Carnation sprouts are not growing anymore, Why?

[carnationindex]

I planted my carnation seeds a month ago, they germinated about almost two weeks after. Now another two weeks have passed and they don't seem to have gotten any bigger than two weeks before. what's the reason that they're not growing? aren't they supposed to flower in the fall? But that's only a couple months away and seeing they're still so tiny after a month I've planted them. I can't imagine them blooming in just a few months from now. What am I possibly doing wrongÉ

[rainbowgardener]

Hard to know what you are doing wrong without knowing more about what you are doing. Carnations are warm weather, full sun plants. So questions would be are they getting enough light (a window sill isn't usually enough, but not enough light usually leads to tall spindly plants, not plants not growing), are they warm enough? Carnations don't like acid soil, so if there's much peat in the soil mix you are using, that could be part of the problem. They also like to dry out in between waterings, don't like over watering. If none of that rings a bell, then tell us more about the conditions your seedlings are in...

PS How can fall be just a couple months away from early April?

[carnationindex]

I see. So my plants actually are tall and skinny, what do I do then? I planted them in containters so I can have them to look at at home once they bloom. Am I supposed to take it into the garden during the day? I actually didn't know how much sun they needed so I just left them. I guess I do over water them, I saw fungus growing on the soil, yikes. When I said a couple of months I meant 6 months .

[The Helpful Gardener]

This is a perennial, so it needs years to get to mature stage and a dormant period in winter to rest. Not a houseplant you will be oohing and ahhing over anytime soon, sorry to say...not a houseplant period, as it needs more sun; unless you have a greenhouse this won't work well... put them in a sunny spot in the yard and they will be rewarding...

Perhaps a tour of the Container Gardening section will help you find a new and more suitable houseplant...?

HG