I'm in a mild panic here, advice is welcome

[Snarg]

So,
 
Going against the age old adage of, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket', I transplanted *all* of my super hots and put them in the greenhouse. As the pictures below will show, this might have been one of the worst ideas I have had. I am hanging my head in shame and hoping that the fine people on this forum could help me identify what went wrong.
 
I grew this years crop exactly like last years, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', They were started in 72-cell flats using ProMix PGX. They were transplanted to 3 1/2" pots using Kellog Patio Plus soil and were given a very small shot of Dr. Earth Life.
 
I am in the Pacific Northwest and we have had some very cold days. We normally keep the temperatures in the greenhouse fairly low, between 44F and 48F. The low temps keep the growth slow and worked quite well for us last year. Last week we had one extraordinarily cold night and the lowest temp in the greenhouse was 38F.
 
With all that being said, does it appear that they are dying due to cold damage or is it possibly something else? We also have a large amount of petunia transplants in the greenhouse that are dying in a similar manner. If more or better pictures are needed please let me know.
 
This is a tray of Carolina Reapers:

 
Here is a closeup of one of the plants in that tray:

This is (was) one of my Ghost peppers. The stem does not have any discolored or weak spots and the roots appear to be white and healthy. I did not pull the leaves off, they fell off on their own.
 

 

[beerbreath81]

I would say that is WAY too cold.
 
I am a "worked in the past" kinda person too.  Based on what you are saying the only thing that would have changed from last year would be the temps. Generally high 40's or 50's is the lowest i would think the young plants can go for short periods. As they mature they can withstand the cold snaps a little better.  They may be ok for a quick shot of those low temps but prolonged exposure like your talkin is just too low.
 
If it were me I leave them in the greenhouse during the day, and bring them in at night.
 
Looking at your pics, you are probably going to loose a few but the rest.....I would get them inside stat! I think a few of them may bounce back, just get them warm!
 
My practice has been if I need a sweater or jacket its too cold for the younguns to be outside.

 

[illWill]

I had seelings basically die off at temps higher than that. All new growth just browned and shriveled. When I raised temps, new growth came out the sides as if it had been topped

 

[Snarg]

beerbreath81,
 
Thank you for the reply. We are pretty certain that it is the cold that has done them in however, it never hurts to have a second, third or fourth opinion. We have the moved back inside now but, I'm not holding my breath.
 
I'm going to start working on another seed order soon (sigh).

illWill,
 
Thank you for your reply. I have moved them back inside but honestly, I'm not holding my breath. If they shoot back up, great, but I wouldn't put any money on 'em.

 

[Bob_B]

I wouldn't give up yet but yeah, that's cold damage. Gardening peppers or anything else is a learning experience. I do have established peppers (3 - 4 years) that tolerate temps close to freezing. But, not young seedlings.

 

[geeme]

Peppers generally don't like their roots to get below 50F. Mature plants can handle 40's and even 30's at nights  as long as it warms up during the day, but seedlings are not that tolerant at all. I'm in N.E. Ohio, so have similar weather to yours. I'll admit to having gone to Home Depot and "rescuing" young pepper starts that had been left outside when it got too cold. If they're not too far gone, they should perk back up in a day or two after you bring them inside. That aside, those plants in your pics are too young to need ferts yet. That could play a part in what's going on right now, too.

 

[ivplay]

Agreed on the cold being the culprit.  Here in Queensland it isn't a worry, but when I was in Fargo and Montana we had to be very careful with the seedlings and even the young plants.  Good luck and hope they come back for you.

 

[Mallory]

Looks like you have a few that will make it. If you have a seedling that has even one good leaf, cut off all the wilted/damaged ones, give it some water, and you might be surprised.

 

[geeme]

If it's just wilted a bit from the cold you don't need to remove a leaf. The "rescue" ones I got from Home Depot had their stems bent over (they were 4-6" tall) and the leaves hung down straight along the stem. The whole plant got all perky after it warmed up.