lettucebabies, you have not killed any of the plants...yet. Here are my thoughts. Lettuce: the seedlings appear to want more light. They seem to be growing towards the right and front of the container. You can rotate the container or expose the whole (gradually!) to more hours of sunlight. The watering seems to be OK because of the color of the soil surface and there is no evidence of water collecting in the saucer. The seedling at 'one o'clock' appears to be suffering most. The one at 'five o'clock' might be a different variety from the rest and may be the type most suited to the conditions that you provide. Incidentally, there is a fungus (damping off) which attacks seedlings at the soil line. One way to protect the seedlings is to sprinkle a thin layer of sand over the soil surface right up to the stem of the seedling. This keeps the stem dry. You might try that now as a precaution. Lettuce is a 'leaf crop' (the leaves are useful) and a 'short crop' (30 days or less to maturity). Therefore nitrogen is the most important element. One choice is to apply a slow release all purpose fertilizer at transplant time or else apply a liquid fertilizer at weekly intervals. I favor "Osmocote" 14-14-14 at transplant time. Zucchinni: There is nothing noticeably wrong here. The 'seedleaves' have brown edges but this is normal. Their function is to provide nourishment until the true leaves begin to function; they then wither away. The true leaves are well-formed, nicely green and the youngest ones are 'clean and green'. The dark coloring of the soil around the plant indicates that watering is concentrated in this area. I would suggest that the watering be spread more evenly over the whole surface of the container. It makes for 'better use of the water used'. Basil: The only explanation I can think of is "sunburn". Is it possible that the plants were exposed to bright direct sunlight for even a short time? This can happen on the trip from the nursery. The plants are put on the floor of the back seat in full shade. But during the journey home they get some exposure which can be enough to cause sunburn. Although its leaves are the useful product, this is not a leaf crop; treat it like a tomato or pepper seedling as far as watering and fertilizing are concerned. The holes on the leaves are caused by insects, typically beetles. The leaves develop their fullest flavor when grown in full sun and not over-watered. The "Earthbox": In my opinion the symptoms on the plants are an indication of conditions in the box itself - set up and operation. It can sometimes be difficult to get the fertilizer spread according to the instructions; it can also take some time before the water distribution functions properly. Sometimes top watering is necessary. The very sick seedling nearest the watering tube might be suffering from moisture stress or fertilizer burn or both. The seedling next in line appears normal and healthy (just look at that growing center). Then the third in line looks wilted. Only you can know if the fertilizer was applied in the narrow band down the middle of the box and whether the soil mix was put in to promote even watering from the reservoir and if the refilling has been adequate and timely. But in time the system settles down to a routine of adding water to the reservoir and keeping a sharp look out for pests. You should get a very good crop of beans; indeed I think that you will have to remove every other plant in order to obtain quality beans. But time will tell you if that will be necessary. I only wish that my first attempt at growing black-eye peas was that successful; I over watered the container and earned an "F" in Gardening. Will you please tell Mr. Griffith how far I have come? That is, if you yourself think so.

