Hi, I ordered bulbs on line and they arrived very late last Fall. I was still advised to plant them,but this Spring, (zone 3b) only the 20 tulip bulbs came up andv they were stunted. Only 3 actually bloomed.Today I accidentally pulled up one of the bulbs and it had green mould on it . With a new bulb attached. Should I dig them all up, can I save any, or should they all be discarded? I am so disappointed, but I did get a complete refund from the seller. Thanks forvany advice.:)

I do have allergies to mold and mildew. I also had fibromyalgia diagnosed some years ago -- having nothing to do with mold or mildew. I still say that most of the issues were hyped and sometimes severely hyped. That doesn't mean that no one had or has legitimate health issues, but it does mean that a form of hyesteria developed. I also suspect that anyone with fibromyalgia, CFS, Lyme Disease or MCS has issues other than mold and/or mildew to be concerned about -- even if those problems are or may be made worse by excessive exposure to mold and mildew. And I say excessive because you cannot live along the Gulf Coast and not be exposed to molds and mildew most of the year -- indoors or outdoors. You can control them by not giving them places to flourish in or around your home, by watching for any water issues and by promptly fixing them. I'm not attacking anyone or their experiences -- I just know what I saw in near hysteria here in the Gulf Coast, both among home owners, then insurance companies, then the real estate market. I saw people with no problems who couldn't sell their home. We were told that because of a hail storm and a roof claim, we would not be able to replace the coverage on our home -- and we could have had an issue selling it if the person buying it had a problem getting insurance. We didn't even have to have a leak-- we had fixed the roof so we wouldn't have a leak. We avoided the problem by renting for a year (takind a different kind of property damage) and then selling. And that's with my BIL as my insurance agent and the company one my dad had been a major agent for since I was a child. I saw people who did have problems who couldn't get them resolved for years. I saw several neighbors replace bathrooms and or kitchens -- full upgrades, because they had ignored a water leak and filed a claim. They made no bones about the fact that they wouldn't have done it expect that insurance was paying for it. And so many other problems. I am also certain that if the problems were as severe as some hyped them to be, there wouldn't be a healthy person within 100 miles for at least half of the summers. We have mold and mildew spores in the air all the time and moisture makes them come to life and grow. And we get plenty of that. Life in the subtropics. Sandy, real estate and insurance issues vary from state to state. I would suggest she talk to the realtor -- they should know if there are insurance and issues regarding slaes of homes that have had mold remediation. It took and insurance and housing crisis here to force regulatory and legislative changes about 4 or 5 years ago. I just had my policy renewed, so I have the documents here, and they specifically state that any mold remediation is limited to $5000 (where before, people were spending $500,000 to make repairs on a $200,000 house -- they would also list as a claim a phone call asking about a damage issue even though no payment or request for payment ever occurred). It also states that you cannot be denied coverage for mold or water damage claims unless certain criteria are met or not met. That being the case, certifying that corrective work was done and done properly and having thorough inspections before buying should address the concerns. I can understand that your daughter would not want to call and ask her insurance agent for fear of creating the very situation she wants to avoid, but I would also not take only the word of those doing the work. They may be 100% correct and accurate -- they may also have issues they want to hide and don't want anyone tipping her off. Maybe there are still places that are as crazy as it was here -- I just wouldn't take their word alone for it.

With respect of using bleach against mold, see article below: J Occup Environ Hyg. 2012;9(11):663-9. Occurrence of household mold and efficacy of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant. Reynolds KA, Boone S, Bright KR, Gerba CP. Author information Abstract The occurrence and distribution of mold on household surfaces and the efficacy of bleach-based (sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl) disinfectants on mold viability and allergenicity was documented. Household microenvironments prone to increased moisture were specifically targeted. Using the sticky tape method, 1330 samples were collected from non-porous indoor surfaces of 160 homes across the United States, and analyzed for mold. Homes were randomly selected and recruited via phone interviews. Culture and immunoassays were used to measure the viability and reduction of allergenic properties of Aspergillus fumigatus following 2.4% NaOCl treatment. All homes and 72.9% of surfaces tested positive for mold. Windowsills were the most frequently contaminated site (87.5%) and Cladosporium the most commonly identified mold (31.0%). Five-minute exposures to 2.4% NaOCl resulted in a >3 to >6-logâÂÂâ reduction of culturable mold counts in controlled laboratory studies. Organisms were nonculturable after 5- and 10-min contact times on non-porous and porous ceramic carriers, respectively, and A. fumigatus spore-eluted allergen levels were reduced by an average 95.8% in 30 sec, as indicated by immunoassay. All homes are contaminated with some level of mold, and regrowth is likely in moisture-prone microenvironments. The use of low concentrations (2.4%) of NaOCl for the reduction of culturable indoor mold and related allergens is effective and recommended. Were the worms maggots because of food left in the DW? It's quite common that mold grows in a warm, moist environment with food leftovers. Here is a link that might be useful: bleach is efefctive and recommended against culturable indoor mold

Thought this was relevant: The latest internet bacteria scare is related to some tests of iced coffee drinks (Starbucks etc.) by a UK TV show. 30% tested positive for fecal coliform, which is not unexpected actually, since even drinking water can have a limited number of these ubiquitous microbes. But of course the populace went nuts. The Washington Post had a great response: "The problem with this is that bacteria known to associate with poop is not necessarily literal poop. In fact it’s probably not. And saying that something is gross for being covered in bacteria is pretty ridiculous, because anything that exists in our physical realm is definitely going to be covered in bacteria. "I have bad news for y’all: You’re covered in poo bacteria. COVERED. Look to your left, look to your right. There’s probably poo bacteria on both sides and also in front of you. It’s okay. It’s really fine. Embrace the poo bacteria, it is a part of you because you are a multitude of microorganisms, each more special than the last." http://www.snopes.com/investigation-proves-starbucks-beverages-contain-feces/