Thank you all for your responses - they're very encouraging. I know there are countless varieties of fungi out there, that many of them are beneficial, and I'd read somewhere the list of 4-6 specific ones that cause damping-off ... I just jumped to conclusions and figured with my luck, I probably had one of those. The flats are in the house - only 3 seeds have sprouted so far, but I expect the rest won't be far behind. Once they're all up, I'd like to move them out to the greenhouse, which is kept around 50 degrees at night, and about 65-70 on a sunny day - though it would easily climb higher if I let it. I was thinking the best time for this is when they have their first set of true leaves. Any suggestions? I tried starting seeds indoors years ago, with little success. This year, with the greenhouse, I thought I'd have a go at it again because of the lower cost, greater variety available, greater satisfaction of growing from seed ... and, despite the wonderful flowers, herbs and a few veggies growing out in the greenhouse, I just can't wait for spring! It's good to hear of your respective successes, and to see the pictures you posted. Diane, wishing you continued success.

It is not your seed and rinsing them in anything is not necessary. As I said before--damp off is ALWAYS caused by over watering. It is not caused by something on your seeds or in your soil or pots I realize you probably want to go green and organic but just because it is labelled that way doesn't mean it's better. What you are using for soil is not good for seed starting. It is good for potting up growing plants but not for starting seeds. If you want the absolute best seed starting mix then it's promix HP. It is hands down the best for all planting. Just try that little experiment I mentioned. One pot wet and one pot dry. Now see how long it takes for the wet pot to dry out completely and be the same weight as the dry one. PEAT PELLETS-- are absolutely useless. You wouldn't catch me within a hundred yards of them.

Serenade is organic. it eats the spores and bacteria etc. It originally was found in soil. I have added it to water and water the soil and let stand. If the soil is full of bacteria it will eat them and multiply and basically sterilize the soil. I also use it when watering new seedlings. My opinion is that I can use more or less of it depending on the problem. I buy the liquid concentrate and add to water. For the above when watering I use less then at some other times. The above has worked for me. It is very low cost as the concentrate makes a lot of solution. Your mileage may vary and I would recommend an experimental trial before making a final decision. Originally when I had a big infestation I would spray all of the entire plants for protection. I have also used it to sterlize everything. no harm in spraying everything to help with prevention. I like it because it is very safe to use. It is NOT poison. It is a microbe that eats pretty much all spores and bacterias etc. It is completely safe to people and animals etc. Works for me. I do not claim it will work for you. Only you can determine that. spraying your plants with water sounds backwards. but the water contains this hungry microbe that is looking to eat all the bad guys. You might also consider phoning the company that makes Serenade and talk to them about your problem and see what they say.

Gamebird, Damping off is a real bummer. Any and all plants can be susceptible to damping off. Damping off is caused by several different fungi and it is likely that some vegetables are more susceptible to some fungi than others which is why some of your plants are affected and others seemingly are not. Damping off can be caused by the fungi Botrytis spp., Phytophthora spp., Pythium spp., Rhizoctonia solani and sclerotinia spp. as well as a few less commonly seen fungi. These fungi are found universally in soils and can damage virtually any plant you are propogating. Once your plants have been infected by one or more of the fungi that cause damping off, there is little you can do to save them. Different fungi affect the plants in different ways. Pythium types, for example, start way down at the tips of the roots and work their way up the plant. Once you see the above-soil symptoms of damping off (the characteristic 'wire stem' that is weak, spindly and collapsing), the entire root system is affected. If you scatter sow a lot of seeds in one flat, damping off first may be observed as a circular area of weakening, dying plants in one location in the flat. Often, once it starts, the circular area gradually enlarges as more plants are affected. You can have pre-emergent damping off where the seeds are infected and die before they sprout, but more often you have the post-emergent type where they sprout, grow and then die. Sometimes you can see white or brown fungal growth on the soil surface. Sometimes you can see little hair-like growths. There is no cure for damping off although I have seen an occasional plant survive it. Prevention is the best cure. Here's how to prevent it: Before you plant in flats, pots, cups or whatever you use, clean them and sterilize them if they've ever held soil before. You can clean them with 70% rubbing alcohol or with a water/bleach combo (1 part bleach to 4 or 5 parts waer). Use only sterile soil-less seed-starting mix, which usually consists of peat and vermiculite or something similar. (Some organic gardeners prefer to use compost and believe the biological activity in the compost prevents damping off.) Place your sterile seed flats filled with sterile soil-less mix only on sterile areas (shelves, tables, greenhouse benches, etc.) or, if you're using an area that cannot be sterilized, place several layers of newspaper between the flat and the surface. If damping off is a huge problem, you can purchase treated seed (sometimes) that's been pre-treated with a fungicide. Treated seed is not available for all vegetable varieties because some seeds/seedlings cannot tolerate the fungicides. If you have been working outside in the yard, wash your hands and tools before you touch your seedling flats so you do not transfer the fungi to your sterile flats. If any flats become affected by damping off, remove them from the area where the other flats/plants are kept to avoid spreading the disease. Damping off is most common in flats that are kept excessively wet. Damping off is more common if flats suffer from a lack of air movement. When you sow seeds inside, try to keep them as healthy as possible by: Ensuring they have proper heat and light so they can sprout and grow quickly before the fungi have a chance to infect them. Ensuring they are not excessively wet. Water the soil before you plant. Then, plant your seeds, mist lightly and do not water again until the flat is dry--just stick a finger down into the soil to check for drying Ensuring they have good air flow. I keep a ceiling fan on all day long in the room where the plant shelf sits. I also turn on an oscillating fan for a few hours a day. If your seeds are in peat pellets, pots or paper/plastic containers, make sure you do not leave any standing water in the flats after watering. Drain off any water that drains from the containers into the bottoms of the flats. People fight damping off before it starts it many ways. In addition to the measures mentioned above, you can sprinkle any one of the following in a very thin layer on the soil surface to combat damping off: corn meal cinnamon sand You can water your plants from day one with chamomile tea, clove tea, liquid seaweed, molasses tea, garlic tea, Garrett Juice or fish emulsion. Some people add a little 3% hydrogen peroxide to the water each time they water their seedlings (you'd want the peroxide to be about 5% of your watering solution). You probably could reuse the potting soil if you spread it on a cookie sheet type tray and sterilze it in the oven, but be advised it will stink up the house. The plants that already have damping off are unlikely to survive since it is a fungal infection that is already present in the plants. Even when you haven't seen any signs of damping off, it often seems to "appear" when small seedlings are pricked out of the flats and potted up. Likely, the disease was there all along and it was coincidental that it seemed to appear just after the plants were handled. However, it also is possible that the act of potting up spread the damping off that already existed in the soil. I don't do anything extraordinary to prevent damping off--just avoid overwatering and try to ensure good air movement. You just never know when damping off will strike. Some years I have a little of it, some years I have a lot and some years I have none. (So far this year, none, knock on wood.....and I am sure I just jinxed the seedlings by saying that.) In wet and rainy years, I try to harden off plants on the porch or patio on sterile tables and I try to avoid setting flats directly on the ground since a rain shower could spread damping off fungi from the soil outside to the flats sitting on the soil. I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience with damping off. It can be very discouraging. Normally, once your plants are 3-5 weeks old, they are old enough and strong enough to fight the fungi that causes damping off. Dawn