Stalled seedlings, what am I doing wrong?

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Scotty420

Scotty420

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I'd make the call and start all over bro, I have a few freebie packs I got recently I'll probably never get to... I'll send one your way if interested.
That's amazing of you to offer, this community has been sooo generous with all the help. I will say I'm a little afraid to use non feminized seeds, and I don't want to take seeds I'm not 100% sure I'll use. But seriously super nice of you to offer.

And I don't think I can give up on them, but I'm not counting on them either. I've already started germinating more & I've been watching Greenpoint reverse auctions for another steal. But basically I've got 5 2 gallon pots, best 5 plants get spots.
 
E

elusiveshame

1,323
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I’d personally give up on them and start over.

Your seedlings look like they’re 1.5 days old after 2.5 weeks, and your soil doesn’t look healthy either IMO.

I’d start with 1 or 2 seeds instead of 5+ until you can get them a little further.

Seedlings don’t need tons of water. You can give them enough to get the roots wet, but there’s no need to soak the entire cup until the plant starts getting bigger (especially if you’re watering til run off - waste of soil nutrients).
 
Scotty420

Scotty420

96
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I’d personally give up on them and start over.

Your seedlings look like they’re 1.5 days old after 2.5 weeks, and your soil doesn’t look healthy either IMO.

I’d start with 1 or 2 seeds instead of 5+ until you can get them a little further.

Seedlings don’t need tons of water. You can give them enough to get the roots wet, but there’s no need to soak the entire cup until the plant starts getting bigger (especially if you’re watering til run off - waste of soil nutrients).
Most of them aren't that old, in fact after looking I didn't even post a pic of the one plant that's 2.5 weeks, granted it's not where it should be either. Of the pictured plants the one with the damaged cotyledon is like 8 days from sprouting(that one probably won't make it), the other 2 are like 6 days & the last 1 is 1 day old. And I'm basically in the process of kinda starting over, I just don't see the point in trashing them until I can grow something that does better. I mean I don't think they're hurting anything down there.

But if they get passed by new plants they're gone. I will say it's somewhat promising that the one I got from Greenpoint looks the same at 1 day as the others do at 1 week. Just going to change watering practices & see if they recover. Already have 2 more of the Greenpoint seeds soaking to go into dirt probably tomorrow.
 
J

JoirsJea

5
3
Most of them aren't that old, in fact after looking I didn't even post a pic of the one plant that's 2.5 weeks, granted it's not where it should be either. Of the pictured plants the one with the damaged cotyledon is like 8 days from sprouting(that one probably won't make it), the other 2 are like 6 days & the last 1 is 1 day old. And I'm basically in the process of kinda starting over, I just don't see the point in trashing them until I can grow something that does better. I mean I don't think they're hurting anything down there.

But if they get passed by new plants they're gone. I will say it's somewhat promising that the one I got from Greenpoint looks the same at 1 day as the others do at 1 week. Just going to change watering practices & see if they recover. Already have 2 more of the Greenpoint seeds soaking to go into dirt probably tomorrow.
Remember that overwatering is about frequency and not the amount administered per watering. Your plants will absolutely love a wet-dry cycle, don't fret too much on letting your soil get dry a bit. Better to slightly underwater than to overwater.
Edit: Also stop watering with distilled unless you're mixing something that will dissolve out of the tap. If you're worried about chlorine then let your water evaporate for 24 hours. You should also measure EC instead of ppms.
 
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N1ghtL1ght

N1ghtL1ght

Staff
Supporter
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Some fungus leave poisonous toxins which can quickly kill a young sprout, usually well-composted soil is fine-grained, has a darker blackish colour and a scent of earth like outside in the woods. When it attracts fungus so quickly it's usually a sign of not being composted well, it's when manufacturers want to cut on time/production costs. These soils can also fix nitrogen instead of releasing it, and with soil, the medium is most important to work well together with your culture.

About your watering habbits, with soil you just soak it after planting the seed, and then not again, for, at least, a week - until the pot has become light. It's most easy to go by weight, and you can also take 1 time the risk (in veg) to let the plant droop (from drought) to see how light the pots really actually become. As this can be quite different for a soil when these are made from various ingredients.
 
Y

yobbocrack

248
63
man those look nasty your trying too hard with all that water and top cups too humidify it are not needed...that top mold says it all.
 
