Fertilizing pepper seedlings. Please help beginner.
eugenflorinsgarden
11 years ago
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John A
11 years agoEdymnion
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Beginner Help Needed Please
Comments (7)First thing, the heat and the dome is used for germination only. So as soon as the seed breaks the soil surface - at the first flash of green - you want it out from under the dome and off the heat This can be a problem if you planted lots of different things under the same dome and/or in the same cell pack as they all have very different germination times. B. sprouts a few days while onions and/or peppers can bee 8-14 days. You will have to cut the cell packs into pieces to remove the ones that have sprouted and leave the others. If you planted all the same thing in one cell pack and only a few have sprouted remove them anyway. The rest will come along shortly or they never would have germinated anyway. So the B. sprouts need to come out and off. Then you can let them grow a bit in that cell pack if it is only 1 or 2 plants and transplant them in a few days OR you can transplant them into individual containers now. Your choice. Have the new containers ready and use ones only slightly larger than the current one. Gently remove the plug from the current cell pack and if more than one plant gently separate them. Poke a hole in the new wet potting mix and slide the plant into that hole. If they are already leggy plant them deeply. Lightly press the soil into place around the plant. That's it. I'll suggest the FAQs here for much more beginner info and then let us know if you have specific questions, ok? Hope this helps. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed FAQs...See MoreBeginner Needs Help - Seedlings wilt
Comments (4)Contributing factors could be: Planting too close together, stretched weak stems due to lack of light, weak stems bending and breaking in dry or cold windy conditions, lack of soil moisture resulting in wilting, overhead watering that break tender seedling stems, soil borne disease organisms, old seeds that just donÂt have the stamina to grow properlyÂjust to name a few. How to avoid this? Plant fresh seed at proper dept at the proper time in prepared beds, thin to proper distance by cutting at soil level; protect seedlings from adverse weather conditions, harsh winds, and be careful when watering until seedlings are strong enough to endure garden conditions. Take digital pictures at weekly intervals and keep a notebook of your activities and observations. Consult seed starting books for tips. Experience is a great teacher which will greatly increase your successes. Happy Gardening! TJ...See MoreSeedlings - To fertilize or not to fertilize?
Comments (22)If you examine the ingredients list on a bag of Miracle Gro potting soil, I believe that you will find that it contains "locally" obtained ingredients. That implies that the quality will vary with manufacturing location. I have had bad results using Miracle Gro potting soil bought in the Chicago area. Last year, I used a home made mixture of 2/3 peat moss and 1/3 perlite (by volume) without lime and it worked fine, but, note that my fertilizer solution contained calcium. I buy peatmoss on sale at Menards for about $5 per 2.2 cubic feet. Perlite is $10.23 per 4 cubic feet at http://www.bfgsupply.com/UserFiles/2008Catalog/5_Soil.pdf. That is cheaper than any premix you can buy....See MoreSevere curling on all tomato and pepper seedlings, need help
Comments (3)If I understand you correctly then yes, WAY too much fertilizer. And that explains the aphids - they love all that excess N. 1-2 staged doses of very dilute 1/4 strength of normal is more than enough for most seedlings. And, if you used MG Gardening Soil rather than their potting mix then that too could be part of the problem as it is not made for containers (it's on the bag) and there have been several reports of problems with it in the past here when it is used in containers. The Neem also needs to be used at a diluted strength on seedlings as does anything you use on them. They simply cannot tolerate the normal doesage mixes recommended for established plants. If it were me I would hose off the seedlings well with the sink sprayer to remove the aphids, flush out the root balls to get rid of all the extra fertilizer, and repot them in a fresh, neutral potting mix. They may very well recover. Meanwhile, start some new plants if you have time. Good luck. Dave...See Moreeugenflorinsgarden
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