• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

Need help quick!

WTF! WTF! WTF! I came home today after work and my seedlings were all drooping and some have completely fallen over!!! What is happening????? They wont die will they?
 
take a deep breath. it's ok. all you need to do is give them some water. if you haven't watered them in a couple days this is completely normal. if you have been watering them a lot then that could also be the cause..
 
not enough light, not enough water, too much water....

basic steps for getting seedlings to their first transplant (generally by the time they need transplant out of their starter cell they're strong enough to withstand a lot more)

  • during germination, keep them covered....greenhouse like environment, plastic wrap, tupperware, store bought mini-greenhouse, it doesn't matter, usually will only have to water the first time, if they're covered well, most of the moisture will stay in, if they actually dry out, rewater again thoroughly, but you shouldn't have to do this until after 10-16 days
  • once a sprout has popped up, separate him from his still germinating siblings. No more greenhouse necessary. HE NEEDS LIGHT ASAP, Sunlight is best, or a proper growlight, or the correct spectrum florescent if your going cheap, but obviously regular household lighting will do nothing. Keep the light CLOSE to the little guy
  • an easy way to judge your watering is to ONLY water when the top of the soil is COMPLETELY dry, in a container size that small if the top is BONE dry, then it's most likely dry all the way through, but stick your finger into the cell a little just to make sure. Being dry for a few hours will not hurt the plant at all, but when it does get this way, SOAK it again...do not water again until it is completely dry, and soak again, repeat...for small cells sitting in direct sunlight, I usually have to water every 24-36 hours depending on the heat level
  • IMO just to be on the safe side as to not burn out small weak plants do not use any additional nutes on seedlings, they'll get everything they need from the starter soil, peat pod, or whatever, once they're big enough to transplant to say a 8oz cup, then i'll start nuting half strength
  • these simple steps should keep your seedlings alive until they're strong enough to not F up, lol, once they're 2-3 inches tall with 6+ leaves they're a lot harder to kill by mistake, LOL
 
oh, and just to make sure....i kinda got the impression your watering all the cells when you see the ones in the center dry out...if so, don't do this.....wait until a cell is completely dry, and only water that cell, because of your heating pad, your cells are probably drying out at different rates, and you very well may be overwatering
 
So dying tips could have multiple causes?

Most of my plants haven't been doing too well (dying tips) and it's driving me bonkers! Recently I've had troubles with mites and thought that was the cause, then I thought it might be a virus. Whatever it is though, I'm lost! I'm also thinking that it might be insufficient light or over-fertilization.

I hope you figure yours out, Wpayton0034! I'm at wits end with what's causing mine.
 
Wpayton0034 said:
WTF! WTF! WTF! I came home today after work and my seedlings were all drooping and some have completely fallen over!!! What is happening????? They wont die will they?

Pics are worth a thousand words. ;)
 
indeed...also don't worry too much, follow simple guidelines and for the most part you can't go wrong, they're hard to kill....i've had browning tips on sprouts, and the true leaves came though and grew into healthy plants, the first leaves simply started dying early...BUT MOVE THAT DARN LIGHT CLOSER OR PUT IN A WELL LIT WINDOW!!!...if you want your plants to get to the next stage of life
 
005.jpg
 
they're falling over because they lack the ability to support themselves, they are too long for how much they've developed. get them closer to a light period i can't see ANYTHING else wrong with them.
 
lmao...sorry, it's not funny....well it sorta is. yeah, just get them bad boys some proper lighting, looks like they're starving
 
Personally I'd use plastic pots/cells instead of the jiffy types which have poor moisture holding capabilities(Either too wet or too dry) and always seem to cause problems with pepper growers
Your plants look very dry to me but its hard to know from a pic;)
 
If the plants are too leggy and falling over you can stick a few toothpicks around them to help hold them up until they get a stronger stem.


Alan
 
Thank you for your help guys... I think its because I started putting them in my open window sill..I did the same thing today and came back to see a couple more fallen over.. So now I got them sitting in shaded area. But that's where my problem starts, The only way I can get them go all get the light they need is from the sun :( The only other option is a single gro-bulb in a flex lamp. I also stopped using my liquid fert. One of the plants leaves is shriveled but its still really green so I have no idea what to do... man, the woes of a new grower.
 
Back
Top