seeds What am I doing wrong? Seedlings not making it....

[nubster]

I should have asked this a while ago since it's probably too late to plant anything, though I might continue to practice, but I planted to load of seeds back in early May. A lot germinated and even made it to first true leaves, then they just die. I stared and have about 50 mature Jalapeno plants in the garden now that I started and treated the exact same way, they are doing great and I'm starting to see peppers. The seeds I tried and failed with were several types of hab., Butch-T's, 7-Pod, [background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]Naga Morich, might be more but you get the idea. Again, good germination rates, 0% survival except for the japs, I had to actually cull a bunch of them I had so many. I don't get it.[/background]

 

[Gotrox]

Did the same this year.
Picky specials.
Some got cold just once, some got blown down, some burned, bugs ate some, some drowned.

After perusing topics here and several other places, I am doing it totally different now.

Jalps will grow just about anywhere, but the nice hot varieties you mentioned come from a very different climate, and apparently, you have to be a bit anal to get them to produce well outside the south where the temperature and humidity are closer to their native habitat.

Read around a bit, as this is not an uncommon problem.

 

[birdfather]

i had a similar problem my first try. just keep reading like gotrox says. you have to harden off your plants. also watering from the bottom when they are seedlings is a must. sounds like you had some damping off, along with other issues. all i can say is keep reading, and most importantly keep trying. nobody became a master grower in one season.

btw, i'm going on my third year and i am still very much a novice. i'm just learning as i go. best of luck to you.

 

[geeme]

First, it would be most helpful if you could better describe specifics about what has happened, and of course, provide pics. That aside, the most common cause of young seedlings dying is too much dampness - if being too wet doesn't get them, a fungus commonly called damping off will. The most obvious symptom of damping off is a weak spot in the stem at about the level of the soil, which causes the plant first to lean and then to fall over completely. The fungus tends to stay at the surface, which is why bottom-watering is recommended - water only to a point where the soil surface doesn't become wet. It's also a good idea to run a fan on them while they're still inside and small, both to strengthen the stems and to dry out the top soil layer.

Do a search for damping off, and I'm sure you'll find a lot more info.

 

[Joseph Stalin]

First, it would be most helpful if you could better describe specifics about what has happened, and of course, provide pics. That aside, the most common cause of young seedlings dying is too much dampness - if being too wet doesn't get them, a fungus commonly called damping off will. The most obvious symptom of damping off is a weak spot in the stem at about the level of the soil, which causes the plant first to lean and then to fall over completely. The fungus tends to stay at the surface, which is why bottom-watering is recommended - water only to a point where the soil surface doesn't become wet. It's also a good idea to run a fan on them while they're still inside and small, both to strengthen the stems and to dry out the top soil layer.

Do a search for damping off, and I'm sure you'll find a lot more info.

+1

 

[Joseph Stalin]

First, it would be most helpful if you could better describe specifics about what has happened, and of course, provide pics. That aside, the most common cause of young seedlings dying is too much dampness - if being too wet doesn't get them, a fungus commonly called damping off will. The most obvious symptom of damping off is a weak spot in the stem at about the level of the soil, which causes the plant first to lean and then to fall over completely. The fungus tends to stay at the surface, which is why bottom-watering is recommended - water only to a point where the soil surface doesn't become wet. It's also a good idea to run a fan on them while they're still inside and small, both to strengthen the stems and to dry out the top soil layer.

Do a search for damping off, and I'm sure you'll find a lot more info.

+1

 

[nubster]

First, it would be most helpful if you could better describe specifics about what has happened, and of course, provide pics. That aside, the most common cause of young seedlings dying is too much dampness - if being too wet doesn't get them, a fungus commonly called damping off will. The most obvious symptom of damping off is a weak spot in the stem at about the level of the soil, which causes the plant first to lean and then to fall over completely. The fungus tends to stay at the surface, which is why bottom-watering is recommended - water only to a point where the soil surface doesn't become wet. It's also a good idea to run a fan on them while they're still inside and small, both to strengthen the stems and to dry out the top soil layer.

Do a search for damping off, and I'm sure you'll find a lot more info.

No pics, this actually happened a couple months back. Just now getting around to asking about it. What you describe is pretty much what happened. I'll read more on how to prevent it. I just didn't understand why the japs did great, I had close to 100 seedlings in total that I had to thin out to the final 50 plants I have growing now. The super hots would hit a couple inches tall and die, just like you said. Thanks for the info.

 

[geeme]

Could just be that the jalapenos managed not to get the fungus. Best wishes with your future grows!