Hummph.. I wanna cry or have a hissy fit.

17 years ago

I knew it, I just knew it.

I can't keep anything alive. I was SO THRILLED when my first batch of rose seeds spouted in the frige. I babied them, potted them up, babied them, did I mention I babied them?

They were doing very good, I moved them out into my greenhouse.. everything fine.

Over the last 3 days I have had them start wilting.

Either I:

have a case of damp off, but I thought it affected the very young seedlings only

I fertilized them too much. I was only using 1/4 tsp to 1/2 gallon of water, and they were getting just a splash here and there.

Bummer.

Any input or ideas as to what the problem is?

I was using water/peroxide mix while they were in the house.

Outside I was just using water.

Do you think that was the problem?

I have read Captan can help with damp off. Do you just dust the soil of the pots the seedlings are in? Is it expensive or go by any other names?

Any help appreciated.

Marleah

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Comments (6)

michelle_co
17 years ago
Did you figure anything out with your seedlings? I have no advice, but am interested to know how this worked out for you.

Only two of my seeds sprouted, they are OK so far. They have been living outside during the day since they had 4 leaves (tough love).

Cheers,
Michelle
gardenfanatic2003
17 years ago
I think too much fertilizer would cause discoloration on the leaves, not wilting. Maybe a sudden temp change or sunlight change caused by the move to the greenhouse? My understanding of damp off is that they suddenly keel over, not just wilt. How old were the seedlings, and how long had they been in the greenhouse?

I understand your frustration. :-(

Deanna
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garystpaul
17 years ago
Did they get a sudden exposure to too much light? Cut out the fertilizer entirely or, if you absolutely must, 1/4 tsp (e.g. of 20-20-20). Keep them in a humid environment but not wet. GaryStPaul
mmmgonzo
Original Author
17 years ago
Update:

they all have died.
I think it was damp off. They would be ok then the stems would be weak and they would keel over.

I carefully removed them from the peat pellets the 2nd batch was in and replanted them in seed starting mix .. maybe I will have better luck this way.

I was probably keeping things too wet.
Just frustrating.

At this point I think I will never see any bloom.
I am tempted to keep them outdoors also Michele. I did better with my cuttings in the spring putting them outside. I noticed in the spring overwintered cuttings would die of rot about now. Probably too humid/wet conditions for some.

I may invest in some captan also. I will have to see how much it is :)

Marleah
jrmankins
17 years ago
roses are just so sensitive to wet feet all their lives. i root the cuttings in straight sand. perhaps you could pot up seeds in a heavy sand mix, to help insure good drainage.
michelle_co
17 years ago
FWIW, mine were grown in peat pellets, and potted up in regular light potting mix (no fertilizer). They are kept damp all the time, not sitting in water, but pretty damp.

Maybe climate is a factor? I keep my potted roses damp. The climate here is very dry. If I don't water daily (twice a day if it's really hot out), the pots will dry out completely.

I did have better luck with my peat pellets in general this year, and I wonder if it has to do with pouring boiling water over them to sterilize before planting into them? It's something I will be consistent about doing in the future - as I've had no damp-off in the things I've grown from seed.

Cheers,
Michelle