Emergency!! They are dropping dead one after the other!

Hello there after a few months of research I decided to take the plunge and start a GG grow this year in England despite the rubbish weather and it was all going pretty well until today!

I am growing a few different outdoor strains Hollands Hope, Purple Maroc, Master Kush, Blue Cheese and a single Lowryder 2 to see how auto works out for me. Since it was my first grow I knew ev erything wouldn't be perfect so I decided to grow each baby a slightly different way to experiment for the future. Some I planted directly into the soil and some started with tissue - all had 100% germination which I was very happy about! I bought some standard John Innes multipurpose compost and also some more expensive premium compost... (which will come into the story a little later on!!)

Within 72 hours they were all in the seedling stage and the two spiked leaves were born! Two weeks later today they were doing fine... putting them in the fantastic sunshine we have been having lately and bringing them in at night when the temps drop. Today to my surprise on of my babies just fell over after inspecting it futher the stem just above soil gave way and looks as if it had been pinched... it just lay flat but had not been completely severed from the root - I sh*t myself and was very upset I thought it was just due to genetics .. all the other plants seemed fine... an hour later... another plant decided to have a kip and also gave way exactly the same as the last plant... at this point I moved all the plants out of the sun I thought it may be due to them being in hot direct sunlight ? I have been so cautious with watering since I hear its a common issue with overwatering... Ive been putting teaspoons of water each day once the top soil became dry ... maintaining a slightly moist composition throughout the soil... not sure what's happening Any advice guys??

I have taken emergency proceedures and just nipped to subway to get some straws... I have gave them a cast and hope they will recover What do you think was the initial problem??

I was gutted to notice how much better the ones in the higher quality soil are doing considering it was only £2 more to buy!! Do you think it is too late to do a transplant for the old babies in the standard soil to a new better quality medium?

See pics attached


Thank you for reading guys apologies that it is so long winded... my poor babies.. please... rescue them!!!!!

Also just to add we have had quite warm but breezy weather so maybe too much wind?!

could be a few things....bugs can clip a small stem like that....you could have also watered in the same spot around the stem too often and it rotted....they look weak and stretched ....how cold are temps at night? in farenheit degrees?....

They are brought in at night and maintain a temp of approx 68 F

i know you said you brought in a night....i am wondering why?...i doubt it is getting that cold....the wind will toughen em up and strenghten that stem....if it stays above 50 degrees at night..leave em outside ...i would prop that up with a stick and a wire and fill that pot up with potting mix up to the first set of when you water..... water thouroughly and do not water again until it is dry...not a teaspoon each day...more like 3 cups at one time maybe once a week or as needed.

Thanks for the reply! It usualy drops to a minimum of 50 F at night so I guess they should be ok? I will follow your advice on watering and hope they both recover!! Will putting such young (2weeks old) seedlings in the hot direct sun be harmful in anyway ?

I have been watering near the roots so I will avoid this and just water around the edge! Heres the difference between a Maroc planted in the premium soil and one planted in the cheaper brand ..

I would add some more soil to those pots. Bury the stem a bit more. Those stems could use the support and you will get more root growth too.

they need more light direct sun is best...find a good spot with 6plus hours direct sun and leave the there..keep em out at night goodluck

Thanks guys !!

what's happening is called "damping off" it's a soil born disease that affects mainly seedlings..

Back off on the water and try a thin layer of sand as a top dressing, jagdog here is right...you have a fungus disease. Also, I see you're using a lot of compost. Keep an eye out for fungus gnats, inspect closely after your next watering...if you see hoppity bugs I can help w/that. Just got rid of an infestation from a corrupted bag of compost here.

when inside at night allow a fan to blow on it...it will thicken that stem up....

jagdog3 said:

what's happening is called "damping off" it's a soil born disease that affects mainly seedlings..

