Is the very base of the stem rotted through? If so, that's damping off -- the bane of seed-starters everyone.

If its only the cucumbers don't worry though. Cucumbers are very successful when direct-seeded right in the garden.

The plastic is just for germination. Once sprouted coverings like that just cause disease and keep the air the plants need from reaching them. You'll find a great deal more info on all this over on the growing from Seed forum here. Be sure to check out all the great how-to FAQs there.

Also your lights should be much closer to the plants, no more than 2" above them and I agree - cucumbers work best when direct seeded in the garden.

Dave

Thanks for the response. Like I said the stems look healthy. Most of the cukes are prob about 2 inches tall and the stems are about toothpick size from the leaves to the dirt. I even moved a little dirt from around one and no signs of damping off. The only thing I could figure is my light was to far away and they stretched to far, but why would they all fall. Some were only about an inch tall.

Not sure what weather is like in your zone. Have you tried to harden off the seedlings if weather permit? My cuke seedlings in paper pots are half an inch tall and toothpick thick, and they're been hardening off outdoors when weather permits.

They stretched - got "leggy" is the usual term - because of insufficient light. Seedlings require a great deal of supplemental light to develop normally. The leggy stem, which would normally be no more than 1" long with its real leaves can't support the weight of the head.

Weak stretched stems like that will not serve the plant well later in life anyway. The poorly developed circulatory system in it just can't supply adequate nutrients. So trying to save them really isn't worth the effort.

Direct seed them in the garden when the time is right and you'll see the big difference between those seedlings and the ones you tried to start inside. :)

Dave

What Dave says!!

I tried starting Diva and Sweet Success inside the house to get an early plant-out, but they did not get enough light. When I put them out for an afternoon, the Sun obliterated them. I've now direct seeded in my containers yesterday. Lesson learned.

{{gwi:33145}}

Raybo

Thanks guys I thought the light was probably the culprit. I'm still learning. I left the plastic on longer because it covered 3 flats and I was trying to give other things a chance to germ. I guess germ rates make it a bad idea to put em all together. Personally I didn't expect them to germ. so quickly. All I've done before is perennial seeds and those took awhile.

Mine aren't near as bad as that pic though LOL. Makes me feel better. But mine also aren't as old as those.
I went ahead and moved them out to my GH today. I didn't start them in there because we have still had a few cold nights. I have them under a triple layer of insect screen for a shade cloth and it was cloudy today and supposed to be for the next few days. I'm hoping this will be enough to harden them up, unless we get a lot of sunshine, but I can always make some more shade for em. I would think the less time they have spent with poor light they faster they should adjust to higher light levels.

If I start anymore it will definitely be in the GH since it has warmed up nicely in the past week. Let's hope it stays that way. Thanks for the help, I'm hoping they'll recover.