Disinfecting seeds, Bleach or Consan

Johnson3591@aol.com Johnson3591@aol.com
Thu, 11 Dec 2003 06:18:24 PST
Hi,

I soak seeds in 5% household bleach (1 part bleach and 19 parts water).  If 
they are robust seeds (hard-coated or hard to germinate), or if they have given 
me fungus problems before, I use 10% household bleach.  I stir several times 
and let the seeds stay in the solution for 10 minutes, stirring every minute 
or two.  I use this to clean up bulb scales and cuttings too.  

One other approach for keeping seedlings fungus-free is Consan or Physan (I 
generally use Consan Triple Action 20).  I use 1 ounce per gallon of water mist 
the seeds and soil surface to full wetness.  These gentle fungicides are 
biodegradable and have no lasting effect, so I mist the soil surface 2 or 3 times 
a week while seeds are germinating if I have a bit of fungus problem or if I'm 
dealing with a seed type that has had fungus problems before.  I find Consan 
to be safe with even the tiniest seedling.   Consan is a quaternary amine-type 
fungicide/bacteriocide, and essentially the same thing is used as a surface 
disinfectant in hospitals (floors, bathrooms, etc.).  

I also use Consan to wash down surfaces that have mildew and algae growing on 
them such as windows that get a lot of moisture, or lawn furniture, etc.  
Although a fungicide its toxicity is quite low compared to something like laundry 
detergent or even caffeine.  I do take care not to get it in eyes or stay on 
skin, it can irritate.  


LINK:  Consan FAQ (manufacturer's page)
<A HREF="http://www.consan.net/faq.html">http://www.consan.net/faq.html</A>


Cordially, 


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