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Re: chamomile for damping off

At 12:42 PM 3/3/97 +0000, you wrote:
>Bob Stewart of Arrowhead Alpines wrote:
>> >You prefer to recommend concoctions of dubious efficacy instead? These
>> >sorts of home remedies seldom prove to be effective when tested in any
>> >sort of a controlled manner. If you want to teach people how to avoid
>> >damping off, teach them how to water and how to properly space plants.
>> >Fungicides are seldom a substitute for good culture, but in the rare
>> >occasions you need them you need something that specifically kills the
>> >target organism. Save the tea for drinking.
>> >Bob Stewart- Arrowhead Alpines
>
>I was at first taken aback by this message, but had to get some help from the 
>person that first recommended it to me, a few years back. In defense 
>of my post I must say I would not recommend something that I have not 
>used and seen results. I offered it as an alternative to fungicides. I hope
that 
>when people recommend use of fungicides that they would also give 
>warnings about their use also.
>
>Yes, prevention through appropriate environmental conditions should 
>be the first approach, but if damping off does occur, there is much
anecdotal information
> that chamomile tea does work, and very impressively.  At the very 
>least it is harmless.  At the best, maybe you'd find it actually works for
you, too.
>
>Here is what this long time organic grower, author and master 
>gardener wrote in response to my asking for help:
>
>> I first learned about this in a propagation book about ten years ago where
>> it stated that some of the chemical constituents of chamomile exhibit
>> antifungal properties.  For the life of me I can't find the reference now.
>> I looked for it when I was writing my book.  However, it also appears in a
>> book called "Herbs" that was published by the OSU Southern Oregon Experiment
>> Station in the late 80s.  Here's what it says:  "Camomile tea is reported to
>> be an excellent greenhouse spray, serving to stem or prevent a number of
>> plant diseases, particularly damping-off.  Bio-dynamic gardeners use a
>> strong camomile tea - allowed to brew a day or more - to spray on flats of
>> seedlings to protect them from damping-off." 
>
>I find it works for those times when preventions have failed and 
>damping off becomes a problem. For those of us that would like an 
>alternative solution. 
>
>Debbie TT  "Out of my mind.  Back in five minutes."  
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> 
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>
>It is also recommended in Rodals book of herbs.  I use it and find that it
works very well along with all the other precautions that is mentioned!!!  Nancy
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