I think you have a whole list of good ideas.

I find that flooding young plants in a tray - is NOT for the best. It is better - to keep them barely moist - just add a little bit of water on the bottom ma - and dome the trays - makes the leaves and replanted babies grow faster - with vents on the domes open.

What kind of light do you use?

I find that if I plant the starters in 3 oz solo cups - with wicks - a layer of perlite on the bottom helps. If I plant them into 2oz Keurig cups - they do better without perlite.

Returning to the first question - why the newly transplanted starter do not grow faster - and loses leaves - I think flooding the trays makes the soil too dense and soggy . If it is only one variety that stubbornly refuses to grow - chuck it. It can be some kind of stunt.

I.

Thanks Irina,

I use these lights:

1) 40-Watt 4 ft. T12 Cool White Supreme 4100K ALTO Linear Fluorescent Light Bulb

the lights are on for 12 hrs and I have two shoplights (4 long bulbs total) on. For my larger plants, I just keep one shoplight on (2 long bulbs) and they seem to do better. For leaves/plantlets I keep two shoplights on (4 bulbs total).

ok, I will change my watering method and dome the the plants. Right now I use the 3oz white plastic mouthwash cups without wicks and have drilled 2-3 small holes underneath.

I have a mix of varieties and they all seem to be behaving this way.

Let me see...I will try to change things up and will post feedback in a few weeks.

Appreciate your help!

Cooks.

Definitely dome them. I have had some that are fussy as well. If it has been a few months the other thing you could do is repot them in fresh soil. Alot of mine that where brats as soon as I did that BAM they are now growing like crazy.

thanks, yes it has been a few months about 3, since I potted them up, so I guess I could re-pot a few with a little perlite at the bottom and few without, just to see if there's a difference.

Cooks

Cooks - I am doing about the same when propagating - except - I use perlite and wick in m solo cups. I keep them under the lights and under the domes on a barely moist mat, domes have open vents. You can keep them like this until you are ready to divide the leaf pots. If you want to move them out - put them on a wick watering, not flooding.

Your light is better than mine.

I side with Stamik - repot the stubborn ones - and you will see that the root system is not that developed.

Irina

Thanks Irina,

I am a little intimidated by wicking. I have read lots of articles, and some recommend acrylic yarn , some fishing twine, or some kind of twine. Not sure what to pick and isnt that an extra step when potting plants up?

Right now my plants are in a 1040 tray, if I were to wick, then I would have to figure out a water source to dangle the wicks in.

I have capillary matting. Could I lay the 1040 tray with capillary matting and then put the wicked pot directly on the mat with wicks in contact with the mat, dome the trays and then just water till the mat is moist?

I did recently lay a 1040 tray with capillary mat and then put my pots directly on the mat, but the mat kept getting dry and I was watering frequently.....but I didnt dome the trays, maybe thats why they lost water quickly. Also, I wasnt sure whether the pots would get water through holes I had drilled if they were just sitting on the mat.

Just a few thoughts,

thanks,

Cooks

That's what I do - put the wicked plantlets on mats. No dangling bits ;-)). If the mat is wet - it will wick the water into the soil. Yes - use domes. If you prefer not to wick adults plants - fine - but I think for the little ones the comtact with mat improves. I use mason twine #18 from home depot. It works well with mats, for wicking from reservoirs you need an acrylic yarn.

Thanks Irina, appreciate your response. I just bought twine from home depot. I will give wicking a try on the smaller pots that I will re-pot with perlite at the bottom. I will set up the matting like you said laid out in the trays and use domes with the vents. Will update soon.

Cooks.