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Purple stems!!??

So i have some seedlings growing in my Closet under flourescents, I have noticed some of them actually all most all of them have purple stems and some of the cotyledons have a purplish tint to them i'm thinking maybe it might be a lack of nutrients i have just recently started to fertilize them with a very mild solution i hope this was the problem if anyone else knows what causes this please my ears are open!?
 
not sure what causes it, but all of my seedlings have purple stems. i always assumed it ment they were healthy
 
What variety are they? if they are a purple chilli they will might have purple stems, I know the purple tigers do.
 
Had the same thing when germinating my seeds under fluro's. Also alot of purple tinged leaves.
Not too sure what medium you are using, but mine were in coir seed raising mix. They seemed to grow out of it when I put them in soil pots.

Hope they go well,
Micca
 
I never concerned myself with it. It is most likely caused by a phosphorous deficiency in the plant. I have also seen it on tomatoes, brocolli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach and ground cherries.....pretty much everything I start inside. I have some with a little purple and some don't. It is usually caused by low temps, or wet soil. It is not a problem with the soil mix, but more of the plant being able to use it. The plant should grow out of it with no problems. I would only be concerned if you see it on a mature bearing plant.

Hope that helps.
jacob
 
ok so after a little reading, purple stems can be the following.

genetic. not a dominant trait.

magnesium defficiency

phosphorus defficiency

its normal for a seedling to have purple stems. unless its truely genetic it will fade as the seedling gets older and sarts absorbing nutrients.

so dont fret about it. once they get a little bigger they will be fine.
 
Ah, I was gonna ask the same question not so long ago.

Some of my seedlings do it, others don't. When it comes time to thinning out, I always ditch the purpley ones... so I've never had a chance to see if it grows out or not.
 
gasificada said:
Ah, I was gonna ask the same question not so long ago.

Some of my seedlings do it, others don't. When it comes time to thinning out, I always ditch the purpley ones... so I've never had a chance to see if it grows out or not.

Just got to roll with the flow dude!
[video=youtube;ZCHkeNqbBv8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCHkeNqbBv8[/video]
 
The purple is likely anthocyanin pigments that protects the plant from strong levels of light, kind of like a suntan. Certain species/varieties produce more anthocyanin than other which is why some stems/leaves turn colors and some don't
 
alawn said:
Purple is from it getting plenty of light. 6500K lights tend to do it more than others.

POTAWIE said:
The purple is likely anthocyanin pigments that protects the plant from strong levels of light, kind of like a suntan. Certain species/varieties produce more anthocyanin than other which is why some stems/leaves turn colors and some don't


Bingo...totally agree...they hit the nail on the head....
 
AWesome guys thanx for the info!!

Ok soo it is the lights being too intense for the little seedling?
If soo then i should not have had the lights this low to the seedlings? or is this a good way to harden them off almost alittlle?
should next time i have my lights a little higher? and should i avoid having the anthocyanin pigments giving them suntans.? they dont wanna go out side yet and be like a tourist all pale then get really sunburnt:)
 
Cool,

One reason why im soo concerned is when i was watering the other day i hit the seedling and one of the cotyledons broke off I didnt know if maybe the tan was making them brittle or fragile
 
Novacastrian said:
Just got to roll with the flow dude!

:lol: I'm rolling, I'm rolling!

alawn said:
Purple is from it getting plenty of light. 6500K lights tend to do it more than others.

POTAWIE said:
The purple is likely anthocyanin pigments that protects the plant from strong levels of light, kind of like a suntan. Certain species/varieties produce more anthocyanin than other which is why some stems/leaves turn colors and some don't

Ah, figured it was something to do with light or rather more to do with the sun... seeing as it happens after I put them outside and all. Aside from some of my ornamentals, I didn't realize that some other plants that are supposed to be green did it also. I'm guessing it's a seedling thing, yeah?
 
Not just seedlings, it can happen to stems, leaves, and pods indoors or out. Some varieties show more than others. I frequently get purple tinted jalapenos(and many other types) when theres lots of sun but they eventually ripen to red
 
Well, there you go. I is leaning again!

In all honesty, I kinda like the purple look. I'm half-inspired to go set up a plant solarium now......
 
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