In response to a recent customer inquiry, Master Gardener Richard Miller, a Sonnylight consultant, responded with the following great advice:

For the most part, damping-off is a fungus issue, usually brought on by; excess moisture in both soil and air, poor light, too high of temp. and poor air circulation. The two common species of fungus are Phytophthora and Pythium and can be treated with a relatively safe biofungicide, see www.GardensAlive.com, however, I’m not one to use much of anything that I can’t spell or read, if you know what I mean. Lets try this: Don’t use any soil to start the seeds, try a good soiless mix, a sterile mix is a must. Make sure the seeds are not too old or have not been well cared for, and don’t let them dry out during the germination process. 70-74 degrees F all the time, day and night, avoid temp. spikes. Don’t use cold water, always room temp or same as soil temp. Try using individual spaces for each seed and mix the type of seed so that no one is next to the same, and maintain a sunlight or good light spectrum for germination. I hope this helps and contact Pam if you have more ??s. Oh, by the way, maybe a cat would help with the “other” issue.

Take Care, Richard