Are my seeds doomed?

[Janu]

Hi,
I planted cauliflower, tomatoes, okra and zucchini seeds 8 days ago and they haven't germinated yet. The soil always ends up looking dry.
So, I watered them a little more than usual yesterday and placed a plastic bag over them to keep the moisture in. (Found this tip online. In hindsight, that seems to be a bad move)
Today morning, I noticed a layer of fungus on the soil.
Should I get rid of these seeds and start over?

 

[Chuck]

Hi,
I planted cauliflower, tomatoes, okra and zucchini seeds 8 days ago and they haven't germinated yet. The soil always ends up looking dry.
So, I watered them a little more than usual yesterday and placed a plastic bag over them to keep the moisture in. (Found this tip online. In hindsight, that seems to be a bad move)
Today morning, I noticed a layer of fungus on the soil.
Should I get rid of these seeds and start over?

Yep, that is fungus, a beneficial fungus named Tricoderma. You want all the tricoderma you can get. Your seeds are still fine and you will not have to worry about damping off disease. Put the Saran Wrap back on until germination. Is the seedling tray on a heat mat? What is the temperature of the soil.

 

[oneeye]

The problem is your seed soil mix needs more drainage because of the peat pots hold water. The cells are producing mold because of the excess humidity. You are doing the very opposite of what plants grow best in, because they need a lot of oxygen in the beginning. Had you used a dome or plastic the humidity would of doubled and not worked either.
The way I germ seeds is give the plant cells one watering. After one watering I cover the seeds that are tiny, with plastic, but if they are large like beans, zucchini, orka, I don't have to cover them, just the tiny ones. Wait and you will see sprouts in 3 to 5 days. The minute you see a sprout, take off the plastic and leave it off and don't give the second watering until 7 to 10 days after the first watering. Give them plenty of light after you see spouts.

 

[Janu]

Yep, that is fungus, a beneficial fungus named Tricoderma. You want all the tricoderma you can get. Your seeds are still fine and you will not have to worry about damping off disease. Put the Saran Wrap back on until germination. Is the seedling tray on a heat mat? What is the temperature of the soil.

Hi Chuck, thank you for your response and insight. The tray is not on a heat mat. Unfortunately, I do not own a thermometer. I should probably buy these soon.

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck, thank you for your response and insight. The tray is not on a heat mat. Unfortunately, I do not own a thermometer. I should probably buy these soon.

A thermometer is really necessary. The following link should be very useful.

http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/files/164220.pdf