Bilber

Bilber

1,408
263
Most of them aren't that old, in fact after looking I didn't even post a pic of the one plant that's 2.5 weeks, granted it's not where it should be either. Of the pictured plants the one with the damaged cotyledon is like 8 days from sprouting(that one probably won't make it), the other 2 are like 6 days & the last 1 is 1 day old. And I'm basically in the process of kinda starting over, I just don't see the point in trashing them until I can grow something that does better. I mean I don't think they're hurting anything down there.

But if they get passed by new plants they're gone. I will say it's somewhat promising that the one I got from Greenpoint looks the same at 1 day as the others do at 1 week. Just going to change watering practices & see if they recover. Already have 2 more of the Greenpoint seeds soaking to go into dirt probably tomorrow.
For what it's worth......

In the beginning, struggles of growing were accepted by me...I didn't know anything.....truthfully, don't tell anyone, I still don't know anything about growing....

Yes....basics, cool...light, air, and food....

But then there's the very often missed basics.....temp, rh, ratios of nutes.....

My point being...I did not have, nor do I have, an optimal environment....

I fight here and there to get it dialed in with what I have........BUT..........

White powdery shit sucks....any kind of mold SCARES me....I would toss um all and clean/sterilize the room....

As I hope everyone, including and especially newcomers, look around and listen to the advice on this site...it always amazes me the knowledge floating around these rooms.....

I am fairly new to growing....can I grow...yes....should you take my word for it.....maybe, maybe not.....

Fans are very important....lights.....for sure.....charcoal filter....preference.....plant training.....again, preference.....

But please don't make my mistake by not sterilizing everything after the introduction of ANY type of mold....

And bugs....let's leave that one alone for now.......

I'll be rooting for your grow........
 
simonkay

simonkay

295
63
Seeds, NO DOMES.

Clones, DOMES UNTIL ROOTED.

seeds have roots off the start they do not need domes and as seen if you do use domes it will usually cause issues.

lights need to be absolutely minimal with clones as it drives transpirational demands.

with seeds they can handle more light but your still best off giving minimal lights until the first true leaves.
Do you have to keep to a certain humidity when waiting for seeds to pop?
 
Scotty420

Scotty420

96
33
OK so I have some more questions & I figured this would be a good place to go with them. For soil growers how do you recommend setting up the pots for seedlings? I'm using plain Happy Frog which seems to be pretty wet, I have it in a plastic tote with a lid & it actually grows mycorrhizae on top of the soil in the tote. So when I planted my latest sprouts didn't add water to the soil, I just filled the cup straight from the tub & added about an ounce of water to the seed site, thinking the soil already was pretty moist.

So I guess my question is should I be saturating the soil completely before planting? Or is that going to lead to possible issues with overwatering or is just adding a little to the seed site not giving them enough?
 
steamroller

steamroller

1,815
263
I like to sprout in solo cups with drainage holes.
It makes it easier to water the little one and not need to soak the whole 'pot' completely.
I have used FF Ocean Forrest but always start my seeds in a starter soil like Coast of Maine seed starter and then give them the fortified soil when repotting. They can be upotted by week 3 easy if all goes well. That is when most start to feed, so works well IMO.
Smaller is easier for seedlings IMO.
 
Scotty420

Scotty420

96
33
So it feels like I'm still going through the same thing again. Had a sprout pop up Sunday, and it just really hasn't progressed much. Here it is Tuesday & then today.
IMG 20230314 215659 01

20230317 083429


Trying to go by weight, when I fill a cup with soil before watering they all weigh 230-235g. I've been varying the water on initial planting to see what works best. On this one I added 1/2 oz which wieghed about 250g. I didn't water until Tuesday outside of spritzing the seed site before it sprouted to keep it moist. By Tuesday it was back down to 230g so I watered. I was only able to get it to about 245g before I started getting a decent amount of runoff so I stopped. This morning I was back down to 225g so I watered again, but I could only get up to about 238g before I was getting runoff.

The thing that I really can't understand is that I put one in dirt Tuesday (it was popping up this morning) & I added more water to this one. Basically an oz, weighed about 270g. Is it normal that my soil would lose that much capacity to hold water? I can get a fresh sample to hold 270g with no runoff & a week later I can't get over 240g? Should I be worried that it isn't really growing? I have 1 100W light at 40% that I moved from 30" to 36" last night, I'm almost daring her to stretch.
 
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Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
Plant then as soon as they pop about 1/4” deep.

moisten the soil first… all of it. No shot glasses or crazy stuff. Just water until runoff and let it drain. Plant 1/4” deep and leave it. Sit on your hands for at minimum 4-5 days to week before even looking at them. Dont even open the door to the room they are in

too much tinkerin… more plants die to love than neglect.
 

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