Fungicide for mold that is not toxic for humans.

[Richard Hole]

Hello

I have some Drosera seedlings and there is white mold growing on the surface of the peat moss among the seedlings. Do you know of a good way to kill it or stop it spreading that does not involve a chemical that is toxic to humans? It would be good if there is something that is safe to spray or water on the surface where no gloves or mask is needed.

I also have slimy algae on the surface of the soil and it would be good to also find something to reduce that.

I have tried 1 part pasteurized cows milk and 10 parts water and also 1 part 3% Hydrogen peroxide and 3 parts water. However, they did not make much difference. I heard that alcohol could work but I am not sure how much water I should mix with it and how much to apply to the seedlings. I read that cinnamon can help but it also is a growth inhibitor.

I do have some Azamax which I think is similar to Azadaracton or neeme oil which supposed to control fungus. However, my Azamax is about a year past it’s used by date.

Some other suggestions are below. However, I am not sure if they could harm the plants.

•1 tablespoon of baking soda
•½ teaspoon of liquid soap
•1 gallon of water
See http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/a/PowderyMildew.htm

Soak 1 cup of cornmeal in 1 gallon of water overnight. Strain the liquid and use as a spray on susceptible plants. See http://gardening.about.com/od/naturalorganiccontrol/qt/Cornmeal.htm

Mix 25 drops of grapefruit seed extract in a spray bottle full of water.
See http://www.ehow.com/how_4690493_make-killer-grapefruit-seed-extract.html

Do you think any of the above would be a good fungicide for Drosera seedlings and should I water the mix in or is it best to just spray it on?

Your help is appreciated
Regards Richard.

[Richard Hole]

Hello

For mold, a gardening expert suggested to use Betadine that contains iodine and to mix 2 ml per10 liters of water and then to water in the soil. However, I did a search and could not find any examples of where people used it for carnivorous plants so I am not sure if you know of anyone that has tried it.

Some of these natural fungal controls that I have listed may be very affective as a preventative if they are watered in the soil or sprayed on the surface on a regular basis. The water based fungicide mixes could also be used as the only water source for the seedlings. They could be watered in from the top when the seedlings develop and perhaps sprayed on the surface and added to the water tray before the seeds germinate. What could be done is a number of the seeds of the same species could be grown in a few different containers where each one is watered with a different one of the non or low toxicity fungicides. The same number of seeds could be sown in each container. The growth of the seedlings would then be compared in each container and to another container where no fungicide is used and to another one where a commonly recommended fungicide for carnivorous plants is used.

It would be good if a few people did this experiment because different people have different conditions and they have different plants. We need to determine if any of these fungicides have any detrimental affect on the growth of the plants. The growth rate and germination rate of the plants could be noted along with how much fungi or algae develop. The same peat moss mix from the same bag would need to be used for each container for consistency. A number of different species could be tried in this manner. Could you please post back what results you get and encourage some people to do this experiment. Also, it would be appreciated if you could do a search to find if anyone has done this experiment or tried any of these non or low toxicity fungicides on carnivorous plants.

Your help is appreciated,
Regards Richard

[arvin555]

Richard thanks for sharing.

Natural or at least house hold remedy safe or CPs against Molds and Algae is always an interest for me and so far I have not really found one that works well.

I have pots with molds.
I have pots with blue green Algae (bacteria)

Unfortunately I don't have a known "cure" for them still.

I read about Betadine, Hydrogen Peroxide, and I even have some sulfur powder, no conclusive evidence, but my tests were not very scientific.

Please share if any of the remedies you try is effective. Oh, I also heard using charcoal helps.

TTFN
Arvin

[Richard Hole]

Hello

I found that diluted pasteurized milk or hydrogen peroxide did not kill the mold. However, I have not tried it as a preventative yet. It may work if it is applied before the algae or mold appears to prevent it. However, I heard that milk and baking soda is alkaline so it may be detrimental to the plants. That is why it would be good to do some experiments on a few plants first and compare how the plants grow. Please let me know of anyone that is interested in doing this.

Your help is appreciated,
Regards Richard