May 3, 2011

Jiffy pot surprise

As I venture into my new role as amateur gardener, I am slowly realizing I have lots to learn. I was really pumped to sow some seeds indoors then transplant them when it gets warmer. So I collected some Jiffy pots from my pseudo-mom and started sowing. About one week later I noticed sprouts! Seedlings abound! But what I hadn't anticipated were the fungal cells multiplying at the same time. Now there is a furry white film around the top of my Jiffy pots. Luckily the fungal hyphae didn't extend onto the plant sprouts. I distanced the pots from one another so they could dry out better. I also turned on a space heater and sprayed them with 0.3% hydrogen peroxide. Hopefully it works!

Fungal cells or spores must have been hiding out in the Jiffy pots, waiting for moisture and nutrients. When I added the soil and water, covered the pots to keep moisture in, and left them in indirect sunlight, the fungi must have found ideal conditions for multiplication. Extensions of single cells in to mycelium networks now made a visible mark on my pots. I wonder how long they had been in the pots. Since manufacture? Or perhaps they were stored in pseudo-mom's greenhouse for too long, in an opened package nonetheless. I will never know I guess. I only wish I had microscope at home to take a closer look!

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