Damping off, normal, or another problem?

[azbassist]

I have 4 seedlings going. 3 look great and the 4th looks a little ‘off’. She looks healthy, but there is a dark and thin patch on the bottom of the stem. I am wondering if this is the start of ‘damping off’ or something I should be concerned about. Fox Farm Ocean Forest, 1 week since she broke ground. 3 x 15 Watt LEDs about 6 inches away. I was spraying them daily with filtered water about 30 times on the soil twice a day then stopped for 3 days. Starting to give them a dixie cup or 2 of water every 3 days now. Should I be concerned or is this somewhat normal looking for some plants. She is Maui Wowie. Thanks!

[1HappyPappy]

Sure does look like “damping off” to me

At this small they don’t need much water at all really.
Feel the weight of a freshly watered plant and then feel the weight of just a pot of dry soil.
You will notice theres a huge very noticeable difference in the weight of the pot.
Only water when the pot feels light weight like a fresh pot of dry soil.
This is the best way to avoid over water and the trick works through all stages unless the plant just gets to big to give a little lift.

My seedlings about this size typically get maybe a half to a solo cup of water a week and it’s poured in a circle around the plant.
Basically just trying to keep the soil damp and not ever fully saturated wet till a nice root system is established…

[PhatPat]

Thats not a good sign. Sorry but this is a tough one to beat. Ive seen this on another thread. Hopefully someone on here can come along soon and help you beat this. If i can find some info for you ill post it.

[azbassist]

Thanks. On another post someone told me to repot, mix in some perilte, and bury it above the bad looking part. Going to give it a try and hope for the best! Thanks again.

[PhatPat]

Hope that works out. I think its going to take some care to get past it. Best of luck.

[PhatPat]

The word pythium, rot at the soil line, comes to mind. This is where i would start your research.

[azbassist]

I’ll look that up. Thanks again

[Low]

The younger they develop the issue the more likely it is to die… couple recent convos about it.

@Low

DAMPING OFF

Caused by the soil-borne fungus Pythium spp.

Damping-off is a horticultural condition caused by several different fungi and fungi-like organisms that kill or weaken seeds (pre-emergence damping off) and young seedlings, damaging their roots (post-emergence damping off).

Bare patches in rows of sprouted seedlings and collapsed young seedlings are a sign of possible damping off. Infected seeds show a poor germination rate. Many times, seedlings in seedbeds are completely destroyed by damping-off or they die soon after they are transplanted. Infected older plants are rarely killed, but they develop root and stem lesions and root rots. Their growth may be retarded considerably, and their yields may be reduced drastically. In severe cases, older plants also wither and die.

When seeds are planted in infested soils, they fail to germinate. They become soft and mushy, turn brown and finally break down. Seedlings that have managed to emerge can be infected at the roots or stem area, below soil level. The infected part becomes watery, discoloured and thinner than the uninfected part, which soon results in the collapse of the seedling. The fungus continues to grow on the fallen seedling, eventually turning it into a rotten mass.

PREVENTION

Make sure that your seedlings are given the correct amount of water, keeping the soil slightly moist, not saturated, and water in the mornings. Beds need to be free-draining, with a good amount of airflow. Maintaining drier conditions with better air circulation helps prevent the spread of the disease, although it can also prevent or slow down germination.

Prevention in greenhouses can be achieved with good-quality and sterile soil. If your plants have contracted this disease previously, replace the soil.

Clean and sterilise seed trays and containers before use, and avoid using excess amounts of nitrogen (N)-rich fertilisers until plants are established.

Seeds that are commonly affected by damping off are often sold with a chemical coating. If you are saving your own seed, you can dust them with organic Free Flo Copper to help reduce the chance of infection.

TREATMENT

There is no chemical treatment to prevent Damping off, hygiene is the key

@Low

Looks like stem rot. Hard to recover…

Best chance clean a razor, scrape lightly until most of the grey area is removed. You will expose the light green underneath. Use peroxide to clean the area, and use a fungicide. Repeat with fungicide every few days…

it might not work, or it might save the plant. Did this with my last run.

Without treatment it will continue to shrivel and the plant will fall over, and inevitably die. Sorry to say. My ILGM Banana Kush was very susceptible to this and it happened with a few of them if I’m remembering right.

Edit
I also use natural honey on the wound before spraying the fungicide.

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This is just my experience, look forward to the other responders.

@Low

I couldn’t find an earlier picture but this is what mine looked like a couple weeks after scraping, cleaning, honey, and fungicide. The others I left untreated died. They looked healthy too…

[azbassist]

Thanks for the info!

[PhatPat]

Thank you @Low. I knew someone would be able to iterate it way better.