|
| we still have snow on the ground here in canada, and my seedlings are not doing very well. it seems back when i first started gardening, not knowing what i was doing, it was easier then now, maybe im trying too hard? i got some nice neon grow lights, making sure to keep the plants as close to the bulb without touching. but my plants just arent doing that well it seems. the stems are super thick and solid, but i have almost no leaves. also the color on my leaves is very dark green. my mom brought me some of her plants this weekend. she's got very minimal lighting, her plants are leggy and falling over, but beautiful bright green leaves. see pictures, 3 of the nice tall ones are hers, the rest are mine. im using seeding soil and watering with melted snow water since i had a hard time last year too, and we had a water softener installed. I did over water a bit but cut back. any idea what is going on?? |
This post was edited by tinabanana on Fri, Apr 25, 14 at 13:00
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| That's odd! Are your light bulbs old? Are you growing them in a cold basement? What kind of soil? My lights are in my basement and it's only around 50 degrees, but I am able to bring my seedlings upstairs during the day and put them on a sunny windowsill. Now that I have too many seedlings for them all to go under the lights, I notice that the ones that don't get the cold treatment are taller... Linda |
|
- Posted by tinabanana (My Page) on Fri, Apr 25, 14 at 13:05
| the bulbs are not old, this is the second year im using them. i dont think they are too cold, they are in front of the patio door getting sun most of the day, on top of the lights. i keep the house at 22c in the day and 20c at night. so 70-73f. soil is seed starting miracle grow. i dont like anything miracle grow but it was the only seed soil i found. |
|
| That is baffling. Do you remember what light bulbs you have? It used to be recommended to use one cool and one daylight, but now it seems that people prefer the "daylight" ones. I don't like MG either, but at least it has some nutrients in it. The only other thing I can think of is chlorinated water. If you have it, do you let it sit for a few hours before watering? Linda |
|
| Sorry, I should have re-read your message again before responding. Do you warm up the snow water before watering the seedlings? Linda |
|
- Posted by tinabanana (My Page) on Sat, Apr 26, 14 at 9:49
| they are 6400k bulbs, these are the lights here http://www.amazon.com/EnviroGro-2Ft-Tube-Fixture-Bulbs-FLT22/dp/B0031CA3OM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1398519910&sr=8-13&keywords=grow+lights+hydrofarm++2 yes the 'snow' water is a few days old before i use it. completely room temperature. i think its the light....my broccoli's color is looking really dark and unhealthy as well. the only thing that looks good is the salad. is 6400k what is recommended? |
|
| they are in front of the patio door getting sun most of the day, on top of the lights. Do you mean in addition to the lights or really "on top of the lights"? Sitting on top of the light? That will cook the roots if that is what you mean. Since you are using a T5 fixture, they put put out far more heat and light intensity so they shouldn't sit as close to the plants as the old T12 fixtures did. Instead keep it 6-8" above the plants. Paper pots encourage over-watering since they dry out so quickly. Personally I would transplant the plants into plastic pots like your mom's - much better moisture control. And feed them. Dave |
|
- Posted by tinabanana (My Page) on Sat, Apr 26, 14 at 10:32
| the shelve is in front of the patio door, in addition to the t5 being really close to the plants. maybe too close from what your saying. the bulbs are 24w. maybe i will ditch the paper pots, they just seam like a good way to transplant. i had a look at the plants again, and my leaves are really weird. they are small and all curled up. instead of nice and flat like my moms. i posted more pics |
|
- Posted by tinabanana (My Page) on Sat, Apr 26, 14 at 10:33
| another pic |
|
- Posted by tinabanana (My Page) on Sat, Apr 26, 14 at 10:34
| another pic |
|
| Interesting what Dave says about paper pots. I used them too, along with the last of my peat pots, one small plastic pot and one small plastic yoghurt container. I noticed that the seedlings in the two plastic containers did better than the ones in the newspaper or peat pots and I thought I had kept them well-watered. So much for recycling newspaper! Linda |
|
| The yellow leaves and curled/twisted leaves in your last pic are typical of over-watered plants. Dave |
|
- Posted by tinabanana (My Page) on Sat, Apr 26, 14 at 12:13
| i know i over watered, funny how you forget from one year to the next. as well, i was away on vacation for a week, so i put water in the bottom of the tray and had some one stop by mid week to add more water. they seemed pretty good when i got back, actually a bit better then when i left! so this is the 3rd week of less water, do you think they will recover? i transplanted all the plants to new plastic pots, buried to their necks in MG seed mix. Positive thing, the roots on all my plants are crazy big. the roots on my moms plant were almost non existent. as well another possible problem i noticed when transplanting, i never opened the new MG seed mix, i was being cheap and using up the last of my plain potting mix. ill keep you guys posted! thanks for the feedback. |
|
| I have killed seedlings by overfertilizing. I notice in your OP that you mentioned fertilizing??? |
|
- Posted by tinabanana (My Page) on Sat, Apr 26, 14 at 13:14
| i mentioned NOT fertilized. one more question. i have not used it, but does anyone use softened water? i always avoided using it....excess salt,...iduno?? |
|
| Thanks for updating us. How interesting that the roots on your plants were better than the roots on your mother's plants! I bet they will take off now that you have transplanted them into the enriched potting mix! I use softened water on my seedlings and it doesn't seem to be a problem. Linda |
|
| OK, sorry, did not see any punctuation after 'did not fertilize.' I read it, 'did not fertilize after a few days under the grow lights.' |
|
- Posted by tinabanana (My Page) on Mon, Apr 28, 14 at 9:54
| i cant believe it but all my tomato plants look amazing already! all the leaves have uncurled, they have a nice bright green and they are just beautiful! i left a few things in paper and peat pots and sure enough they are sooo dry compared to everything in plastic. you guys are great on here! |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Growing Tomatoes Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
