water Too little water or too much?

Fitsea · Mar 13, 2016

I can't seem to keep seedlings alive. They do this, then shrivel. Help!

mpicante · Mar 13, 2016

Im thinking they NEED WATER!Try to keep your soil or grow media moist.

EvanWilliams1988 · Mar 13, 2016

mpicante said:
Im thinking they NEED WATER!Try to keep your soil or grow media moist.

+1

Also,try to get some airflow going.

It'll help keep down on mold and strengthen the stems.

CAPCOM · Mar 13, 2016

I think you have a hot light too close and maybe need more barrier between your seed starts and you heat mat. sprouts look good except for heat stress.

c3po · Mar 13, 2016

Although pepper plants generally prefer very little water, from the looks of your soil, it appears to be too dry for seedlings. What type of light are you using, and what is the wattage?? Generally fluorescent bulbs don't produce enough heat to burn the plants, however, if they are metal halide lights or incandescent lights, you need to watch the distance you keep them from the light, and you may need ventilation. You should also consider transplanting them to their own individual deeper pots sooner than this.

Blister · Mar 13, 2016

If that's coco it's way too dry.

Neil

Fitsea · Mar 13, 2016

c3po said:
Although pepper plants generally prefer very little water, from the looks of your soil, it appears to be too dry for seedlings. What type of light are you using, and what is the wattage?? Generally fluorescent bulbs don't produce enough heat to burn the plants, however, if they are metal halide lights or incandescent lights, you need to watch the distance you keep them from the light, and you may need ventilation. You should also consider transplanting them to their own individual deeper pots sooner than this.

Sunlight in an east-facing window, haha. I've just been misting them since I took the saran wrap off the top, so i'm thinking too-little water as the above have said.

CAPCOM said:
I think you have a hot light too close and maybe need more barrier between your seed starts and you heat mat. sprouts look good except for heat stress.

Not been on the heat mat for a few days. And the only light is sunlight.

c3po said:
You should also consider transplanting them to their own individual deeper pots sooner than this.

I thought you were supposed to wait until they had their first leaves?

c3po · Mar 13, 2016

Fitsea said:
I thought you were supposed to wait until they had their first leaves?

No, not really, you can transplant them when they only have their cotyledon leaves. I have done it many times, not only on pepper plants, but on other varieties as well.

CAPCOM · Mar 13, 2016

Fitsea said:
I thought you were supposed to wait until they had their first leaves?

Its really whatever you find works best for you. I generally leave them in their germ containers till the roots are purging the container or wrapping around the inside of it.

Dave2000 · Mar 15, 2016

They don't need transplanted yet and really shouldn't be because at that stage they barely have any roots and what they have will be disturbed in soil that loose.

HOWEVER, you have a different situation than some. With peat pots you don't need to get the plant out, can just toss the entire peat pot into a larger pot, but you ought to have cut them apart with scissors before they sprouted, certainly before the leaves get big enough to get in the way, but for now I would wait since their stems are so thin and delicate, wait for the stems to thicken making it important to get them as much light as possible at this point.

Yes you're under-watering.

c3po · Mar 15, 2016

I scoop them out with a spoon and plant them directly in their own medium. The sooner you transplant them, the easier it is, however, as others have stated, there is more than one way to do it.

To me it seems like your plants got too much sun and not enough water.

mrgrowguy · Mar 17, 2016

A random thought - not sure if your pulling the wrap off all at once or not, but if you are I would consider poking holes in it first to help the little babies acclimate to the ambient humidity. I know that is a regular killer of clones in the dome when the dome is taken off without acclimating. I may be way off, but I like to think of as many possibilities as I can. Of course, this takes a back seat to watering, so if you're under watering, then that would be the first thing I would look into... Again, just a thought.