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Should I give up on these plants

A

adnewr

Half of my plants , about 20/40, have been this size for about a month, and are two and a half months old. I water them in the morning and take care of them fine but they just arent growing at all. Should I dump them and just keep the 20 or so that look good? Some have 2-4 leaves after over 2 months. http://imgur.com/SygyE6b
 
I see you're in Cali:
 
Are you growing inside or outside?
If outside what are the temps?
If inside what are you providing for light and what are the temps?
In either case, have you fertilized?
 
The image link isn't working (when using imgur you can copy and paste the BBCode directly into your post to embed the image), but your plants don't sound as though they're doing anything unusual. They're young still, it could be that they're just not growing on top. Perhaps they're concentrating on forming a good root system at the moment. It's unlikely that half your plants would be stunted to the extent that you need to toss them out if you're treating all the plants similarly.
 
I've had several seedlings that seemed stalled, but then showed sudden rapid growth without me doing anything different. Unless you need the space, give them more time to develop.
 
Temperatures from 50f-80f
In a mix of compost, vermiculite, fish fertilizer, blood meal, bone meal, perlite, garden soil
Water occasionally with diluted tomato fertilizer 6-4-6
 
 
Heck no don't give up on them! Give them all the light they can stand, and feed every couple of weeks. Patience, my friend! Make sure they stay warm, also. Some say to kill the heat mat once they germinate, but continued warmth will actually help develop strong, robust roots
 
Sm1nts2escape said:
It's probably the soil mix. Looks kind of course. I wouldn't give up on them. The plants will take off once they get the right condition.
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  I am with you it looks like the soil is holding them back.Almost looks like a mulch which you wont need yet.It could also be my eyes. :)
 
They look fairly healthy; I suspect they just need some nice warm weather.
 
Perhaps drop them into somewhat larger cups, filled with primo potting soil.  That should give them all they could ask for...
 
In see what looks like wood chunks in the soil.
Might want to up the dose of nitrogen.
 
Alaska Fish fertilizer (5-1-1)builds good guys in the soil etc.
Liquinox is mostly Urea (faster acting)says fish but isn't.
Must be used with caution..
 
When wood,bark and organics break down the soil can become acid and stuff like wood and bark suck up nitrogen.(which is good after a while,they release it after a while when they break down past the point of no return).
 
I'd go for an organic nitrogen fert and get a PH test for the soil.
 
Actually I'd just water with calcium (foli Cal) added to the fert for a week at least to see if it makes the soil less acid.
Your plants will tell you.
 
I see very green leaves on some starts and yellow on others.
 
I'd guess an uneven soil mix possibly causing variations in possible PH and nute uptake along with water retention.
 
I am, by no means as experienced as many who will likely post here but all I can say is they look like the many of my plants that stalled and then, when some great ballance was achieved, took off again, and now look great. 
 
Give up when they are dead, not before. 
 
I have to agree with the other posters. All things being equal I'd suspect the soil. I expect plants that size to be approx. 2-3 weeks old. I sometimes get seedlings that are planted after my initial batch that I don't tend as much due to the multitude of others getting my attention. (I'm not saying that is what you're doing. Just what I do) Sometimes those appear smaller than normal but once I pot them up into my potting soil (vs the seed starting mix I start them in) they gradually take off. Don't give up on them. At 2 1/2 months old I'd expect them to be small dinner plate sized and approx. 5"-8" tall depending on variety. I don't really fertilize them when small. I will use a diluted kelp solution or some Fox Farm Grow Big diluted down. Nothing strong.
 
Geonerd said:
They look fairly healthy; I suspect they just need some nice warm weather.
 
Perhaps drop them into somewhat larger cups, filled with primo potting soil.  That should give them all they could ask for...
Click to expand...
I am going to put them into an 8x4 raised bed about 16 inches tall. What is the best soil I could use that would be cost efficient for such a big area?
 
last year i put some peppers in victory soil and they stalled out like this. i transplanted into ff ocean forest and they turned around pretty quick. not sayin victory is bad just did'nt work well with the peppers. i like fox farm o f for young plants this size. for pot up into 5gal or bigger i mix 50/50 ff of with screened rabbit compost then cut it with a mix of 50/50 rice hulls and perlite tell its nice and fluffy. i also like to use 3d organics liquid bone  instead of adding bonemeal to the mix. i feel it gives me more control with cal. its faster acting i believe.
 
oh, i dont know if your in the bay area but fox farm ocean forest going rate around here is about $9or$10 a bag at the big hardware garden stores its worked great every time.
 
They aren't quite the rich green we all know and love.  I'm thinking they might be just slightly N starved.
For shits and giggles, you might try foliar feeding some of the more pale fellows with that dilute tomato fertilizer.
Also try hitting one of the pale ones with a more robust mix of water based fert. Wait a few days and see what happens.
 
This shouldn't hurt them, and might offer feedback re. any nutritional issues.
 
WichitaChief said:
I have to agree with the other posters. All things being equal I'd suspect the soil. I expect plants that size to be approx. 2-3 weeks old. I sometimes get seedlings that are planted after my initial batch that I don't tend as much due to the multitude of others getting my attention. (I'm not saying that is what you're doing. Just what I do) Sometimes those appear smaller than normal but once I pot them up into my potting soil (vs the seed starting mix I start them in) they gradually take off. Don't give up on them. At 2 1/2 months old I'd expect them to be small dinner plate sized and approx. 5"-8" tall depending on variety. I don't really fertilize them when small. I will use a diluted kelp solution or some Fox Farm Grow Big diluted down. Nothing strong.
Click to expand...
   Funny thing is I think we all have an ICU unit for our cups.Culling the herd,is part of the fun.First pic is seedlings that did not get the star treatment and a new pot and soil like his brothers and sisters in pic 2.But I will hang onto them until I run out of room.
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adnewr said:
I am going to put them into an 8x4 raised bed about 16 inches tall. What is the best soil I could use that would be cost efficient for such a big area?
Click to expand...
 
I mix top soil with leaf mulch. Works great.
 
I've got some seedlings stalled out like yours - I know mine are likely that way because of the unseasonably cool temperatures we've had.
 
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