Seedling Help?

stephyyy

stephyyy

Well-Known Member
Hi friends!
so for some reason my seedlings are super duper stunted like literally growing at the slowest speed I’ve ever seen. Will they pick up after time or is it possible these ones just won’t grow ? They are over 2 weeks old lol. I’m not a super newb either, I’ve been growing about 6 years and never had this issue. Halp !

61819760-6428-4A42-9462-B7AE50231D88.jpeg


A56AE283-4904-4102-84AF-E548C19BE95B.jpeg
 
with your experience, I first question the soil rather than watering habits. What you got in there?
 
Nunyabiz said:
They look dry as a bone
Click to expand...
i was thinking the same :thumb:

If they have dried out , I would try filling the tray with water , let the pots draw up water , leave for about 15 mins then empty the tray,then add a little bit to moist the top end , make sure there are good drain holes at the bottom first or the medium will not draw up you will have to top water more
 
NuttyProfessor said:
i was thinking the same :thumb:

If they have dried out , I would try filling the tray with water , let the pots draw up water , leave for about 15 mins then empty the tray,then add a little bit to moist the top end , make sure there are good drain holes at the bottom first or the medium will not draw up you will have to top water more
Click to expand...
Ok I’ve just been scared to over water, they are very dry but didn’t want them to get dampening off. I’ve given them a good water and will try bottom feed. Just hope they don’t over water. Do you think they would pick up after that though?
 
plain water not going to hurt anything or lock anything out at this point in your grow m8. I feel they have
a good chance of perking up after a good drink.
 
I am not at all a fan of bottom watering and I believe it is a very easy way to drown new seedlings. I wrote a nice piece several years ago describing the proper way to water a potted plant from the top... if you decide to go with the way that most people approach this watering thing, from the top, please read the link in my signature. I also do not believe in giving new seedlings a crutch by putting humidity domes over them... just let them get used to the conditions they are finding themselves in and they will be stronger in the end.
 
stephyyy said:
Maybe I’ve not given enough water. I’m always scared to over water as 1 year I lost several to dampening off lol. Ugh I need to fix these ones
Click to expand...
That certainly explains the shriveled up look that your plants are showing us. You can not overwater this plant by saturating the soil to the point of runoff... the soil can only hold so much water and then the rest runs out of the bottom. The only way to cause dampening off, and overwatering, is by watering too often.
 
you cant drown a plant watering from the bottom unless you leave it in the water bath its impossible , watering a dry pot from the top causes a vacuum to hold excess water. watering from the bottom will only draw so much up without a perch water table , i have been testing for 8 weeks now an there is less chance of over doing plus the added bonus of not getting gnats that seem to follow more top watering growers :) you also compact the bottom soil much faster watering from the top , you also wash out nutrients

this would be dead ;)

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P1130652.JPG



but its not its some of the best plants ive grown , it takes a bit of time to work out what to give thew top , i use one to two litre after a bottom soak
this whole grow 1 water to run off ,never dried out to wilt its organic not synthetic

These are autoflowers also

P1160548.JPG
 
Agree with the Nutty one
For the first week the plant is mainly making roots, so watering from the bottom is ideal
In the 2nd/3rd week they will burst into life if you look after the roots now
I use a few drops of bloom nutes to encourage roots, mostly P+K, and maybe drop or two of organic enzymes to activate the soil. Don't let 'em stretch and they'll be fine
 
stephyyy said:
Ive been scared to over water lol
Click to expand...
I've seen more people the past couple years kill their plants from under watering than I have overwatering.
All people just starting out keep hearing is don't over water so they naturally do exactly what you just did because everyone has them freaked out about watering.

And really, it isn't the water thats the problem in the first place, its lack of oxygen.
If you have plenty of aeration in the soil and you water with oxygenated water in a fabric pot then its unlikely to starve the roots of oxygen.

IMO, if you can't water whatever medium you have chosen pretty much every single day because it retains way too much water then instead of trying to grow in mud I would suggest to change your medium.
Look at coco as an example, you water it everyday, never let it dry out at all, in flower may need to water several times a day.
Coco works very well as a grow medium because the roots get a constant supply of oxygen and water, the delicate feeder roots and hairs and root tips never dry out.
In my case I chose Living Organic Soil in 20+ gallon fabric pots.
I have tons of aeration like pumice, Rice Hulls and Pre-charged Biochar in the soil plus lots of worms and roots from cover crop all keeping my soil fluffy and airy.
I also oxygenate my water so everytime I water I am charging the soil with dissolved oxygen.
I water every single day and my plants never even droop after watering, they stay praying.
I never allow my soil to dry out at all not even the top 1/4" which stays under a thick mulch layer.
If you have a proper grow medium then you simply keep it moist at all times.
 
Can you tell us more about the room where you keep the seedlings? What is the aluminum foil pan sitting on in that photo? Is that a marble counter or concrete floor? What’s the temp and relative humidity of the space they are located in?

Domes are for clones not seedlings, the purpose is to keep the rh high while the cuttings build a root system.



I gotta jump in on the water debate...... the difference is you ALL are highly skilled. The noobs don’t grasp the subtle nuances of a slightly damp soil versus a soaking wet soil that gets drenched day after day and will need 7 to 14 days to dry out.

Agree with Nunya it’s lack of oxygen to the roots. But what is the first thing they do when a problem arises?? They 3X flush an already soaked soil trying to wash away the problem of..... overwatering. You can’t flush your way out of that one - can I hear a Big Duh??

Considering the soil most folks start with I do think it’s important to teach new members the wet dry cycle. I’m not opposed to bottom watering, the earth provides moisture in the form of water vapor rising up out of the ground but the bulk of earths plant species are watered from above.

One of my favorite watering tricks came from a former mentor here - he who shall not be named.... but using plastic pots he worked the wet dry cycle really hard in veg. When it was time to water he bottom soaked the plant and then top watered too. When you pull the plant out it bubbles and gurgles sucking more oxygen down- doesn’t work as well in fabric pots tho. Obviously you cant lift a 20 gallon grow bag....

Jeez Louise gonna start new hashtag All Water Matters.

All right peoples lets get the op back on track
 

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