A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum The Tomato Forum Uh-Oh...

It seems I may have a little bit of a problem with my seedlings...

They are starting to die off for some reason. They are getting lots of light, and I don't *think* I'm over/under watering them. I wait till the top of the soil dries, then give them a sprinkling from the top and add water to the base. Not enough that it stands for days, but enough to just touch the bottoms of the cells. (I have an emty cell in the container...as soon as I see the water start to show through the little holes in the bottom of it, I stop.)

None of the seedlings have the first set of *true* leaves yet. How long does it usually take for them to come out? I know I'm not supposed to transplant until they have that first set of leaves, but I'm getting worried about them dying off where they are.

My eggplants and peppers are doing fine, and I'm treating them the same way with light and water. So what's up with my 'maters??

Annette

It sounds like damping off to me, Annette. I have had this problem before. In the google box to the right of this page type in damping off in the The Garden Helper.
There are some good tips in there. I do not know if any of the tips will save your current crop of dying seedlings but it may help the others or your next batch.

I agree it sounds like damping off. What kind of soil or starting mix are they in? I have transplanted at two days after germination with no trouble. When I used the real small starting cells. Might do the healthy ones good to be moved to another mix. I have never had that problem but once and it was self induced by me. Jay

annette, it's been a long time since those sprouted, hasn't it? They should have formed true leaves if so. I would start some more in case damping off has done them in, you should know right away if it has.

Ciao Annette-

For your next batch, water only from the bottom and for your eggplants and peppers, same deal. Nightshades don't super hugely like water on their leaves and if it's not really warm where you are, the water can hang out on the foliage long enough for fungi to grow and kill your seedlings. Just water from below and it will go directly to the roots, where it's needed.

the key to preventing the dreaded damping off is
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air circulation
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good air circulation

especially with seedlings, there isn't a lot of air flowing between the seedlings and humidity is often quite high (especially if you start in one of those small green houses). If you start with a covered container, you need to remove the lid as soon as the first sprouts appear. You should have at least one hole if you are starting in a greenhouse/putting pot in baggie to speed up germination...or better yet - every now and then take off the lid for a few seconds. Leaving the lid propped open at night is also a good idea. Some gardeners I know run a fan on low to blow at the seedlings. This allows lots of air circulation and also strengthens the seedlings. Nurseries use fans too :) I have a ceiling fan that I set to the lowest setting (it's off when I go to bed).

Also, try to keep the base of the seedling on the dry side. Some people (like myself) add a small layer of vermiculite on top of the soil...grit or perlite. I personally use vermiculite to cover my seeds instead of using soil/potting medium.

I find that some nightshade leaves are furry or have a little fuzz on them. They do hold water. Also watering in the morning/early afternoon so any water can dry off. This goes for any plant as well.

Yes, start some new seeds. Make sure you DO NOT reuse the pot/container nor soil. If you must reuse any 'tools' that you use with the dampened off seedlings, you will have to throughly sterilize everything. Damping off spores will stay in the tiniest speck of contaminated dirt and can 'sprout' for lack of a better word, into another 'attack' on your seedlings.