into a can, and leave the water to warm up before use the same day.

Taken from ..... Damping Off | Thompson & Morgan

Backed up by the RHS .........

Use mains water if possible when irrigating seedlings grown in pots and trays. If using rainwater, ensure that the water butt is covered to prevent the entry of leaves and other organic debris that could harbour some of the damping off fungi. Do not overwater

Taken from .... Damping off / Royal Horticultural Society

[rustylady]

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They were in peat pots and the soil is quite firm -I dug it over but then trod it down when I read they prefer it not dug over! I raked in some BFB a week before.
I have watered moderately until Friday when I noticed the first two wilting and I gave them a good soaking as I thought they were drying out. Then this morning there is one more gone.
I dug up one this morning - the ground was moist and it drained (slowly) when I filled the hole with water. It didn't seem to have a lot of root at all.
Please help!

I think this could be the root of the problem. Peat pots dry out really easily and stop the roots growing out into the surrounding soil. I stopped using them years ago for this very reason.

[Bongo 76]

Thanks bb, it certainly looks like damping off to me and my butt was uncovered. Ooh err.

Only thing is they're not really seedlings anymore, they have 4 or 5 proper leaves and they are around 4" tall, can they still be affected by damping off?

[Bongo 76]

I think this could be the root of the problem. Peat pots dry out really easily and stop the roots growing out into the surrounding soil. I stopped using them years ago for this very reason.

Yeah, they one I dug up certainly hadn't rooted out, it hardly had any roots at all.
The pot did fall apart in my hand, but it seemed fairly intact till I picked it up.

I never took the collars off when I watered, so maybe the combination of the quickly drying out pots, the collars covering them and the firm surrounding soil has caused them to dry out??!

[veggiechicken]

I planted out a lot of brassicas a few weeks ago - they haven't been watered since! We've had very little rain and they are under trees anyway. Touch wood, they're doing fine! You seem to be watering yours frequently and I wonder whether you have overwatered them?
I'm no expert - just saying

[Bongo 76]

Ok looks like root fly as roitelet said, just had a root around and little maggots about 1/4" having a feast at base of stem, the carpet obviously not good enough!

Thanks for everybody's help.

[VirginVegGrower]

When I plant mine, instead of using collars, I mound the soil up around the stem. Not only does it keep them firm, but I find no root fly gets in. I also drop an inch of rhubarb stem and a dusting of lime in my planting hole, which helps ward off clubroot. My brassicas used to be quite poor until I did all of this. I give quite a lot of water, but always fresh tap water. As they are a leaf, like any other, I find they drink a tremendous amount.

[rustylady]

When I plant my young plants out I puddle them in ( dig a hole with a trowel, drop the young plant in, fill the hole with water, leave to drain, fill again, leave to drain and then firm the plant in). They get no further water unless it's really dry.

It's a very bad plan to water daily - the idea is that the roots should make their way down deep into the soil to find water so if you keep watering the surface they stay shallow.

[bearded bloke]

Similar to you RL,dig hole fill with water,let it drain,fill again & drain again,put plant in & fill,when drained mound up some soil around the stem & heel in.