Seedlings killed by fungus are said to have “damped off.” Damping off is caused by a wide range of fungi including Botrytis, Pythium, and many others. It is usually the result of using unsterilized seedling soil, or by soil that has been kept too moist, creating a perfect habitat for many fungi and moulds. Planting seeds in sterilized starting soil is a simple way to avoid damping off, but some organic homemade recipes exist for spraying seedlings with garlic solution, chamomile tea, and so on. By far the safest method is to use sterilized soil and to monitor watering carefully.