pests Leggy Seedilings - and aphids

Pledger · Feb 10, 2019

So I've just learned an important lesson on the heat pad; you're supposed to take them off the heat once they've sprouted.

These seem very leggy and likely to fall over. I've just transplanted from rockwool into small degradable pots with some good draining soil in them. I tried to bury the bottom third or so of the stem for structural support. Looks like several are already toppling:

I'm about to start a bunch more seeds, so I suppose scrapping this batch wouldn't be the end of the world. Do yall think these are doomed? First time using rockwool; I don't think I did it quite right.

Also, here's my setup.

I've currently got an aphid infestation on some overwinters. I've been managing it via bon-neem application once it gets bad. Really annoying; can't wait for them to get torn into by some wasps this spring. I found a few on the seedlings I'd placed near the worst infection

I'm most excited about this chocolate hab. It's also got aphids the worst. I pulled the branches down last year, and it's lived thus far in this pot. Really excited to put it in the ground this spring. What'chall think about my aphid solution? Seems to not be doing the trick. I'm gonna try to plant a bunch of predator-attractor plants with the peps.

Any recommendations at all would be greatly appreciated!

dragonsfire · Feb 10, 2019

I personally would never toss a live plant, let them do what they do.
Dunking the plants in a bucket of soapy water works great, but its something you need to do every three days, even with the neem, you still have to sprey them regularly since the Aphids ( should be a swear word) always come back.

Sizzle Lips · Feb 10, 2019

A couple of different methods for aphid control are.......

Greenguru · Feb 10, 2019

Just my experience,

tall seedlings are lack of light in my opinion i would drop light down to the plants or raise plants to light

I use the neem oil and spray off bugs with the water hose just depends which one i have on hand

I would keep the oil on the underside of leaves and especially if you use soapy water other wise the soap will kill the plants.

GG

Pledger · Feb 10, 2019

dragonsfire said:
I personally would never toss a live plant, let them do what they do.

this one was my only chocolate hab to gemintate 1/15 seeds even came up. Any guess what may have caused it? It did come from a rotten pepper...

Dunking the plants in a bucket of soapy water works great, but its something you need to do every three days, even with the neem, you still have to sprey them regularly since the Aphids ( should be a swear word) always come back.

So do you think that using need oil semi regularly indoors is a bad thing i spring is right around the corner? I'm hoping to let nature do it's thing and hope the aphids get eaten outside in the garden.
This is as bad as it got... I didn't notice them for a while (first time overwitering) and they had quite a time

Pledger · Feb 10, 2019

Greenguru said:
tall seedlings are lack of light in my opinion i would drop light down to the plants or raise plants to light

I've got an adjustable intensity LED light, so I just turned it up to ~80% from ~20%. Do you have any experience seeing the line of too much / not enough light? I'd imagine they'de be toppling over with too much light as well, wouldn't they?

Greenguru · Feb 10, 2019

Friend, I would just hose them under faucet and wash them off at that age GG

PS I deall with this every year on my over winters and love the neem oil and i spray if the neem oil gets on the leaves some leaves will wilt so lots of time i will get 24 hours and wash with hose or sink spray thing just the size of plant determines with one i use sink or water hose

pss get card board cut to cover the dirt if any that way the sink will be dirt free mine has screens that catch most of dirt

GG

Greenguru · Feb 10, 2019

Pledger said:
I've got an adjustable intensity LED light, so I just turned it up to ~80% from ~20%. Do you have any experience seeing the line of too much / not enough light? I'd imagine they'de be toppling over with too much light as well, wouldn't they?

they will wilt and to my suprise they die just remember more light more water needed

CaneDog · Feb 10, 2019

Hey Pledger. Man, you've got a lot happening at once.

That aphid pic shows a massive infestation which is doing major damage to the new growth of the plant. To manage your aphids, do what Dragonsfire is saying. I'd rinse off aphids with a not-too-hard and not-too-cold stream of tap water in the shower or sink daily or almost daily and do the dunk trick in soapy water every few days (or spray with soap/water heavily if dunking isn't practical). Info on safe soap aphid mixes is available online. Make certain to get under the leaves and down from the top directly into the bunchy new growth areas of young leaves where the aphids cluster and hide. It will not hurt the plants to get the mixture on the top of the leaves and you need to do this as well, just don't put the plants back under light after neem or soap until they are dry. Alternatively, dunk/spray them and wait an hour then rinse them off with plain water and put back under light once they're relatively dry.

