Forgive me Barbara for I have sinned

[Eco Worrier]

Have been saving toilet rolls since last autumn to plant seeds in. Started sowing in them a fortnight ago - mould and fungal growth everywhere. Have now bought a load of plastic pots and fibrepots (not peat pots) - nought out of 10 for self-sufficiency!

[wulf]

Interesting... I wonder why? Where did you have the toilet rolls stored?

Wulf

[Wombat]

Bummer,

Say 10 hail Margo's

Bless you my child.............

[alcina]

But...you can reuse the plastic pots for years to come so overall not necessarily a brilliant start but there is reuse and recycle potential You can also use yoghurt pots etc. but if you make your own yoghurt (award yourself 10 points!) you won't have those lying around

Alcina

[Millymollymandy]

Have been saving toilet rolls since last autumn to plant seeds in. Started sowing in them a fortnight ago - mould and fungal growth everywhere. Have now bought a load of plastic pots and fibrepots (not peat pots) - nought out of 10 for self-sufficiency!

I think you get 8/10 for re-using the plastic pots for years and years to come, as Alcina says.

However, you get 0/10 for using LOO ROLL in the first place. Why aren't you recycling your newspaper? Or leaves?

[gunners71uk]

i ended up using youguart pots too.and bought some big pots .but i will use them again

[ina]

I had the mould problem in some of my loo rolls, too - however, I also had it in some plastic trays (recycled ones, of course!), so I suspected the compost was at fault...

Or does it depend on the type of loo paper? Lidl's recycled? (I always hope that it wasn't loo paper in it's former life, too!)

[Cheezy]

Are you using rain water to water the seeds with, as this is likely the source of the mold etc.

It is widely recommended that you only use tap water while the seedling are developing, to stop dampening off (ie fungal growth)

Also I have to say I would be a little worried about using toilet roll cores as pots, as you don't know what chemicals they have used in the manufacture of the cardboard. Possibly the cardboard that doesn't show fungal growth is the one that has chemicals in it to prevent such growth.

Not a good start for young seedling that you might eventually be eating.

Stick with plastic/fibre/clay pots (though these need cleaning to stop growth) you know where you are with them, and as everyone here has said they can last a life time.

[Boots]

I don't understand that at all Cheezy...

You are encouraging chlorinated water for seedlings? AND suggesting bleached/chlorinated paper is better?

Do you have some really filthy air over there, or do you have shares in White King or sumpthin?...

Mould exists in damp, dark conditions. Ease up on the water, increase light and check your environment for any other potential sources or developments. Mould spreads when its spores are carried in the air and will grow when it lands in the right conditions.

[Wombat]

G'DAy Cheezy mate!

I have been using tank water to raise seedlings for may years and really cant remember the last time I had a problem with damping off.............

Horses for courses I suppose



Nev

[Millymollymandy]

Oh stop talking about horses! Ow! Still hurt after one week.

[Cheezy]

Hi Boots,

It's just something I've heard said ( Gardeners Question time... I think), its not so much the rainwater, but the water in the butts. They are a great breeding ground for all sorts of stuff. They say use tap water initially until the seedlings are a bit more advanced.
As it happens I don't, cos its a walk to my nearest tap, while the water but is next to the green house!.

Mould does indeed exist in damp conditions....have you been in England on a typical British summer!

I'm not advocating using bleached paper, I'm advocating the use of pots etc. where by you can control what happens to your plants.

Toilet rolls are not generally bleached, but they may contain biocides I don't know , and thats the point isn't it?

[Wombat]

Sorry M3!

Nev

[Boots]

I went to the UK in Winter, so am not sure what you mean, Cheesy. Is it damp and dark all summer over there?

Does some technical dude know whether water kept in a butt (small container) would be lesser quality than water kept in a tank (10000L for eg.)

To me it seems to have the same considerations, but maybe not? If regularly used and replaced (like in a small catchment) wouldn't it be the ideal form of water? More so than our tanks that we drink from after months of storage and the odd frog, wriggler and gush of gutter trash.

Here, we consider rainwater to be the prime choice for water. It is very rarely used for gardens, as it is considered the 'best' source of water, and is directed into drinking, cooking and even bathing if possible. Folks spend thousands on bores and dams for their stock and produce and to supplement the loo, baths etc, but rainwater would be the first choice for everything here (not that there is ever enough to use it for everything, though )

I have a friend who grows succulents (has been doing so for 50 yrs). She won't put town water on them (which is actually treated creek and bore water), and they are some of the hardiest plants. She put in a special tank just for them.

I dunno what other things you may be factoring in Cheesy... just seemed a very odd thing to say coming from my end of the planet, but its likely things are just different there. Are you thinking roof run off maybe??? Traffic pollution? I have read that the rubber from car tyres has been found on roofs. Do you screen your inlets and outlets to stop any bulky debris, wrigglers etc. or is all that kept in for the garden?

Where does the water come from that you drink? What is that? I remember reading that many of the English Canals were ruined during the industrial revolution, is that still the case?

Interesting stuff.

[ina]

I have read that the rubber from car tyres has been found on roofs.

???

I know there's a bit of a traffic problem in parts of this country, but I didn't know they'd started going across houses...

I could only imagine that in some butts, that don't get cleaned out regularly, fungus or other nasties grow and pollute the water. Otherwise, I would have thought rainwater is about the best, at least in the not-so-industrial areas.