A common problem associated with starting seedlings is called damping off. Caused by soil borne fungi, the disease attacks a wide variety of plants, often in the early seedling stage. The fungus attacks by penetrating the young soft stem tissue, weakening the stem and causing the plant to topple over and die [1].

To avoid the problem use a sterile soil-less seed starting mix, available in many garden centers, OR steam pasteurize your own soil for 30 min. at 160 degrees. In addition, all of your pots, tools, and flats should be cleaned by soaking in a 1 part bleach to 9 parts water solution for 30 min.

And finally sphagnum moss [2] has been shown to have fungistatic capabilities. Sphagnum moss is sold in small bags in garden centers, and is not the same as the soil enhancer sold in bales. You will need to make a fine dust, so toss a handful of the moss into a blender, put the cover on, and hit puree [3]. When the dust settles, tap it into a container for storage. After planting your seed trays, sprinkle the milled sphagnum over the soil surface [4], just enough to cover.