So I decided I really wanted to try growing veggies this year and I know absolutely nothing about gardening.
I've planted more than 60 seeds in small little containers (3 seeds per container) in potting mix from miracle grow. They were hot peppers, bell peppers, and tomatos. This was a little over 2 weeks ago. I placed the containers in the sun room and watered them faithfully (perhaps too faithfully? - I can't tell if the dirt is dark b/c it's wet or b/c it's dirt). On some when I watered them the seeds floated up to the top.
So I went to check on them today. Most are still empty. There are three that have actually sprouted something. Two of them look like little plants. I have no clue what's growing in the third container. It looks like a tiny little q-tip sticking out of the soil (there are 3 of them in fact). The top part is white with brown dots on it. Is this mold? Is this what a pepper plant looks like in the early stages? If it is mold what do I do to protect the 2 seedlings in the other containers nearby? Should I give up on all the other seeds or am I being impatient?
HELP!
Any chance of posting some pictures of what you have. It is all too easy to jump to conclusions about what you may or may not have done as a novice gardener but you never know. Having said that 2 weeks does sound like a long germination period. Most things would have shown themselves by now.
Pictures?
Pictures?
not sure what the pic size limit is here. most of the pics aren't that great. I couldn't get my camera to zoom in well enough to show the little details
this one shows the weird growths circled in blue
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2452158115_b17efd088c.jpg[/img]
this is just the general containers (yes they have drainage holes)
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/2452146603_9eba0f2753.jpg[/img]
this one shows the weird growths circled in blue
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2452158115_b17efd088c.jpg[/img]
this is just the general containers (yes they have drainage holes)
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/2452146603_9eba0f2753.jpg[/img]
I'm sorry to say that looks very much like mold spores.
You should probably discard those cups.
Try this site for some help on starting plants from seed, I think you over watered them from the sounds of it. Not a big deal, it's something we've all done or still do occasionally.
[url]https://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/tips-photos/startseed.htm[/url]
It comes under lessons learned,
Just don't give up, keep learning!!!
You should probably discard those cups.
Try this site for some help on starting plants from seed, I think you over watered them from the sounds of it. Not a big deal, it's something we've all done or still do occasionally.
[url]https://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/tips-photos/startseed.htm[/url]
It comes under lessons learned,
Just don't give up, keep learning!!!Do those cups have any drainage? Usually pots have little holes in the bottom and for starting seeds you often have a flat where all the pots are in a connected base that lets the water drain across the whole thing. That first off gets rid of some excess water and 2nd let's you water from the bottom so the seeds don't get disturbed while growing. Moisten the soil from the top before planting and water from the bottom after that so your seeds stay in place. For pots that don't have drainage you normally add a little rock or something to let the excess water leave the soil. Lack of drainage plus too much water probably killed your seeds. It would have been worth spending the money on a seed starting flat with peat pellets or small pots instead.
Using soil less seed starter instead of potting soil will also help prevent molds. Although I usually don't follow that advice myself but it's been awhile since I lost anything to mold. Takes some practice to figure out how much to water. With tomatos I've found it's better for me to risk underwatering them than to overwater.
Using soil less seed starter instead of potting soil will also help prevent molds. Although I usually don't follow that advice myself but it's been awhile since I lost anything to mold. Takes some practice to figure out how much to water. With tomatos I've found it's better for me to risk underwatering them than to overwater.
Use your finger to feel how wet the soil is. And water from the bottom up. Take an old cake pan or something similar, put your seedlings in that and add water to the bottom pan. Let them absorb what they want and discard the extra. It allows you to deep water without worrying about drowning the seedlings.
Watering from the bottom up is amazing! I pour a cup of water into a big steamer pan and just watch as all the little cups suck it right up. Very cool!doccat5 wrote:Use your finger to feel how wet the soil is. And water from the bottom up. Take an old cake pan or something similar, put your seedlings in that and add water to the bottom pan. Let them absorb what they want and discard the extra. It allows you to deep water without worrying about drowning the seedlings.