Your seedlings look like the soil may be too wet. Let it dry up some and keep it only moist, not wet, and those leaning seedlings should root in and straighten to the light. Once a seedling reaches a certain level of leggy, it's generally better off to start again. Your first one looks like it's probably fine, but it's a bit hard to tell from the photo. The others aren't leggy at all. The C Hab looks like it germinated ok, but then got burned. It looks like it could be fertilizer burn, but again, it's a bit hard to tell with the photos because of the lights effect on color and contrast. Try to take your photos in good normal light and it will really help. Have you given the seedlings any fertilizer? It's too early for really "any" nutes at this point, whether in the soil or with your water.

Good luck man!

Pledger · Feb 10, 2019

CaneDog said:
Hey Pledger. Man, you've got a lot happening at once.

That aphid pic shows a massive infestation which is doing major damage to the new growth of the plant. To manage your aphids, do what Dragonsfire is saying. I'd rinse off aphids with a not-too-hard and not-too-cold stream of tap water in the shower or sink daily or almost daily and do the dunk trick in soapy water every few days (or spray with soap/water heavily if dunking isn't practical). Info on safe soap aphid mixes is available online. Make certain to get under the leaves and down from the top directly into the bunchy new growth areas of young leaves where the aphids cluster and hide. It will not hurt the plants to get the mixture on the top of the leaves and you need to do this as well, just don't put the plants back under light after neem or soap until they are dry. Alternatively, dunk/spray them and wait an hour then rinse them off with plain water and put back under light once they're relatively dry.

Your seedlings look like the soil may be too wet.

It definitely is; I just hit them with the spray bottle after putting the rockwool cubes into soil. Good to know that they're only supposed to be moist, I've been watering the mtoo much.

Click to expand...

Let it dry up some and keep it only moist, not wet, and those leaning seedlings should root in and straighten to the light. Once a seedling reaches a certain level of leggy, it's generally better off to start again. Your first one looks like it's probably fine, but it's a bit hard to tell from the photo. The others aren't leggy at all. The C Hab looks like it germinated ok, but then got burned. It looks like it could be fertilizer burn, but again, it's a bit hard to tell with the photos because of the lights effect on color and contrast. Try to take your photos in good normal light

Here's another with more natural lighting. Still look like a burn? I've not given any of the seedlings any fertalizer yet; I figured I should wait till they're established in a month or so...

and it will really help. Have you given the seedlings any fertilizer? It's too early for really "any" nutes

What are nutes?

at this point, whether in the soil or with your water.

Good luck man!

Thanks for the advice!

Also, got another quick question about cotyledon. Before I up-potted the rockwool into soil, these cotyledon were more erect, but now (4 hours later), many of them seem to be drooping like this:

Think this is a sign of too much water? I tagged them all with a few hits from the water sprayer... I assume the line is fine between too much and not enough water in this stage..?

Sinn · Feb 10, 2019

order ladybugs from amazon they should take care of the aphids

alkhall · Feb 10, 2019

Sinn said:
order ladybugs from amazon they should take care of the aphids

^This^

CaneDog · Feb 10, 2019

The droop does look like it could be too much water. Watering with seedlings or right after a pot-up when the roots haven't filled out the pot is when I find it hardest to keep them optimal. If you water thoroughly, it takes a long time for them to soak it up, so they sit in the wet. But if you water sparingly and they get too dry then you're in trouble, especially with seedlings. Using a sprayer like you're doing really helps though.

Not sure what's going on with the C Hab, could be rapid change from humid conditions to dry or too much heat from light or a combination. At first I thought it was going tips-up, but this photo it just looks like dehydration wrinkle. What's good is how nice and green those tiny little new true leaves look growing in the middle. Can't do anything about what's been done, but good new growth is good! Nute's is just short for nutrients = fertilizer.