Help please

[Loretta68]

My seedlings are bending over and I don't know what to do. A few have went on to wilt and die. I thought it was due to overwatering or giving to much nutrient to soon.
Started in peat pods, started off strong.

Transplanted to 1 gal pots to soon (newbie mistake) I used Dr. JMzs Chicken Soup for the Soil, his Tomato Secret, and Endo/Ecto Micorrhizae followed the instructions on the site, except I reduced the amount of Tomato Secret to about 1/2 cup per plant. Nonetheless they did good for a few days outdoors...till our weather drastically changed so I brought them back inside to my porch...put a heater on them and maintained 68-79 degrees. The humidity went down between 27-33 after putting in a humidifier.

1 by one they have started bending over, off another site I found that it might be a fungi in my soil? (organic top soil from the woods and the PH was neutral .

I didn't add anything to the soil in the beginning but because I thought my soil was compacted. I bought some Miracle Gro Perlite and and got some potash gently scraped the soil back with a fork and and worked it in...I only watered the plants that needed it (used a moisture checker) .

I was thinking about flushing them and watering in some Root Protector. Do you think fungi is the issue?

Thank you.

 

[Pepperhead]

Pics ?

 

[Pbass]

Hiya @Loretta68 pictures would help. Often times it's overwatering that kills new seedlings, or light is too far from plant and they get too long of a stem, they cant support themselves. Also, no nutes needed for weeks after sprouting. That'll burn them right up also. CHeers mate, gl to your grow!

 

[Loretta68]

Pics ?

I will upload some.

 

[Loretta68]

Hiya @Loretta68 pictures would help. Often times it's overwatering that kills new seedlings, or light is too far from plant and they get too long of a stem, they cant support themselves. Also, no nutes needed for weeks after sprouting. That'll burn them right up also. CHeers mate, gl to your grow!

Pics added. Pic #3 was setting on top of the soil yesterday, the changes mentioned above I did with the perlite seem to help this one, it grew a bunch overnight! Also note that I know they look dry cause I added a little soil to the top because some of the pods were showing. Thanks again!

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

Welcome. How did you measure your soil pH? I have a suspicion that the soil chemistry is your problem.

 

[Pbass]

That helps @Loretta68 If you added soil to the top of those and the stems are actually longer, I'd venture guess you are using a small light or it is very high and they stretched too far, are now having a hard time with everything because of that. You can put something in there like a straw or a stick to help them stand up for sure!

If the soil under the new soil is soaking wet and has never really dried out since you started, I'd guess overwatering is your issue. If the soil is as dry all the way around those plants as it looks on the tops, you need to water! On top of that, I'd not be giving them nutes for a while yet. Too small, you'll burn them up!

I'd prop up the droopers and let them dry out if they are wet, give them some straight water if they are dry.

 

[Pbass]

I only watered the plants that needed it (used a moisture checker) .

I didn't see this. Those moisture testers are good tools but for baby plants they aren't going to tell you much. A small plant in a big pot like that needs lots of small waterings because the roots are only in a very small area of that pot, and the water is tending to go to areas it's not. If the soil is dry a inch down around a 2 inch circumference around the plant, I bet you are starving them. Just a guess though!

 

[Loretta68]

Welcome. How did you measure your soil pH? I have a suspicion that the soil chemistry is your problem.

I used Rapid Soil tester, Tested the soil for PH N P and K. The soild tested fine for PH-Neutral, the other three test never registered. So went to the site and they said wait a full 24 hours before testing to all the soil to settle, etc,,,,still the same results, then I bought a probe meter tester that measured, light,, moisture and PH, still the PH came out at 7.

 

[Loretta68]

I didn't see this. Those moisture testers are good tools but for baby plants they aren't going to tell you much. A small plant in a big pot like that needs lots of small waterings because the roots are only in a very small area of that pot, and the water is tending to go to areas it's not. If the soil is dry a inch down around a 2 inch circumference around the plant, I bet you are starving them. Just a guess though!

I am going to water them today. Just being new at this has me in a panic as to what to do water? don't water? feed? dont feed,,,lol I laugh so I don't cry..hehehe

 

[Loretta68]

I used Rapid Soil tester, Tested the soil for PH N P and K. The soild tested fine for PH-Neutral, the other three test never registered. So went to the site and they said wait a full 24 hours before testing to all the soil to settle, etc,,,,still the same results, then I bought a probe meter tester that measured, light,, moisture and PH, still the PH came out at 7.

