mancozeb

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Terry S.
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Re: mancozeb

Post by Terry S. »

Rainwater can contain all sorts of nasties. Therefore I always use tap water for seed raising because it is nice and clean and sterile. No boiling required. I am more than happy to use rainwater on more mature plants. Also under my non-bag conditions, I have no problems with algae.
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DaveW
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Re: mancozeb

Post by DaveW »

Thanks Ragamala = 1 tablet to 1 litre of water.

Regarding rainwater for seedlings Terry, I have one of the old small half gallon galvanised watering cans and having a gas stove I just fill the can with rainwater out of the rainwater butt and put it on the stove and boil it before using it for seedlings. No doubt an old saucepan or similar would do just as well.

As with humans though, I think we are often making things over sterile so seedlings don't build up a natural resistance when exposed to more normal conditions later. Human preoccupation with disinfectants and cleanliness is now being blamed for many allergies children are developing which were never heard of in the much less sterile 1940's when I was born.

One thing often overlooked is while collectors sterilise everything to prevent fungus etc, few sterilise the seed itself unless they spray on Chinosol or similar after they set them. Seed coats usually contain some fungus spores that grew on the slight remains of the fruit juices. For those who set more that a few packets of seed at a time and particularly with small seed, individual sterilisation of seed is almost impossible, therefore you always have the problem of seed itself introducing fungus spores into your sterile environment, particularly in "baggies".
Nottingham Branch BCSS. Joined the then NCSS in 1961, Membership number 11944. Cactus only collection.
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ragamala
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Re: mancozeb

Post by ragamala »

Terry S. wrote:Rainwater can contain all sorts of nasties. Therefore I always use tap water for seed raising because it is nice and clean and sterile. ....
Thanks, Terry, I probably agree that is the most practical, cheap and easiest solution. I have been used to alternatives. When I did a lot of seedraising in the past, in rural Devon, I had no mains supply, instead a well, whose water needed a purification system. When I moved to town nearby, the water was very hard, so I didn't use that untreated. Later in Italy I had a roof rainwater collection system, again requiring treatment. So when I finally moved up to the Fylde and had supposedly quite soft mains supply I still used filter treatment for a while.

Whether our mains water now is nice and clean and sterile is interesting. A couple of years ago we had a Cryptosporidium scare, which meant our water was anything but sterile, and for some time we were advised to boil tap water. Since then on a (albeit small) number of occasions we have had instances of water being cut off and when reconnected full of brown gunge. Quite often, in the normal situation, our tap water smells of chlorine.

As I turned to growing carnivorous plants which I am told turn their noses up at tapwater I got used to rainwater collection.

I am still not convinced my recent algae problems are down to the rainwater, since some seed trays are clear, in others the perlite I have used in the compost is going green. Maybe the problem was insufficient sterilisation by microwaving of my compost. I don't have an algae problem with the carnicorous plant pots or seed trays, BTW, just with my succulent seed trays, under artificial light and not bagged but under propagator hoods.

Looking up the Milton website I did notice they said they use the same chemicals as used to treat tapwater, which led me to an earlier question on using Milton for water sterilisation. (I know earlier threads have discussed its use for seed sterilisation.)

Sorry to ramble on, but I guess I am not alone in finding the algae problem one of the obstacles I meet. I wouldn'y worry too much about it with fast germinating and growing seedlings, but having well-germinated batches of small seed like Blossfeldia and Strombocactus smothered by green slime is a bit disappointing.
Bob Sobelman
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Re: mancozeb

Post by Bob Sobelman »

I bought many years ago from ulig. but why do you want to muse it if it inhibits germination. the old saying you can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink it
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AnTTun
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Re: mancozeb

Post by AnTTun »

Bob,

I'm afraid that 'your' chinosol isn't the same as 'ours'. I believe yours have some additions. I tried two that I was able to get in Croatia, algae just laughed at it and kept growing. But it turned out to be very good fungicide.
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