I have a plastic tray with a clear dome that fits on top of it. I've also placed a small fan inside in order to have some air circulating. I live in the Chihuahuan Desert so the air is pretty dry here so I mist it with a fine misting spray bottle a few times through out the day. I've begun using a fungicide, Immunox, in order to eliminate the blackening of the leaves around the edges, which then seemingly spreads to other cuttings. Also a grayish mold seems to form around the bottom of some of the other cuttings of a different species. The coir pots also develop a whitish film. We've also had an infestation in the entire community with Box Elder Bugs. They are everywhere and were getting into the propagation tray and having a light lunch it seems. I applied a insecticide and I also think that burned some of the leaves.
I've used a cinnamon tonic as well as powdered cinnamon on the coir pots as well as installing the small fan. That seemed to take care of the white mold. But the Immunox doesn't seem to faze the black spotting and tingeing of the leaves or the mold at the base of the cuttings.
Does anyone have experience with fungicides or eliminating the mold growth? I've used the Immunox as the directions stated but I'm almost thinking that it may even burn the leaves of some of the cuttings. Most of the cuttings I have are just trial and error at this point. With the sun so hot and the temps in the triple digits the propagation is all indoors with a T5 light set up. I do try to take them outside for some real light and some fresh air right as the sun rises since the temp at that time is in the 80's. Usually that means about an hour.
My cuttings are Tecoma stans (Yellow Trumpet Bush-black tinged leaves with no rooting after two months in a coir pot), Castela erecta (Allthorn- a gray mold around the base in a coir medium in a plastic pot), Mimosa texana (Catclaw Mimosa- black tinged developed on new leaves and shriveled after applying Immunox. This was a seedling started and then transplanted into a coir medium in a plastic pot. It was doing so well until I applied the Immunox and the insecticide.) I do have a small cutting of Mimosa texana and this doesn't seem to be affected by the mold at all or the insecticide or fungicide.
I did apply a margarita solution to myself in hopes that it might help. Nope. The mold was still there.
Thanks for any assistance.
Siarl
