Fighting Fungus, Fungus Gnats, and Whitefly in Your Seedlings
Starting plants indoors can certainly be more difficult that it sounds. The seedlings become your babies, of a sort, and no doubt you keep going to check on them. I find myself in a state of concern, wanting to water, then thinking I shouldn't have, and it goes around in circles. After a week of following some of the suggestions below, however, things seem to be well under control. To prevent damping off, where the stem rots near the soil, and other disease, watering must be kept to just as much as is really needed. Since the plants quickly develop a tap root which goes straight down, watering should be from below, letting the starting medium draw it up. Any water left in the tray after fifteen minutes should be poured out. The plants will be hydrated, and they should not be watered again until the soil is good and dry or the plants start to wilt. This will help to prevent fungus from growing and gnat larvae from developing. On the other hand, whitefly likes warm and dry condition...