[brownp]

I have recently started to use newspaper pots to grow seedings - then moving the pot straight into the bed after removing the top lip of the newspaper to stop it wicking moisture away. It seems to be a success.
One issue I have is that the majority of the pots are covered in a group of reddish blobs - they look a lot some type of eggs to me but I can't work out what they are - I've kept an eye on them and they don't hatch...I've googled it but no help...
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

[RJR_38]

Looks like some kind of fungus to me. I used to get similar white stuff when using loo rolls so I stopped.

[brownp]

Thanks for that - it would make sense...it does appear very quickly.

[mumofstig]

It seems to be on the compost rather than from the paper pot though 

[RJR_38]

True.....

Have you used the compost anywhere else and not in paper pots? Maybe there is something in the compost causing fungus to grow?

[allotmentann]

I get the same when using paper pots, quite frequently, especially if the seedlings are slow growers and sit in the pots a long time. I have always assumed it to be some sort of fungus, but as it does not seem to affect any of my seedlings I have not worried about it. I do think it is something to do with the paper though as I don't get it with plastic pots. 

[brownp]

On this example, the fungus is mainly on the compost, but on lots of the others, it is also on the outside of the pot and not in direct contact.
Incidently, I am trying carrots in this method - I have a colleague who germinates them in paper pots and then puts them in the soil quite quickly. I'm trying it to see what happens - I put two seeds in each pot and the majority had two seedlings so the germination rates have seemed to benefit.

[New shoot]

Newspaper ink is based on soybean oil these days, so it may be a fungus that does not usually grow on compost, but is attracted by that 

[Grubbypaws]

I have used plain cardboard with no print to make tubes for my leeks and I have the same. I was intending to ignore it; the leeks look fine.