Here's my take on the agricultural sulphur/ferrous sulphate and iron chelate. Agricultural or elemental sulphur will provide more acidifying power per pound of material applied, however the soil microbes have to convert it from the sulphur form to oxides of sulphur, which can then act to acidify the soil. It takes time for the acidification to work and it will occur over a period of time, you have to get the sulphur into the ground for the microbes to attack, and the effect will be a bit longer acting. The larger the sulphur particles you spread, the slower the process. Elemental sulphur is relatively cheap so is often used agriculturally. We generally use sulphur strictly as a fertilizer to replace what the crops are removing from the soil, being leached away, or tied up into mineralized compounds, plus it is relatively low volume. As a fertilizer, we often apply it at 30 lbs/acre. Another option is to use gypsum, calcium sulphate, which is commonly used to treat highly alkaline/saline soils as it is quite cheap, acidifying, and provides additional calcium. (In moister climates where soils are more acidic, they do the opposite, applying lime -- calcium carbonate-- to raise the pH). When applying gypsum, we would apply it on the order of 1000-2000 lbs/acre or more. With ferrous sulphate, you have moved up a step in cost but you are providing sulphate ions (or is it anions?) that will provide the acidifying effect, and because it is already converted to a soluble and ionic form, it will work quite quickly. At the same time, you are providing free iron that the plants can take up and the acidifying effect of the sulphate slows the process of tying the iron up in the soil. Many soils, particularly in alkaline areas, have plenty of iron, but it is tied up in the soil and unavailable to plants, and that is the situation here. We have a lot of red soils, the red coming from oxidized iron (rust). There is no deficiency of iron but it is mineralized and unavailable. Combine that with a pH of around 8 or higher and there are a lot of plants that will die of iron deficiency. Conifers, golden willows (lost a row of them in the cemetery to that, and nearly lost the spruce trees), petunias, raspberries, and even kentucky blue grass where the lawn is only sprinkler irrigated, for example. With iron chelate, you have a form of iron that is more available to plants, however it is relatively much more expensive. The chelate can be absorbed into the leaves if used as a foliar spray, though too strong a solution will burn. Because it can be pretty well directly absorbed by the plants, it can have an almost immediate effect on new growth. I've seen it recommended to water the ground with the iron chelate, but I think it tends to get tied up in the alkaline soil fairly quickly (I think the chelate breaks down fairly quickly, then the high pH ties up the iron again, and you need large quantities which become quite expensive. I had always had recommendations from the extension service to use iron chelate for iron deficiency, but later I was advised to use the ferrous sulphate by a professor for the combined free iron/acidifying properties. When I used the iron chelate, I never had much in the way of results unless I sprayed weekly at least, and that just doesn't happen with me. With the ferrous sulphate, I could spread it once and see lasting effects for anywhere from the remainder of the summer to several years. Part of my lawn is watered with a sprinkler using well water which is very high in lime. Gradually it turns yellow and thin with iron chlorosis. Fertilizing with nitrogen had no effect. Add some ferrous sulphate and in a week it was turning green, growing like it was badly overfertilized, and the stand thickens up. One year my supplier stopped carrying the ferrous sulphate but had ferrous gluconate and said it was much easier to use and worked the same--so I wondered but tried it. Think I still have most of the bag. It showed no effect on the plants, smelled like molasses and had no irritating dust so I found a new supplier for the ferrous sulphate (I'm not going to apply it if I don't get results). I don't fully remember my chemistry from school, acids/bases, oxidizers/reducers, strong vs. weak acids & bases & the chemical reactions that take place when these chemicals are placed in solution and I'm sure there are those out there that can more than adequately cover the subject (not that I'd want to learn it all over again, though!) I mainly try to cover some of the principles and describe what has worked from experience. Plus, I've never tried to grow blueberries as trying to provide an acid environment in my soil seems like too high a maintenance. Overall, what is being dealt with here is that in drier climates, the soils tend to have a large reservoir of lime and an alkaline pH. Acid loving plants may not need acid to live, however they consume quantities of minerals which are mineralized and unavailable at high pH, but become readily available at lower pH and blueberries have adapted to soils where these minerals are readily available. Trying to lower the pH of the soil to create an acid one suitable for blueberries is very hard, because to make the soil acid you have to essentially eliminate the alkaline lime in the soil, and it will take tons of amendments to do that. To compensate, you remove the soil, replace it with organic matter which is naturally acidic, then work to counteract the ongoing process of your climate and geology from turning the new acidic, organic soil back into an alkaline, mineralized soil and add a few of the more important nutrients the plants need so that they are readily available, even if the pH is a little higher than the plant desires. One last caveat--in acidic soils, NEVER add ferrous sulphate for an iron deficiency. You don't need more acid (unless you actually want a more acidic soil). Use iron chelate or the ferrous gluconate. Sorry this is much too long, but hopefully it explains the basis of my thoughts so you can judge for yourselves what is best in your situation.

Only a few cacti have leaves, and Easter cactus is not one of them, it is the stem segments you are referring to. Yes, take a few cuttings. If the roots are lost, you will be better off with young segments as old, hardened segments at the base of the plant can be difficult to root. If they survive that is, root rot often causes the segments closest to the soil to die. Easter cacti are sensitive and will often drop segments if they are sick. If you find an Easter cactus puzzle on the floor one day (happened to me twice) you will automatically have a lot of cuttings. Otherwise cut off pieces of 1-3 segments with a sharp knife. Some people root them in water, other (like me) in damp sand or white moss or directly in potting compost. If you do not root them in water the cuttings should heal heal in a shaded spot for a week or so first. Red spots sometimes heal by themselves, but they can also be the result of a fungal disease that will kill the whole plant if untreated. Remove affected segments, just in case.

Dont worry. It probably just went dormant. The local ones here went dormant last month. In fall~winter, the corms will resprout and bloom again. These dormancy and resprouting time is a little bit different depending on the climate.