seedlings looking weak

[CatNippy81]

It has been terribly windy around here and cannot get my seedlings outside to soak up the sun. They get morning sun and afternoon sun from sitting in the windows.

They are sprouting but look somewhat weak and spindly. They do not yet have their true leaves. I water them daily but only a few squirts with a spray bottle on the coconut husk surrounding the plant. Not spraying the little plant directly.

I am thinking they need some food because what they are growing in provides no nutrients. but I am afraid of burning them. What would be ideal to use on seedlings?

[SPierce]

I'm sure others will come in with better advice, but I do like using fish emulsion when it comes time to feed my little plants- however, I don't normally do any feeding until the seed leaves wilt and die, as that's when (I think) they stop providing food to the growing plant.

[soil]

how windy? if it is anything below 15 mph id put them out, wind will make for strong stems.

[rainbowgardener]

Weak and spindly is because they are not getting enough light. Either they need to go out or you need to put supplemental light on them.

You are right, they can't grow in seed starting mix with no nutrients. That is just for germinating the seeds. They now need to be in potting soil with nutrients or you need to be fertilizing. Just use the fertilizer well diluted - starting with 1/4 strength at first, then 1/2. That's why I don't use seed starting mix, I just start everything in potting soil with nutrients. They don't need the nutrients just at first, but it doesn't seem to hurt them and then the nutrients are there when they need them.

Misting is a very difficult way to be sure the soil is getting moistened all the way to the bottom. I think best is bottom watering, where you just set the container in a little bit of water and let the soil wick it up. Otherwise just pour a little water on the soil around the plant - enough so that a little comes out the bottom, but don't leave the plant sitting in it.

[CatNippy81]

how windy? if it is anything below 15 mph id put them out, wind will make for strong stems.

Its been blowing 30 to 40 mph. Everything would just blow away if I put it outside. Honestly, this wind is getting old. It been like this for weeks.

[CatNippy81]

I picked up some fish emulsion by Alaska and liquafeed by Miracle grow.

From what I have been reading the fish emulsion is to be diluted 1 tbsp per gallon.

The cats have never been interested in what I was doing before all this fish emulsion stuff. Now they are all up in my work space. lol

[digitS']

If the seed starting mix has no plant nutrients - it has no plant nutrients. At some point in their young lives, the plants are going to need them.

If you have wondered what the plant does with nitrogen, say, look at the composition of chlorophyll. It isn't much other than a little nitrogen, carbon and water. Still, most of what the plant IS, is carbon. Carbon is what the plant can get for itself - from the air.

You cannot substitute one thing for another. Obviously, you would never think that you could grow a plant without water or air or some tad bit of N or P or K -- and it is just a "tad bit." A green plant can't grow without light either. That chlorophyll has to have light to do its magic and make use of all that available carbon.

Just remember that one thing cannot be substituted for another. Excess is not helpful, balance is required.

Steve

[Vance71975]

It has been terribly windy around here and cannot get my seedlings outside to soak up the sun. They get morning sun and afternoon sun from sitting in the windows.

They are sprouting but look somewhat weak and spindly. They do not yet have their true leaves. I water them daily but only a few squirts with a spray bottle on the coconut husk surrounding the plant. Not spraying the little plant directly.

I am thinking they need some food because what they are growing in provides no nutrients. but I am afraid of burning them. What would be ideal to use on seedlings?

I use Expert Gardener brand Powder mix. 1/4 teaspoon in 1 gallon of water and I use that at every watering, my plants look good solid thick stalks fairly tall lots of leaves. Just my .02

[PunkRotten]

If you do use the fertilizer do it at 1/4 strength or even more diluted. But your problem sounds like not enough light. The seeds and seedlings have enough nutrients with them in the beginning to get them started.

[GardenGnome]

My fish E has the same mix as said above. But I think if they are seedlings you could add alittle more water.

[applestar]

One way to put them outside is to put them in translucent storage totes with clamp on translucent lids. Now, I usually don't have to deal with 30-40 mph winds except maybe gusts, so I generally don't have to worry about the entire tote blowing away -- weight of the plants/moistened soil is sufficient, but I HAVE needed to place them in somewhat wind-sheltered location or bungee corded them to the garden fence, bench, etc.

When you need to keep the lid tightly closed, they can't be in full sun so aim for dappled shade under trees. It's best to do this when you can monitor the temp and other conditions several times throughout the day at first, so they don't suffer from surprise environmental changes while you are away.

[CatNippy81]

Hello everyone. Thank you for all the helpful input. We are all moved over to the new house and we have a breeze way here that gets sun pretty much all day since it is just about floor to ceiling windows. The plants seem to have perked up nicely.

Speaking of soil I have got a couple of new things for the next batch of seed to be planted. I got some worm castings and Dairy Doo because it came recommended and some worm castings. The woman where I got the stuff said to mix it and use it for the seeds because it works great and its hard to mess it up. her words.