Also Im using well water which I havent tested the PH in that yet.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

Well water can make a huge impact on your nutrient/soil pH. My well is 400ppm TDS, and very alkali (Ca/Mg) here in western foothills. The only way to test soil for ph is with a quality pH meter and a saturated paste made with DI water. Measure your watering needs by pot weight. Multimeters are not to be depended on.

 

[Pbass]

Multimeters are not to be depended on

I'm pretty wet around the ears myself yet, but I'm not sure I agree entirely with this. I'd say they aren't very precise, but I wouldn't say they aren't dependable. My little soil wand lets me know when my pH is creeping up compared to the last time I checked it...no matter how accurate the number it says, it helps as long as I compare the this set of data to the same tool's data from last test.

I tested my well water with a pool tester, it runs about 7.5-7.8 (yellow lol), so I add a tablespoon of vinegar to every gallon of water I serve with or without nutes. I use the wand to see where this leaves my soil, which reads right around 7. If I see it creeping up, I know my soil is getting hot, but the vinegar seems to be adiquate, so I just roll with that.

I'm sticking with watering issues and light too high/not bright enough being your big problem here. Also, watch those big temp fluccuations. Our girls don't like quick 10-15 degree changes in any direction very well, and will tell you in various ways.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

I'm pretty wet around the ears myself yet, but I'm not sure I agree entirely with this. I'd say they aren't very precise, but I wouldn't say they aren't dependable.

You can use some to show trends.

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

On multi meters: it's near impossible to build a probe that is multi-functional. So, it's not the meter, it's the probe that goes into your sample that is problematic. The only meter used in a soils lab is a pH meter. Everything else is wet chemistry analysis. The soil sample is dissolved(in hot sulfuric acid for total N) and then the solution is analyzed. If meters worked well, farmers would not send samples to a soils lab.

 

[Pbass]

I'm totally down with the questionable accuracy and reliability of anything cheap and easy Bush Doctor 77, on the other hand lab generated soil analysis and expensive measuring tools are going beyond what's necessary to grow lots of just fine weed to me. Also depending on what meter we are talking about, I don't think testing moisture is probably that complex and even a semi accurate result showing a new grower what's puddling up at the bottom of their pot is a good thing, same with the light meter...pretty much shows you this is what you get this close, this is what you get this far away..not rocket science! Concerning the soil nutrient analysis, I haven't seen the need for the soil test kit yet myself. Not sure why I would really...

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

I'm totally down with the questionable accuracy and reliability of anything cheap and easy Bush Doctor 77, on the other hand lab generated soil analysis and expensive measuring tools are going beyond what's necessary to grow lots of just fine weed to me. Also depending on what meter we are talking about, I don't think testing moisture is probably that complex and even a semi accurate result showing a new grower what's puddling up at the bottom of their pot is a good thing, same with the light meter...pretty much shows you this is what you get this close, this is what you get this far away..not rocket science! Concerning the soil nutrient analysis, I haven't seen the need for the soil test kit yet myself. Not sure why I would really...

Testing moisture is easy, almost, and I plum forgot about light meter, but that was never in any of the soil labs where I worked. We did air dry moisture in the lab where you measure weight loss. My post was about multi-meters, where more than one parameter is measured with one probe.

 

[Loretta68]

@Bush Doctor 77 @Pbass
I have been using the "one knuckle" test too.
Yes to poor lighting is probably a huge issue. Just a cheap grow light.
I'll be glad when winter decides to finally go away.

Its hard to believe that the soil we got from the woods had no N P K. It is dark, rich, didn't feel like it would compact very easily. Should I water the plant till it comes out the bottom, or just keep giving small drinks?

I started another batch of seeds to which all germinated strong, put them in the pods and they shot up 3 inches overnight. I looked at the roots and the one that shot up like that have 1 root coming out the bottom of the pod. Should I go ahead and move them to 1 gallons and leave the light low? Can I just use a regular lamp for the seedlings as long as its close?
The place I got the seeds from said auto-flowers will produce regardless of light but of course the better the light; the better the yield etc...

 

[Loretta68]

Pics ?

added pics to my first post. Thank you for looking.

 

[Pbass]

I don't think soil or pH has anything to do with it this soon. One knuckle 3 or 4 inches from a tiny plant is a mile, especially since the water travels down. Small watering more often till they harden up, support for the stems, let the new plants go for a while unless they are stretching also then bury them and do the small watering often thing for those to. You need more light though or all this is effort will be for naught. What specifically do you have for light now?