How To Get Rid Of Black Stalk On Seedlings – How To Fight (drugs and folk remedies)

We will tell you how to get rid of black stalk on seedlings with the help of effective means.

Most often, the black leg is found in seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, cabbage, radish, salad, as well as petunia and other flowers.

Disease black leg – this is the common name of the root rot of the seedling seedlings. This fungal disease can lead to lodging and death of seedlings.

How does a black leg on a plant

As you can guess from the title, this disease manifests itself in the blackening and decay of the root neck. Most often the disease affects the culture from the moment of germination of seeds to the formation of 2-3 real leaves. The reasons for the formation of the black leg, as a rule, lie in the wrong agricultural techniques:

Contaminated soil,

Thickened sowing,

Excess watering,

Lack of fresh air,

Excess moisture and heat,

Sharp temperature changes.

In these unfavorable conditions, during a week the seedlings turn black, their stems soften and break.

Pathogens – fungi Olpidium, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, etc., which live in the surface layer of the soil and feed mainly on dead plant tissues. And with high humidity, fungi do not refuse from living green organisms and “pass” to the root of the seedling.

How to deal with a black leg on seedlings

The fight against the black leg is primarily based on the prevention of this disease. Acquire quality seeds of plants and pay attention to disease resistant to the disease.

To get healthy seedlings, sow seeds on time (as indicated on the packaging), not necessarily before the deadline. Since the immunity of the seedlings is reduced on a cool window sill with a lack of lighting. It is also good to use peat pills or pots to prevent the black leg. The seedlings grown in them almost do not suffer from rot.

It is important before sowing soil etch solution of potassium permanganate (3 g potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water), any EM-preparation (Baikal, Radiance, Revival) or shed with boiling water. After processing the soil, allow it to stand for 2 days so that the seeds do not “burn”. Do not forget that after sowing or picking it is better to pour a thin layer of calcined coarse-grained river sand onto the surface of the soil. Then the soil will not become moldy.

If you are not sure about the quality of the soil, it is not superfluous to introduce a biopreparation in the soil for the prevention of root infections Trihodermin (5 g per 5 liters of soil).

If you purchased seeds not in a specialized store, but hand-picked or collected on your own site, before sowing, be sure to keep them in the solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes. Also a good remedy for black leg on seedlings is Fitosporin. Soak the seeds in the solution of the preparation in accordance with the instructions. And Fitosporin recommended to treat each seedling when planting in the open ground and pour in the wells of 5 ml of the solution of this drug.

Seedlings, covered with film or glass, regularly ventilate and remove condensation.

The seedling has a black leg – what can I do?

If the disease still could not be avoided, remove all affected seedlings as soon as possible. And the remaining plants pour under the root solution of Phytosporin (at the rate of 100 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water) and spray them seedlings, starting with the phase of two real leaves. In the absence of this drug from the black leg, sprinkle seedlings with 1% Bordeaux liquid or raspberry solution of potassium permanganate. It is also useful to sprinkle the soil with a mixture of 1 tsp. Copper sulfate and 1 cup of wood ash.

If the fungus infects most of the seedlings, discard healthy seedlings in separate containers with disinfected soil (all patients – destroy with soil), put in a warm place, shade from sunlight, after drying the soil, pour a solution of any fungicide (Phytosporin, Bactofitis). When plants take root (about 5-7 days after transplantation), transfer them to a cooler place.

Folk remedies for the black leg

If you do not trust industrial biophilicides, try to get rid of the black leg with the help of folk recipes. So, many gardeners advise before sowing seeds, not only spill the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate, but also bake in the oven or steam over boiling water.

Pour the earth into metal utensils, pour a small amount of boiling water, cover and keep in a hot oven (above 100 ° C) for 30 minutes.

A good preventative against rotting of the root collar of seedlings is the dusting of the soil surface with ash or chopped charcoal. And also seasoned vegetable farmers are advised to water the seedlings, predisposed to putrefactive diseases, a solution of baking soda (1 tsp soda per 1 glass of water).

As you can see, the measures to combat the black leg are mainly reduced to thorough prophylaxis. Since it is very difficult to fight the disease when infecting plants. And often to save seedlings it is not possible. Do not forget about the proper preparation of seeds for planting, disinfecting the soil and observing the irrigation regime.