• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

health Stunted seedlings

L

loloinsigne

I have 3 groups of seedlings that I started at different times. Some Calabrian peppers that mostly sprouted at the end of January, ancho peppers that sprouted around February 10th and scotch bonnets that sprouted around February 22nd. The calabrian and ancho peppers grew their first set of true leaves but have stalled there, with all the seedlings having their first pair of true leaves curl inwards to a certain degree, especially the Calabrian ones. I keep the growlight on 12 hours a day and had it at 22" above them which I've now changed to 32" as it was clearly too close but haven't noticed any growth in the week since. I also use tap water to water them which I let sit for a day before using but it does contain chloramine is this playing a part as well? Is there any way to recover them?

First picture is the Calabrian seedlings and the second the ancho.
IMG_6156.png
IMG_6157.png
 
Last edited:
loloinsigne said:
I have 3 groups of seedlings that I started at different times. Some Calabrian peppers that mostly sprouted at the end of January, ancho peppers that sprouted around February 10th and scotch bonnets that sprouted around February 22nd. The calabrian and ancho peppers grew their first set of true leaves but have stalled there, with all the seedlings having their first pair of true leaves curl inwards to a certain degree, especially the Calabrian ones. I keep the growlight on 12 hours a day and had it at 22" above them which I've now changed to 32" as it was clearly too close but haven't noticed any growth in the week since. I also use tap water to water them which I let sit for a day before using but it does contain chloramine is this playing a part as well? Is there any way to recover them?



































































































Sulsa said:
You could try to let them dry out a bit, the soil seems quite wet.
Wet soil disturbs the oxygen balance in the soil and can cause nutrient uptake issues for the plants.
This could cause leaf curl and growth stagnation.
Click to expand...
What is the height of your light above the canopy of your plant? What type of blurple (i really hate that word) light are you using?



























































































































































First picture is the Calabrian seedlings and the second the anch.



















































































































































































































































What's your
Click to expand...
 
I'm thinking the same as Sulsa. Lights too low or roots in bad shape can cause leaf canoeing as in your picture. Another consideration is that they likely are ready for additional root space, which will accelerate plant growth.

I'd repot each into a deeper/larger container so the roots have more room to reach down, then be careful with future watering. If the roots are having troubles from prolonged wetness, you may need to remove much of the extra dirt around the roots at the time of transplant so they can more easily reach the new soil. If you transplant the soil blob, you may transplant the problem. If you do this, give them low light and comfortable warm for a couple days before going back higher intensity light. The new soil should be a good breathable mix.
 
CaneDog said:
I'm thinking the same as Sulsa. Lights too low or roots in bad shape can cause leaf canoeing as in your picture. Another consideration is that they likely are ready for additional root space, which will accelerate plant growth.

I'd repot each into a deeper/larger container so the roots have more room to reach down, then be careful with future watering. If the roots are having troubles from prolonged wetness, you may need to remove much of the extra dirt around the roots at the time of transplant so they can more easily reach the new soil. If you transplant the soil blob, you may transplant the problem. If you do this, give them low light and comfortable warm for a couple days before going back higher intensity light. The new soil should be a good breathable mix.
Click to expand...
Ok thanks should I wait until the soil dries up a bit more first? Transplanted one of them but I lost half the roots in the process. So sunlight and back on the heating mat for a couple days before putting them back under the grow light?
 
loloinsigne said:
Ok thanks should I wait until the soil dries up a bit more first? Transplanted one of them but I lost half the roots in the process. So sunlight and back on the heating mat for a couple days before putting them back under the grow light?
Click to expand...
I prefer to transplant with the soil toward the drier side. Your plants don't appear to be in any dire straits so yeah, I might wait for them to loose the extra wetness like you say. If you let them get too dry it can be hard to remove extra soil without breaking off roots though, so I'd shoot for a middle ground with those.
 
I agree with everything @CaneDog said, and his advice most likely will correct the problem. Another thing that can affect growth is temperature. The colder it is, the slower the plants will grow. Peppers like warm, at least 21C-26C (70'sF). Below 18C (65F), plant growth will be sluggish.

Just something else to be aware of.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top