They sound like they may be waterlogged. What kind of soil are they in?

Here is a link that might be useful: my blog

What was this tea mix and why bottom water with it? You should treat the top of the soil. Damping off can be prevented by just keeping the soil moist (Not wet) and increasing air circulation.

How old/big are they and how big is this cup? Do they have true leaves yet?

If they have any size to them, more than one set of true leaves, and the cup is small they could easily be root-bound with 3 in the same cup. Drooping leaves is also a symptom of rootbound plants but there is no way to know without more details.

Otherwise, like Taz asked, what was in this "tea mix"? What is the potting mix? Why 3 in each cup?

Dave

Lunita, they're in organic seed starting soil. It's made up of Sphagnum Peat Moss, perlite, lime and a "wetting agent".

Taz6122 and digdirt, the tea mix was something I found on gardenweb. You brew a cup of tea with chamomile in it and then water it down and use it for watering. It's supposed to be a good damping off preventer. http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/pepper/2002074906031735.html

As for bottom watering, I hear it was a more effective way to start watering new seedlings. Is this wrong? I'm seriously brand new at this whole gardening thing.

They are a week old and probably about 1 inch high. They don't have their true leaves yet although I can see them coming in on a few.

Thanks for your help!

sound like over watering and also you dont need tea nor any other additives as the plants are too young ,over watering is the biggest mistake newbies make IMO Do not try to separate the plants until they return to health and have a minimum of 2 sets of true leaves

donkenzie, A couple suggestions of thwarting damping off came to me from another online forum. And it works well. A product called Wonder Soil, is mostly coconut husk strands parts & pieces. A 50-50 mix of Wonder Soil (expanded) and traditional Miracle Grow, Jiffy mix, etc. with the addition of vermiculite and hobby sand (like from Hobby Lobby). So making additions and have a custom mix. Bottom watering is not very effective, but what is effective is the have the mix thoroughly moistened before seeds are planted. Planting in peat pots is a contributor to damping off, so you may want to switch to plastic pots.Soaking seeds overnight in chamomile tea is supposed to reduce or eliminate seed born viruses and to soften the seed coat. Professional growers don't do this, so it's most likely a waste of time. -Randy

sound like over watering and also you dont need tea nor any other additives as the plants are too young ,over watering is the biggest mistake newbies make IMO Do not try to separate the plants until they return to health and have a minimum of 2 sets of true leaves

When treating the soil it should be done from the top IMO. The tea will take a while to make it up through the soil if it makes it at all as the soil will act as a filter.

If you do think that they are over-watered you can place the pots on a towel to wick out some of the moisture.

I guess I'm not sure why you think they are dying then or why your thread title? If these are just germinated sprouts, only now showing the sign of developing first true leaves, it could be perfectly normal growth.

The cotyledons normally begin to bend/arch downward from the pressure of new growth developing in the center of the stem. That happens with each branch as new growth develops above it.

How did they look before that makes you think something is wrong now? Can you post a picture of them?

I do agree that over-watering is far too common but you mentioned this was the first time you had watered them I think, right?

I also agree that special teas and other such mixes aren't needed UNLESS one chronically over-waters and has an actual problem. It is the excess watering and lack of proper air circulation that cause damp-off and other fungus to begin in the first place. And that watering from the bottom is usually best but not if you are treating a soil fungus problem that is on top of the soil.

Bottom line - your plants may be perfectly normal. Can't say without seeing them. Otherwise it is all just guesses.

Dave

I'm one who uses diluted chamomile tea when watering seedlings and have found it helps with damping-off(haven't lost any to it since I started, knock wood), but I don't bottom-water. I use an adjustable spray bottle and moisten the medium from the top.
Maybe starting a few 'back-up' seeds is in order, just in case, but I agree a photo would be helpful.

Thanks everyone for all your help! I think what happened is that I soaked them in the water for too long. The soil was still really wet even last night. Thankfully they look MUCH better today after the soil dried a little bit. The leaves aren't wilted at all today. Here are some pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58408537@N04/5570407434/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58408537@N04/5570404936/

I'm in zone 5 too and they look the same as mine. In the past I have over watered so I got one of those meters that tells you when the soil is dry. Not sure if they are accurate but so far so good. Also new this year is I'm using a spray bottle and just today I turned my ceiling fan on because I think they are a little on the skinny side. lol Never tried the fan so we shall see. I told myself last year I was done trying and here I am doing it again and I've already said that if it doesn't work this time I'm done. lol

here's a picture

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59179681@N00/5577144641/

Linda-who usually ends up buying all her plants despite trying to grow 80

donkenzie - Your plants look just fine. As already mentioned, over-watering is a chronic problem for many so the goal is to cut the watering you are doing now in 1/2. When in doubt, don't water. :)

Dave

danandlindah: your seedings look great! It seems like maybe they could benefit from replanting to about 1 cm beneath their leaves, this way roots will develop along the stem and they'll become a little stronger! But I'm new too so maybe get a second opinion :)