is my compost diseased?

[annetteevans]

hi everyone,

i've had a few goes at growing things in un heated propigators in the house so far this year, anything i put in grows a bit and then little black flies appear and the things growing shrivel a bit or just look lanky and not getting any stronger. a couple of the propigator cells have developed fluffy mould type stuff.

has anyone got any advice on starting things off in propigators.

i hope you hear from you soon

annette

[Nicos]

Mould indicates lack of ventilation- or too much humidity.( overwatering maybe???)
Little flies- hmm- I'd pop your potting compost in the microwave to kill off the fly eggs ( well I WOULD have said that until I read piglets thing on microwaves...put it in the oven on a metal tray before you use it!)

Hope that helps???

[smallblueplanet]

What sort of temperature are you keeping the propagators at? How much water are you giving them and when do you have lids on them?

Edit - and oh where is your compost from?

[annetteevans]

i keep the lids on all the time, and i give them a good waterting once in a while, when i think they need it.

thanks for the tim on baking my compost, i'll give that a go to kill off the nasties

[lynda66]

remove the lids and give them some fresh air ..... i germinate mine with lids on with some heat under (top of boiler) then as soon as they germinate i remove the lids during the day and put on windowsills, then after a week take the lids off completely .... the flies are a pain but don't really cause any problems try putting a sticky pad behind the trays to catch them ....... the shriveling is usually also caused by too much water or lack of ventilation

[Alice]

I haven't tried this Annette but I read that a sprinkle of Chilli powder on the compost does in the little black flies. They don't do any harm but they are nuisances.