Seedlings keep stalling

sonar lot of good suggestions here. i killed a bunch of seeds w a terrible fungus gnat infestation in ffof. i would try a seedling heating mat, some liquid soluable mycos, and if you re willing to try a different mix some ff light warrior(sterilize it if bugs are a concern). if the pots are on the floor raise them up a bit on a table. i have a big band started in pots with ffof on bottom half then top half w the light warrior. only been a couple days but so far so good. yeah its been a long winter...

Thanks for the replies guys. I hit them up with a light feeding and it looks like they perked up a little bit. Maybe the was part of the problem. Like I said I've been using promix for probably close to 5 years now and never had to feed a seedling until 2-3 weeks in. I also started 2 more seeds in a 50/50 promix and coir just in case. I used to use coir all the time for mushrooms, but never for my plants. I upgraded to 600w back in the fall I believe, and wanted to get a scrog going. Maybe find a good mom and run clones to get some better yields. I'e been strictly an outdoor guy up until about a year ago, so running plants start to finish inside is pretty new. Up until then, I only ever started my plants inside for a few weeks until they went out the woods.

cool, im glad to hear your having some better luck sonar, I firmly beleive that that shitty ass soil was at fault, not your technique or skill. i have had the same types of problems growing in garbage soil like that and i have been groiwng indoor/outdoor for almost 15 years now. i use strictly PROMIX for seedlings now although there are other good soils out there but for me, promix is best as an all around type thing for me.

I agree I've been growing in promix or similar peat based mixes since I started. I use it indoors and outdoors. I finally found a place nearby that sells the big bales for under $30. That's part of the reason I was so taken back when things turned to shit. If anything, I thought I had my seed germination and early veg routine down pat.

sonar said:

I agree I've been growing in promix or similar peat based mixes since I started. I use it indoors and outdoors. I finally found a place nearby that sells the big bales for under $30. That's part of the reason I was so taken back when things turned to shit. If anything, I thought I had my seed germination and early veg routine down pat.

Click to expand...

This thread has induced me to use my current bales of ProMixBX with great caution. I am happy to say that all of my seedlings appear to be thriving. I am, however watching them more closely than I have in years! So far, so good.

Well I can't put all the blame on my soil. I been doing this long enough to know what a hungry plant looks like. It's just never had to feed seedlings before during the FIRST week so I ruled that out.

You are right though about the quality. It has gone down in recent years. Full of twigs and sticks. Makes me wonder if before, there were trace amounts of nutes in the mix, but for whatever reason they started using inferior or cheaper ingredients. Or maybe I'm just getting fucking old and forgot that in fact I was lightly feeding them early on the past couple years.

I used to use Sun Gro products (pro-mix, #4)
I learned recently that Sun Gro had reached the lower depths of their bog.
All the peat comes from Canada and Sunshine mixes are from one large bog which has reached the bottom.
Sunshine now has a Rainforest blend. It has bark and other shit in it.
That is a sign they are running out of decent products.
Apparently they sold a very large contract to the Russians and peat quality and inventory are low.
I used #4 for two years. I got the big 3.8 cu ft bales.
I had similar problems with several seedlings this past winter.
I recently switched to Berger BM6. It is a peat/perlite base also.
I soak my medium in organic liquid kelp with extremely low NPK. That is what I start seedlings in.
I have been super impressed with growth since then.
It is the same as Sunshine #4.
It is sold in 3.8 cu ft bales as well. They cost only $30 though, so a bit cheaper than Sunshine.

Hey sonar! dont know if you got the ball rolling yet? but i was thinking could it be your water? when a water main busted in my area afterwords the water was complete shit and had me stumped.... just a thought. hope things go well man!

As a few others have mentioned trying mixing up the soil. From experience, we've got batches of soil at my work where the soil is well known for its quality but a bag is shit. you don't know what that bag of soil has been through before it even reached your hands. Get some new soil like sunshine 4 or even a new thing of promix and add some worm castings. Worm castings seem to make everything thrive and grow.

Wavels said:

Got me stumped!
Wow that is most unfortunate, I have used ProMix for years and have never seen anything like that happen.
How far away are they from the bulbs... although this does not seem to be a cause of your lack of growth...if the little plants are not growing, they cannot stretch!
You temps cannot be a problem...

I use t-5s and or 4 foot floros or even sometimes CFLs to start my seedlings...

The only deduction I can come to is that something is wrong with your ProMix...I have no clue as to what it may be?? Cooties? Regardless, I would stop using it...

If you can, get a fresh bag of JiffyMix seed starter, or at least a fresh bag of something other than what you seem to be having problems with.

Good Luck.

Click to expand...

He did not use pro mix this time. He said he used NewbieMix and saved him $5.

sonar said:

I have no idea what the problem is since I haven't changed anything in years. Still use my T5 lights and 1 quart grow bags or solo cups of promix. I really think it is something humidity related.



Here are the current two. If these die I am going to wait until it gets a little warmer out to crack any more seeds as it is costing quite a bit of money.
View attachment 3032442
View attachment 3032443

Click to expand...

Huuhhh? Whaat?
The OP say he was using ProMix...


FWIW my latest batch of ProMix seedlings( I was watching like a hawk,'cuz of this thread, are goin' like gangbusters)
No problems with my ProMix....so far...