6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Do you have fungus gnats flying around? Could be the larvae from the fungus gnats?
I've had the same problem with a couple of my seeds that were kept too wet and the seeds rotted.
My solution is to make the soil medium drain better and not hold as much moisture - by adding things like perlite, turface, bark, etc...
Water only when the soil is almost dry throughout not just when the top of the soil is dry. One way to check soil (or soil-less) moisture is by weight; completely water a pot filled with your soil and pick it up to note it's heft. As the pot dries pick it up every so often until it is completely dry.
As for the white stuff, it should go away if you maintain a much less moist environment.
Great news! They are all growing! I went out today and I'd say I've got at least 80% of the plants sprouted up with two leaves, probably more. And that's even despite snow flurries this week. Phew!
Here they are:
From Garden 2009
yea they are calif. wonders
i will load a picture as soon as i get a chance... i have to go out and get a new disk to chop up my field, i just broke my old one and need to get a new one b4 the rain comes back. thanks for the reply i will try to get a picture up as soon as i get back
I found a discussion of purple leaves on the vegetable forum: "Purpling of leaves is perfectly normal in young seedlings that are stressed for some reason and if you search 'purple leaves' in the vegetable forum you'll find numerous discussions about it. It poses no threat to the plant and goes away once the stress is removed. For most of us part of that stress is too cool air temps this time of year added to the stress of just trying to grow. ;)"
Oh boy, I just went though this. You can get smaller lights, but they may not be strong enough. Everyone here suggests 40 watt, and it is nearly impossible to find any under 48" long that are 40 watts. The ones they have at Lowe's & Home Depot are only 20 watts. I asked at Lowe's and they told me that it isn't possible to make a 40 watt bulb that small.
I'm not sure that's entirely true, b/c I did see some on the GE website, but everywhere I called locally didn't have them. I even called specialty fish aquarium stores, because that's what this type of bulb is made for. Even they didn't carry any. The two websites I found online that had them had to special order them so it would take several weeks to get them. Plus, they are pretty expensive - the bulb itself plus special shipping since it is breakable.
Right now, I have the 24" fixture from Lowe's with 2 20 watt bulbs in it. My seedlings are doing ok, but not the best. You have to keep the lights directly on top of the seedlings (just not touching them), and if the pots stick out from the sides of the light, the seedlings will get leggy.
Some others here suggested getting 2 24" fixtures, so you have 4 bulbs, and that can increase your growing space. I haven't tried that yet because I really don't want to spend another $40, so I only have 25 tiny cells under the lights.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
I was toying around with my seedlings today and wondered: Can I mount cheapie screw-in sockets to a board and use a series of the screw in flourescent bulbs?
Are the screw in bulbs the same as the tubes? This sems like a reasonable alterative if it will work.... expecially since I have a load of the screw in flourescents on hand already.
Thoughts?
I'm not a peat pot user, but I generally transplant whenever I stop seeing steady growth or any signs of stress in the seedlings. Sometimes that is straight into the ground, sometimes into a larger container, depending on whether I feel the seedling is strong enough to make it in the garden. Also, peat contains very little (if any) nutrients, so once a seedling stops feeding off its germplasm
I can't help with the chard, but I know from experience that melons like some nitrogen before too long.
I haven't grown melons before but am waiting to start my own - my source (Square Foot Gardening) suggests starting them only a week or two before planting out because they don't transplant well.
As for chard, you're beating me out there - none of mine even germinated indoors! Last year we sowed directly outside and they did fine. I am planning just to start some outside within a few days. Also, my source says to water them weekly but if they're dry before that maybe your way is fine.
Good luck!
Regina
No seedling tolerates over-watering for long. But due to different root structures, the results just show up sooner in some seedlings than it does with others. ;)
Most over-water their seedlings even when they think they don't. So if you think you have over-watered, the odds are you are right.
Dave
I'm having a parallel experience. My nightshades are strong and happy but my brassicas and lettuces are leggy, small, weak and not growing. I too think I've overwatered the whole crop (the surface of many cells has a white dusty covering - fungus/mold? they're growing in a "seeding mix" of peat moss, perlite, limestone and some sort of wetting agent) and I've not watered them for days and days but the "soil" still hasn't dried out.
Will the plants be able to recover from this overwatering? Should I help them inside for a little while first or just get them outside ASAP for best outcome?
Do I need to transplant the tomatoes/etc. inside, because of that dust on their soil?
Thank you so much for your help!
Regina
Also remember that after a transplant (which sounds like it was the best thing to do in your situation), the plants will act like they're doing nothing for anywhere from a few days to a little over a week. In this time, they are actually re-rooting/getting attached to their new home, literally. Give them a bit of time (and maybe a little diluted 1/4 strength fertilizer) and they will start growing again.
I actually do have the ones who are ready, already transplanted into new bigger pots with new soil. Maybe they just need some time to sit yet. I was afraid to fertilize more since the seed starter is supposed to have it already in it. SHould I fertilize anyway?
Also, I always grew in a cool room. I didn't think about the possibility of them wanting to be warmer. Everything I grew before grew like the dickens in a cool room. I don't have a set-up to keep them warmer. I would have to put them outside. WHich is ok for most days except for rainy days like today.
Is it possible that my lights have lost their power. They don't look dimmer than a couple new ones I had. I can get new ones, but don't want to just waste money.
\ thanks for the helpful suggestions. Julie
I did fertilize... and it was right after I fertilized that they all started to curl up and turn yellow. The tomatoes and peppers are loving it, but the broccoli and brussels sprouts are apparently getting burnt by it. I added 1 capful of Neptune's harvest seaweed and fish fertilizer (2-3-4) and diluted it with 2 cups of water. I think that mix may have been too strong, come to think of it... Would that cause a yellow shriveling?
Isn't it exciting?!!! I'm having so much fun watching everything come up...my kitchen table is COVERED. I never expected that the moss roses with seeds like little grains of sand would come up, or the verbena...they were some of the quickest!
The black eyed susan vine, however, was one of the first things I planted and one of the things I wanted most and it's not coming up. I'm so bummed.
Sorry about the black eyed susan. Maybe it's one of those that needs a lot of time? My parsley self seeded, but it took a whole year! Yes, it is exciting!! I transplanted my sweet peas outside a couple months ago, and they are now blooming. I mixed them with roses in a vase and they make the kitchen smell very sweet! Hang in with Susan! Anything with that name has got to be pretty good!
Suzi
I have a guy that works with my that gave us a few Rose of Sharon plants he dug up from his yard. He says that they seed themselves and pop up here and there in his yard. So maybe this means they would be a good canidate for winter sowing, I would try and give it a post over there.
Sarah
Most likely damping-off.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Damp-off FAQ