HelpfulGardener.com

Hello,

I have tried googling this issue but have had no luck. I have been trying to grow pepper seeds and only managed to germinate two so far, after a few days they both fell over to the ground and proceeded to shrivel up. I don't know what I am doing wrong and what the cause of this issue is. Here is a picture of the seedling tipped over, if anyone has any idea what is causing this please let me know.

That looks like damping off - a problem that usually occurs when the soil is too wet, or was infested with the fungus to start with. What kind of soil mix are you using? I don't see any perlite in there (which helps drainage); in fact, it looks like you may be using soil from the garden, which is not good for starting seeds. Of course, we start seeds in the garden all the time, but when you put that in a warm, humid environment - like we use for growing inside - helps those pathogens grow, too! Even soilless mixes can be infested, and many people will heat it to dry it in an oven to 200°, to sterilize it. Some wet it thoroughly with a dilute hydrogen peroxide solution, to sterilize. I also add even more perlite to mine, for good drainage.

Here's one article about it:

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/what-dam ... me%20mushy.

pepperhead212 wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 14, 2021 11:13 am

That looks like damping off - a problem that usually occurs when the soil is too wet, or was infested with the fungus to start with. What kind of soil mix are you using? I don't see any perlite in there (which helps drainage); in fact, it looks like you may be using soil from the garden, which is not good for starting seeds. Of course, we start seeds in the garden all the time, but when you put that in a warm, humid environment - like we use for growing inside - helps those pathogens grow, too! Even soilless mixes can be infested, and many people will heat it to dry it in an oven to 200°, to sterilize it. Some wet it thoroughly with a dilute hydrogen peroxide solution, to sterilize. I also add even more perlite to mine, for good drainage.

Here's one article about it:

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/what-dam ... me%20mushy.

I am using Bio Plantella start mix. Drainage is one thing that concerns me as the pots I have don't have holes on the bottom (idk if that is one of the issues), but they were advertised as seed starting so in theory it shouldn't be a problem. I will try adding perlite too. I am watering the seedlings and seed everyday at noon and am (in my opinion) not giving them way to much water. I know peppers like it a bit drier so maybe I should start watering every two days? (I always wait to water when the top layer of soil is completely dry to the touch because I read that on some forum).

It doesn't sound like the soil mix should be a problem. It looks like a peat pot you are using, and they normally don't have holes in them, so that's not unusual. However, though some people swear by them, the couple of times I used them many years ago, they did not perform well, both with tomatoes and peppers, though it wasn't a damping off problem - the plants in the peat pots just did not grow as well in the garden, after transplant. I never have to water every day, though I know peat pots dry out faster. Once the seedlings start popping up, I would stop watering from above, and just occasionally pour some into the tray, and let them absorb the water from below - that Bio Plantella is peat based (I had to look it up, because I hadn't seen it before!), so it should wick the water up well. Surprisingly, even when those peppers are just barely poking through above the soil, the tap root can already be 1-2" long! So frequent watering is not necessary, until the plants get large, thirsty, and have a lot of roots! Good luck getting to this point in the growing!

I think @pepperhead is on the right track. Those pressed fiber pots (peat, coir, wood pulp) really need to sit in a tray of shallow (1/4-1/2” or 5mm-1cm) water and NEVER be allowed to completely dry out.

If damping off is not the problem, the seedling looks to me to be wilted, and if the seedling’s taproot had reached the dried out bottom of the pot, it would have been sucked dry.

The problem with starting peppers in this kind of pot is that it takes longer to sprout — as much as 2 weeks to 4 weeks or even longer if the soil temperature is not high enough, and need to keep the pot from drying out necessarily invites mold/fungal growths and possible disease.

I have NEVER had any luck with peat pots. No matter the seedling, they alway did just what you have. It looks like the mix is too dry as well. I think peat pots change the pH of the soilless mix and tender seedlings can't handle the change. With plastic starter pots I have never had damping off and by checking on the plant status daily, soil moisture has not been a problem.

I agree. Peat pot stay to wet and when they are dry they are really dry.

It would be better to sow the seeds in a flat or just a 4 inch nursery pot, even a plastic cup will do ( recycled yogurt cups work great as long as you put holes in them.) The media sounds fine. It should be moistened before you plant the seeds and should be moist but well drained and not soggy.

Peppers do not germinate well in the cold. They will germinate if you have at least 68 degrees. A heat mat will help with that. So will lights if you are germinating indoors.

yes dampening off

ive got mine in a coir and perlite mix on my window sill in plastic plug trays. Just above the radiator. Usually works well if you keep an eye on them so they don't dry out