How to prevent damping off in vegetable nurseries like chilli and brinjal?

Soil solarisation in the hot months was a turning point for me. I covered the moist nursery bed with clear plastic for a few weeks before sowing and the damping off that used to wipe out patches of seedlings almost disappeared.

Watering in the morning instead of evening was a small change with a big result. When I watered late in the day the surface stayed wet all night and the seedlings rotted at the base. Morning watering lets the top dry before dark.

I switched fully to pro trays with coco peat under a simple shade net. Since the media starts clean and drains well, I hardly see damping off now compared to the old open soil beds. The seedlings also lift with the root ball intact.

Do not sow the seed thickly to be safe, it backfires. Crowded seedlings hold moisture and the fungus spreads from plant to plant fast. Thinner sowing with a little space between seedlings keeps air moving and is much safer.

Treating the seed with Trichoderma before sowing is cheap insurance and safe for an organic nursery. I mix it as our KVK advised and combine it with a raised bed. Verify the exact dose and a compatible method on the product label or with the KVK before you mix it with anything else.

If damping off does start, act the same day. I stop watering that patch, gently loosen the surface for air, and remove the collapsed seedlings so it does not spread. Waiting even a couple of days let it run across the whole bed for me once.