Expert: Christopher Littrell - 8/18/2008

Question
Greetings!

Several weeks ago, I planted four small planters with about 15-20 (total) Dionaea seeds... Of those, 2 have germinated, and are now forming leaves. :) They seem happy/healthy enough, which I'm thankful for. The remaining seeds either did not germinate, or fell victim to a white, fuzzy fungus that has the appearance of cotton.

I stratified another 20 seeds (the first 20 were not stratified), and placed them atop the peat moss once again (about three weeks ago) to see what would happen. Of those, 1 appears to have germinated, while many of the others are still falling victim to the cottonesque fungus.

Ever since I began that second round of "sowing" I've been trying to apply a sulfur-based fungicide... (90% sulfur powder.) The ingredients didn't specify how to use the powder for uses other than large gardening projects, so I took a tablespoon and placed it in about 400mL of purified water, and have been spraying the planters once or twice a week. Alas, the fungus continues...

A picture of the setup is at http://photo.xanga.com/flytrapper/c78b4196168945/photo.html

Routinely, those planters sit in a pool of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water... Is that too much? Is there anything further that I can do to alleviate the vicious fungus? If this continues, will my seedlings be in danger from the fungus as well?

I'd appreciate any advice... I'm watching the seeds get massacred one by one...

Answer
Hello Jonathan,

Fungus is an ever present problem when trying to grow plants from seeds. The fungus can and will attack the seedlings when they are small, but once they get a few months old, should be fine. I have suffered some Sarracenia seed losses from fungus after stratification, but reduced the loss with a few tactics. I have not lost any Venus Flytrap seeds from fungus yet due to another tactic I will share with you as well.

1. Venus Flytrap seeds do not need stratification. All you need to do is drop them on the sphagnum and keep them moist in room temperatures of around 75 degrees and under bright florescent light or in a sunny window.

2. Venus Flytraps do not require high humidity to thrive or even to sprout. Humidity domes merely increase the incidence of mold by reducing air flow and ultraviolet light, both killers or reducers of mold.

3. Try Neem oil products. Sulfur is good, but a premixed neem product might help too. Only use as directed for best results.

In any event, when germinating seeds without a dome you will need to keep them hydrated and mist them periodically. I always mist them well in the morning. Seeds need that water to absorb so they can burst free of their seed coats. Humidity domes can help with keeping seeds hydrated in that way, but if you can just mist them and keep them moist all the time in an open pot, they will germinate just fine even in low humidity down to the teens.

Your water level is just fine. The typical level is 1/4 the pot depth.

I hope you have a bunch of tiny Flytraps soon.

Christopher