Seedlings dying shortly after popping up (PICS)

I have grown before successfully so this has me a little baffled.

I'm using Baccto Pro Mix, CFL's for veg, room temp is between 70 and 80* and humidity ranges between 30 and 50%.

A week ago I planted 9 seeds. All sprouted and all of them died. I suspected that I had the lights too close so I moved them up to 8" away and planted 2 more seeds. The same thing happened. Here are the pictures of what they do.... they lean over and eventually die.

I just moved to a new place so I cant imagine what the problem could be.

The first seedlings lasted 3 or 4 days before dying and I saw 0 growth. I am baffled. I have some fem seeds on order and I need to fix this problem before I plant them.

Last time I used Aquafina purified water and it worked well. This time I tried some different water. It's ph'd right so I dont know.

Here are some pics..





My lights ... it's not heat because they are 8 inches away and when I put my hand over the seedling there is 0 heat.



The new water I tried.



What would make seedlings do this?? Thanks for any help.

how much are u watering? over watering seedlings is a common mistake... Add a fan to your room because its important to have fresh air flow. If they fall over take a tooth pick and a bread tie and stand them up. Experiment with other containers, those peat pot may be your prob. Good luck to you man! Oh, I forgot to mention... A weak nutrient solution thats high in phosphorous. it will promote healthy root development and give seedlings a boost if the need one.

Hillbilly420 said:

how much are u watering? over watering seedlings is a common mistake... Add a fan to your room because its important to have fresh air flow. If they fall over take a tooth pick and a bread tie and stand them up. Experiment with other containers, those peat pot may be your prob. Good luck to you man! Oh, I forgot to mention... A weak nutrient solution thats high in phosphorous. it will promote healthy root development and give seedlings a boost if the need one.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the feedback. I've actually thought that the peat pots may be the problem because they are one of the few things that's different. I have a fan bringing fresh air into the room so that's not the issue.

I'm going to Germ 2 more seeds and plant them in different containers and use captured rain water instead of the water I'm using now. Thanks again.

that soil looks dry.

thats what i was thinking, peat pots dry out faster.


The stem looks solid and overwatering can sometimes cause the stems to mush at this stage? looks like a seeling that needs water to me?

fdd2blk said:

that soil looks dry.

Click to expand...

That soil looks shite to me. If they are stretching that much, that young its becuase the lights arnt close enough so they may actually telling you to bring them closer. You want a fan (a small one) blowing on the actual seedlings from the moment they pop, this will ensure a sturdy stem.

Could be a few diff things, If I were you I'd get better soil, possibly some finer stuff and do what I said above. Usually the hardest thing is getting them to sprout. Remeber because they have nil roots to keep the soil moist until the second true set of leaves spread out, then start making the roots search for water.

Water the top part of the soil daily maybe more than once, do a drench maybe every third day. The soil you have look like it wouldnt hold onto much nutrient (which is good at this stage) or water.

wbinwv said:

Thank you for the feedback. I've actually thought that the peat pots may be the problem because they are one of the few things that's different. I have a fan bringing fresh air into the room so that's not the issue.

I'm going to Germ 2 more seeds and plant them in different containers and use captured rain water instead of the water I'm using now. Thanks again.

Click to expand...

Forgot to mention, good idea with the diff pots and rainwater, spot on. Although the peat shouldnt realy be a problem, I'm thinking definately that soil should be changed.

Those little peat pots are just fine for growing. I used to buy the stacks of 15 pots and I never had a problem with them. Looks to me that light might need to be closer, how many cfl's do you have in that ballast? Haven't ever heard of that Pro Mix but those mixes are usually pretty good for seedlings. Are you using any nutrients? Have you checked your ph?

yea they p.pots are good you just have to keep an eye out, i like to pick them up and see how they feel!

Yeah those peat moss cups suck....dry out really fast...As far as water, i just let a jug of water sit out for a day...open and i have had no probs....and yes definately a fan for ventilation...if your using cfl's the lights shoud be about 3 to 4 inches away from plant top...If its to hot for your hand, its to hot for the plant...

used peat pots once mine did the same never again

Once again peat moss cups are fine, you just need to make sure they stay moist enough so that they do not dry out. A fan will be needed. Depending on the temp of your grow area and the size of your cfl bulbs, they can remain within an inch of the plant without burning it. The further from the plant your cfl's are, the more stretching in between nodes. In general, if holding your hand in front of the bulb burns your hand then its too close to the plant.

if you dont have time to check water three times a day i would not use these pots

dont use soil with white chunks of slow release ferts. its the lazy mans way and will cause many problems down the line. the plants dont like it either. you might try making a humidity dome to keep your soil from drying out too fast as well. The young plants like 80-90% humidity until they develop some substance. just dont let your soil get waterlogged.

When I have seedlings really young I will just use a spray bottle and give the soil a good spraying once a day (not crazy with it though). Gets the job done.