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54641210d

My adenium sprouts are dying!

54641210d
10 years ago

I checked on them this morning and a few were turning black, while one was completely black and mushy!

This one, under the big healthy one, you can clearly see how it's starting to turn black:

{{gwi:342018}}

Here, circled in red, it's already completely black except for a bit of the stem, which was mush when I touched it:

{{gwi:342029}}

And these two were in different cups but look to be in the same situation!

{{gwi:342031}}

{{gwi:342033}}

What do I do? I've watered them twice a day and they're on a east facing window. It's been a bit cold out and yesterday my roommate left all the doors open while she was cleaning; could that be the reason why they're dying? They're sitting right next to a door.

Comments (11)

  • nearpass
    10 years ago

    I'm certainly no authority, but it looks to me like they are rotting quickly, perhaps because of too much water and a not very gritty mix or good drainage. A cold draft could have made that even worse.

  • longaeva54
    10 years ago

    Nearpass, you are right.
    54641210d , no water,the soil has to dry sligthly. You have to touch the soil ,if you feel it is slightly dry,then you water. Do you have holes on the bottom of the pot?

  • 54641210d
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes there are holes on the bottom. I water them whenever the top soil begins to dry out (when I wake up in the AM), and again in the afternoon. I guess that's too much?

    Can I save any of them? And how?

  • Marie Tran
    10 years ago

    546, I hope they do well for you....
    I am not sure of the reason....

  • rcharles_gw (Canada)
    10 years ago

    Looks to me also to be a moisture issue. I would think watering twice daily might be a bit much unless you live in a very hot climate.
    I prefer to have my seedling soil level to be 1/2 " at the most from the top of container to allow for good air flow. Those look in photo to be fairly low.
    The moisture and cool temps without a lot of good sunlight will contribute to this issue.
    Do not let this get you discouraged. Dry back a bit and keep warm. There is a lot of enjoyment growing these.
    Rick

  • sav111155
    10 years ago

    I saw a video on Youtube, and it appeared that the lady was sticking the seeds on end and pushing into the soil. I lay mine flat. Should they be put on end? Also, I am only having about a 60% success rate of growing them longer than one to two months. They either shrivel and die, or simply fall over with no root. Can anyone give me some pointers? Blessings, Stephen

  • longaeva54
    10 years ago

    Seeds can lay flat and if they fall over without roots,it is a fungus.
    Next time use sterile soil and before sowing seeds ,water with fungicide.

  • teyo
    10 years ago

    Your potting mix seems very water retentive, and twice a day watering is definitely too much...
    Also, as longaeva said, add fungicide to water at first.
    Seeds should be laid flat unless you know exactly how they were oriented in the seed pod, in which case you'd know which side the root is on.

  • MRI_Guy
    10 years ago

    My initial (and only) watering of my soilless seed-starting mix is done using Actinovate Organic Fungicide. It works well for me and prevents the deadly "damping-off" fungus from starting. It is sometimes difficult to keep fungus from forming in a high humidity seed germinator environment, but using sterilized seed starter mix and fungicide works for me.

    Scott

  • 54641210d
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks guys. I'll look into the fungicide. At first I planted them in a mix of perlite and cactus soil (50/50) but the water drained out so quickly, I thought the seedlings weren't getting enough! So I switched to 100% cactus soil and watered more. A rookie mistake on my part.

    And I keep forgetting to leave my name at the end!

    Josette

  • 54641210d
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I found out why my sprouts were dying. I didn't sterilize the soil before planting and the sprouts were infected. When I touched them, they were squishy and many of them had green tops but brown stems. According to Kalachuchi's experience, it was fungal growth (under "Disaster"). Mystery solved!

    -Josette

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kalachuchi's Adenium post

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