Seedlings Damping Off, help nerds!!

So i know there are plenty of threads about this subject all over RIU but I trust my nerd family the most.
Usually with a 5 pack I lose 1 or 2 to what I figure is damping off. They grow to about 1.5-2" then flop over right above the medium, either a coco/perlite mix or rockwool cubes.

My germ method is soak in ph'd water overnight then straight into ph'd watered medium. Then the solo cup or rocwool get put in a dome. After a day or 2 I turn the flouro on over the dome. Usually get 100% germ rate doing it this way. It's after it sprouts that's the problem.

So after a bunch of reading up, I figure I am keeping everything way too moist and not enough air movement.

I just got in 3 packs of beans, Pennywise, Marionberry and Conspiracy and I don't wanna lose any.

So my process for this run is gonna be the same as usual except I'm gonna clean my working area with a bleach solution first and foremost. Then once the the beans pop I will remove the top from the dome for a little less moisture and more air movement. I will let the solo cups get fairly light before giving more water.

Any thoughts from you nerds?
What are your methods for germing and getting them through the first 2 weeks of life?

thanks all!!!

Just fill a cup with potting soil, water it, then put the seed 1/8th to 1/4 deep and put it under a floro or on a window seal. You don't need a humidy dome or shit to be sterile or rockwool or anything weird.

They want light as soon as they sprout, why do you wait 2 days?
Do you have a fan going on them?
Common sense tells me to stack up a little soil around the stem before it falls over.

I just don't start seedling in coco no more that seemed to be the problem. Don't know how that is happenning in rock wool cubes as well. Like said already get regular potting soil or seed starter mix and let them grow in there.

Don't wait on the CFL. Do the entire process and give them the light asap. Clip the ends of the leaves. No problem. The light gives them energy and that converts to root development. There's no reason to wait on the light. Hit them with it. It's how the energy gets to the plant.

Bakatare666 said:

They want light as soon as they sprout, why do you wait 2 days?
Do you have a fan going on them?
Common sense tells me to stack up a little soil around the stem before it falls over.

Click to expand...

I just don't turn the light on til I can see something popping out of the medium. They don't need light while underground, no?

when you plant a seed out side does it not get sun ? I turn my light on soon as the seeds get put in there rooters I might not get 100% germ all the time but once they sprout I like never loose any and soon as they sprout I take the dome off

Dude ur overcomplicating everything, I either chuck seeds in glass of water and pot up once taproot shows, anywhere from 12 hour so 5 days, people that tell u seeds will drown after 24 hrs are lying.

or if I know I have real fresh nice seeds, I will pot straight into soil or rapid rooters.

turn light on straight away bro, or if ur about a lot as soon as the first seed can be seen popping out soil. Keep soil moist but not soaking. Keep temps around 25/80ish. U don't need a dome on seeds once sprouted, that will encourage damping off, u should only dome clones really, also keep a gentle breeze on them to stiffen stems.

ifu have lanky stems its because either u gave them light to late or not close enough, I keep my T5 within a inch or so.

id say lose the rock wool bro, I see to many people losing seeds with it.

Remember KISS

or keep it super simple, soak seed in glass of water, just plain tap water unless ur water is really bad.
once the seed has just slightly split and u can see a little of the taproot, pot up into party cup.
pre water party cup first, make sure u have plenty of drainage, don't make soil soaking wet, just moist.
plant seed about half inch down with taproot down, sprinkle a ill soil on top and press gently.
ok the party cup will not need watering for about 5 days or so, or until the seed is up and running, just spray surface of soil a little every day.
only water when cup feels light, and water till run off and then make sure excess has runoff properly and is not sitting in puddle.

Presoaking seeds is a good way to hydrate them... There are 2 causes for damp off, one is poorly made seed, the other is to much moisture... After you have popped your seeds, place the sprout into a "small" amount of medium. Start out in Rockwool for example, with a cube a little fatter then your thumb. It's hard to over water a smaller cube, as they dry out quickly. Once you get going, just drop the small cube into a big one. The same theory will apply with any medium...