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Thanks for this it definitely seems like this is the problem... why has it only happened to 3 plants though? I have transplanted all the seedlings to new medium and cleaned the pots... i dont think having poor moisture balance helped either

here is a pic now they have all been transplanted.. what do you think the outcome will be ? the ones that have caught this disease have they seen their days or is there a chance to recover in a new growth medium? thanks again

I've never had any luck with any seedlings that have been affected by this fungus..I've been able to keep them alive for a while but never grew and eventually died..Sunbiz1 is right about the thin layer of sand,also a thin layer of cinnamon works good..

that soil has too much bark in it... id stay away from those kind of soils in the future. they're cheap for a reason, they dont even compost em that long and often have seeds from weeds, crab grass and such in them. i'd go with a peat moss or coco based medium.

Hi guys just to update! After transplanting into better quality draining compost last night, I have woke up and they are still standing and looking ok! I will be letting the soil dry out really well before next watering to try and prevent any more babies suffering from damping off... I left them outside so hopefully that will encourage better root strenth.. I think the issue from damping off was becuase I was scared of leaving them out so brought them into the box room overnight.. where they were quite moist... no air circulation and warm temps which is perfect conditions apparenty... I was disappointed to notice a single gnat this morning at 5am... i have set up the yellow trap method and potato in soil to attract their kids .. so far so good... no sign of future kids and not seen any gnats since.. no more plants have suffered damping off (fingers crossed) and I think they seem to look okay now?? I have tied straws around the 3 which suffered damp off in an attempt to see if they recover in the new medium.. but not counting on that... if the gnats become an issue I will add sand and pesticide to try keep on top of them but it doesnt seem to be an issue at the moment - what do you think guys?? is there still hope? how long until the seedlings take to the new medium and start growing again? Thanks guys!

Also ive been told hydrogen peroxide is good for damping off to allow oxygen to reach the roots? should I try this when I next water?

Freezing then microwaving cheap compost can help to sterilize it.

Schf said:

Hi guys just to update! After transplanting into better quality draining compost last night, I have woke up and they are still standing and looking ok! I will be letting the soil dry out really well before next watering to try and prevent any more babies suffering from damping off... I left them outside so hopefully that will encourage better root strenth.. I think the issue from damping off was becuase I was scared of leaving them out so brought them into the box room overnight.. where they were quite moist... no air circulation and warm temps which is perfect conditions apparenty... I was disappointed to notice a single gnat this morning at 5am... i have set up the yellow trap method and potato in soil to attract their kids .. so far so good... no sign of future kids and not seen any gnats since.. no more plants have suffered damping off (fingers crossed) and I think they seem to look okay now?? I have tied straws around the 3 which suffered damp off in an attempt to see if they recover in the new medium.. but not counting on that... if the gnats become an issue I will add sand and pesticide to try keep on top of them but it doesnt seem to be an issue at the moment - what do you think guys?? is there still hope? how long until the seedlings take to the new medium and start growing again? Thanks guys!

Also ive been told hydrogen peroxide is good for damping off to allow oxygen to reach the roots? should I try this when I next water?

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The box was probably your culprit, usually it happens when folks use a humidity dome for new seedlings...and subsequently leave them in for too long a period. They look fine at this point. Fortunately, fungus gnats are the least harmful of all pests I have encountered. They are more of a nuisance than a real threat, although the larvae will feed on root hairs if nothing else is available.

You have to break their cycle, and there's a cheap and easy means of doing this without the use of pesticides.
http://www.amazon.com/Summit-111-5-Mosquito-Dunks-20-Pack/dp/B0002568YA

Those contain Bti, same ingredient that is/was marketed under Gnatrol. Take one of those disks, crush it up, and soak in 2 gals water overnight. Remove the material and save in a plastic bag, you can re-use it several times prior to discarding. I have been using this water as a preventative measure on even seedlings without any long-term negative effects, and it works very well.

Thank you very much! what a great community of people!! After reading up on gnats I am now a little less worried... my biggest concern is the damping off.. how easily is this fungus spread? I really hope at least a few make it to give me a chance to experience veg and flowering stages to learn more !! Thanks for the link sunbiz I will definitely look into that if lavae are detected or any more gnats are seen!!

also it appears looking at the root damage on the 3 plants that have damped off.. they do not look promising, the roots have shrunk at the part where they have gave way ... is it possible to snip clean at that point and replant in hope of new roots growing? It's a shame they look so healthy from the top