Help! Is it dying?- soft yellowing leaves =(

13 years ago

I started these April 9th, and this plant was looking pretty good until yesterday. I left all the plants, the night before last underneath a styrofoam cover for the night, with a ledge so they could get air, in my living room and the next morning I noticed this plant's first set of true leaves and the cotyledons were yellowing. Another one of my plants had deep green leaves that were softing and drooping and it perked right up when I watered it (though now it's perked up but the soft part just plain dried into a crisp), so I figured it must have been because I was underwatering them. So I watered all of them yesterday, with half strength 20-20-20 fertilizer hoping this particular one would perk up as well. Well today, it doesn't seem to look any better, I think it got worst! The yellowing leaves are starting to turn a little darker and getting soft and soggy =(, though the branches aren't drooping (yet). What do I do? Is it too cold or something? I've been leaving them outside during the day (50's) and bringing them in at night. They're in MG garden soil, but I let the soil go dry before watering, so I water maybe once every 2 or 3 days. Sorry for the bad pics....

whole plant

yellow leaves

green-ish but soft leaves

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Comments (6)

digdirt2
13 years ago
Classic symptoms of too much water. Sorry. Cut it in half - both amount and frequency - and the new growth will be fine. Or it would be except you said "They're in MG garden soil". MG Garden Soil is not for use in containers - says so on the bags. It compacts, drains poorly, and retains too much water.

If they can't go into the garden soon transplant them into something else - some container mix - and don't water them until the soil at least an inch and half or more down in the cup is dry. And I'd strongly recommended no more feeding of 20-20-20 until they are established in the garden. Even at half strength that is too strong for seedlings.

Hope this helps.

Dave
suddensam
13 years ago
Jw,
Im with Dave on this call. Do you have holes in the bottom of the cups for drainage? Those plants have the classic I cant breath im drowning look to me. MG has to go, never, never use any kind of soil in containers. If those were my seedlings and I wanted them to grow vigorously I would take them out of the cups, and pinch every thing off but the very top of the plant and either plant them out or step them up while planting all the way to the bottom of the plant. They need to come out of the soil, is the bottom line.

The seedling on the right is done till it gets planted out. The one on the left will get pinched back one more time and the pot filled up to just under the leaves one more time. These are growing in Als mix, as its all I use anymore. If you do it this way you will get a nice thick healthy plant.
Plant em if you got em.
Sam
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jwwc
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for all the input., you guys are awesome. Okay, so I've potted it up into a 4" pot with drier soil and left it indoors for a day or so, it started to look better, then this morning I went to check on it again, and one of the branches has completely wilted and dried up! So I watered it a LITTLE, (bottom watered), then when I came back from school it looked worst again. =( So, I've re-potted it, again into drier soil after stripping off the bottom, yellow leaves and soft wilty cotelydons. I've also noticed that one of the 'healthy-looking" branch's first leaf is starting to feel rather soft as well. I know I shouldn't keep using the soil, but I've go no choice at the moment, it's all I have, and I don't have a car to go carry a better mix home with. How come I'm managing to over and underwater this plant all at the same time? Can anyone give me a sure fire way to tell when to water, I don't know what to do...Oh the woes of a newbie.
digdirt2
13 years ago
How come I'm managing to over and underwater this plant all at the same time?

You aren't. You are just OVER-watering. ;) You are assuming that wilting = needs water, that "soft" feeling leaves = needs water. That just isn't so. Both symptoms are from too much water and the subsequent root rot. that is also what caused the branch to "wilt and dried up".

So you are stuck with the garden soil. Ok, try this. Just leave it alone. Don't hover over it, don't check the softness of the leaves every 2 hours since rubbing and handling the leaves only makes it worse, don't strip off leaves they will fall off on their own when ready, do NOT give it any water - none at all for 3 days minimum since a 4" pot shouldn't require watering more than 1x per week when inside, on the 4th day stick your finger as deep as possible into the soil and if it is cool or even the tiniest bit moist don't water it.

Ignore it. Put it where you can't even see it. And give it a chance to recover on its own. If it can it will but it has a much better chance to do it all on its own.

Dave
homegardenpa
13 years ago
The phrase "loved to death" comes to mind.

Leave it be, follow Dave's advice for watering.

I've grown a bunch of unusual houseplants and have bonsai as a hobby besides gardening. Houseplants and bonsai like to be pampered, tomatoes and most other veggies hate it, generally speaking.
jwwc
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks everyone, especially Dave. I'll try to keep my hands off of it and leave it alone....it's gonna be hard. How'd you know I'm checking on it every 2 hours? ;)

Help! Is it dying?- soft yellowing leaves =(

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Help! Is it dying?- soft yellowing leaves =(

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digdirt2

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