algae

[Runzamuk]

Hello ... I have a seedling growing in a light blue, nearly clear, solo cup. I have holes in the bottom and about 1/2" of perlite in the bottom ( i just thought that would be a good idea). Anyways ... now it appears i have green algae growing in a small spot on my bottom perlite. From what i understand this is not good, but may not be fatal. Should i, could i , fix this? Should i transplant to a larger cup and try to remove the affected perlite or is there another remedy? ... thoughts? ... I guess it goes without saying that i am growing in soil ...

 

[Tersky]

Algae needs light and moisture to grow. Try putting the cup in a same sized non transparent/translucent cup to block the light. It shouldnt be too much of an issue though ideally you want to keep it algae free

 

[crucialbunny]

Algae likes light and my guess is that the nearly clear container you are using is the culprit. Try making an opaque sleeve for the cup that will block light infiltration. Algae uses photosynthesis to reproduce itself and without light your problem should disappear. Good post!

 

[Runzamuk]

Thank you for the input! It is just working on its second set of leaves. I can only see a small spot of what i assume is algae. Otherwise, the roots look a nice white and the plant looks healthy enough. Do you think the lack of light in a new cup will kill off the algae?

 

[Runzamuk]

Thank you for the reply! i wasn't sure how big of a problem this might be. I'll cut of its light and that should be the end of it.

 

[Tersky]

I believe it will kill it as it needs light for food (just like our plants). If it starts getting out of control you can use a h2o2/water solution to kill off the algae but if you have other beneficial organics it will kill those too however i believe denying it light should be enough for a small issue.

 

[quietlybinary]

Yes it will die off and if it does not I think the only negative side effect is that algae will feed on some of the nutrients in the soil.