Why do you need a systemic fungicide? I dont know of any that are readily available to the common user. For apples there is immunox but is not listed for veggies. Daconil would be your best bet. Fungicides are all about prevention.

I'm not a "common user". I'm growing plants for retail, on a larger than hobby scale.

The company says that Draconil is for turf grass and ornamental plants. I might as well use my Banrot if I use Daconil. Also, Daconil is not systemic...

I don't believe one would want a systemic fungicide for food producing plants as the poison would be all through the plant including the edible parts thus making the plants inedible.

I have had good success with ground cinnamon mixed into the soil. The cinnamon kills the fungus and lessens damping off greatly (usually 100% for me).

And I recently started using a product called root shield that is a biological fungicide that works by protecting the roots of the plant. One adds a couple of tablespoons of the product per gallon of soil mix and than plant in that mix. I have seen 0% damping off and much quicker germination so far from using this. probably because most of these problems are caused by a pest organism attacking the roots.

I believe most of us here grow on a much larger level than hobby level-i.e most of us are full time growers and make out living from this profession.

Root Shield only has one strain of beneficial fungus, whereas Aquashield has a few. Is Root Shield any better than Aquashield?

I've never had good luck with cinnamon, chamomile, or any of those home cures.

Boulderbelt, actually systemics are used all the time in fruit and veggie production. Its not exactly what you think, it doesnt spread all thru the plant (roots stem etc) Rather instead of having to coat a leaf if only a little gets on the whole leaf is protected. Its also has staying power, like 2 weeks so less spraying which is good for everyone. Only commercial farms would have acess to systemic fungicides for veggies. At least that I know of and I try to keep up to date on fungicides. (fruits are another story)

Labels are tricky. There is daconil for veggies. Ortho multi purpose fungicide is daconil (chlorothalonil is the active ingrediant) Some are labled for fruits and veggies some are not. Why? who knows. (ya I know daconil not a systemic)

Also, I would suspect most labels would prohibit you from commercial sale of sprayed veggie plants.

Good luck.

Joe

Well, I wanted to thank everyone for real and helpful answers instead of starting a campaign against me for wanting to use chemicals. It seems to be happening more and more often. Regardless of whether I intend to use them safely and according to the manufacturer's instructions or not.

The fact of the matter is that there must be a lot of damping off spores in the air because I always have to resort to chemicals with systemic properties because sooner or later, I always get damping off, no matter how careful I am. My neighbors have the same problems every time they try to start seeds. Yes, I do circulate air. No, I don't let things stay too wet. I know what causes it and how to TRY to prevent it and try though I might, I can't win without help.

I think I'm going to go with AquaShield or another one of Botanicare's products that I can't recall the name of since it's just multiple strains of beneficial bacteria that will remain effective for a few weeks.

Why not fix the problem(s) rather than treat the symptoms? Damping off is a symptom of the problem. Get rid of the problem, no damping off.

Serenade is organic. it eats the spores and bacteria etc. It originally was found in soil. I have added it to water and water the soil and let stand. If the soil is full of bacteria it will eat them and multiply and basically sterilize the soil. I also use it when watering new seedlings. My opinion is that I can use more or less of it depending on the problem. I buy the liquid concentrate and add to water. For the above when watering I use less then at some other times.

The above has worked for me. It is very low cost as the concentrate makes a lot of solution. Your mileage may vary and I would recommend an experimental trial before making a final decision.

Originally when I had a big infestation I would spray all of the entire plants for protection. I have also used it to sterlize everything. no harm in spraying everything to help with prevention. I like it because it is very safe to use. It is NOT poison. It is a microbe that eats pretty much all spores and bacterias etc. It is completely safe to people and animals etc.

Works for me. I do not claim it will work for you. Only you can determine that.

spraying your plants with water sounds backwards. but the water contains this hungry microbe that is looking to eat all the bad guys.

You might also consider phoning the company that makes Serenade and talk to them about your problem and see what they say.

I have my compost tea brewer in the corner of my greenhouse. I apply it as soon as the seedlings are up in the flats. Don't have any damping off problems and gets everything off to a good start.

If you're having problems with damping off it's usually a cleanliness or cultural issue.
Use physan 20 to clean all your flats and domes. Use new ones if possible, if they're used, soak them 10 minutes before using.
Use promix pgx with biofungicide to start all your seeds in.
Remove dome covers as soon as seeds start to sprout and get them out into the greenhouse or your seedling area.
If the seeds are home grown (heirlooms), dip them in physan 20 and water before planting as a precaution.
Have good air circulation in the growing area and don't over crowd plants. Watch your watering carefully. Don't over water!
You shouldn't have problems with damping off if you do all this.

Grapeseed extract from the health food store. add a few drops to the water and water the plants with that. - The cinnamon, as mentioned above - is also good.

All ther chemicals is why I only grow organically - and why I only purchase organically grown plants.
If you are having damp off problems, then there is a problem with either your growing medium or your greenhouse procedures. Putting more poisons into the food supply is not the answer.

I was a commercial grower (organic) for ten years. I sold the business to pursue other interests. I never had a damp off problem and never had to even consider using chemicals that are allowed under the organic program.

Thanks but I have done extensive research on damping off and yes, I still get it despite my best efforts to avoid it.

Grapeseed extract is very weak at best. I'd rather spend my money on something that I know works. Agri-fos isn't a poison. Everything that doesn't have a big "Organic" label on the front of it isn't a poison and isn't the enemy. The key is to follow the manufacture's directions and to use it with common sense. For example, not applying chemicals where they can wash down a drainage ditch and go to a body of water, etc.

All of this is moot however, since I found the Agri-fos and it works well and is listed for use on the plants I was growing.