Problems with brussel sprouts from seeds :(

[Femme]

Hi! I'm trying to start a garden this year. So far I'm growing vegetables from seeds indoors. I've sowed some brussel sprouts, and first they looked perfectly helthy and strong, but then in less than a week they got very tall and thin, until they died.
Please help! What did I do wrong? I used Jiffy seed starting mix, and I kept baby plants under the lights because it was cold and rainy that week.

Here is what have left out of my brussels:

[applestar]

Your seedlings show classic signs of insufficient light. What kind of light are you using? Fluorescent tubes or CFL bulbs are best because they don't give off too much heat. You want to position the light tube or bulb 2~6" from the top of the growing plants, depending on the brightness. Ideally, the first pair of leaves (seed leaves or cotyldons) should be no more than 1" at the most (though this varies with the size of the seed) from the surface of the soil.

Brussels sprouts, with long time to maturity and cooler temperature requirement during sprout development is not the easiest plant to start with. Do you have others you'd like to try? If you post a list, we could give you some recommendations.

If you want to grow Brussels Sprouts, you could try again, but the timing will depend on where you live. For example, my garden is located in USDA Zone 6b, and at this point, it would be best if I started seeds around mid May and plant out the started plants with 2~3 pairs of true leaves around mid June for late fall harvest.

[Femme]

Thank you for a quick respond!
I used 2 fluorescent bulbs, though they were little more than a feet above the seedlings. The room they were in was quite warm, if that matters. How else can I give them more light? How about taking them outside on sunny days?
I heard brussel sprouts are not the easiest ones, but I felt brave enough to try I live in central NY, so I though it might be cool enough to grow them, especially if this summer will be like the last one.
I also have seedlings of different tomatoes (almost all emerged and look nod bad so far), bok choy, cucembers, peppers, herbs and some flowers. Planning to sow zuccinis, green and wax beens, mesclun mix. I've had tomatoes on my porch last couple years, and they did awesome, espesially cherry tomatoes. Last year though all non-cherry ones gone bad, and I heard they don't like rain getting on them. So we've built a little greenhouse, I'll try to keep tomatoes there. These are my big plans

[DoubleDogFarm]

[Femme]

Yeah, that's exactly how I feel. I killed little plants

[Ozark Lady]

I had a tough time with all brassicas this year, but some have hung in there.
I look at the compact brassicas offered by vendors and think, how do they do that?

I have some to plant out, but they look more vinelike than brassica like.
And alot of them died also. Looks like I have 7 brussels out of 12 started. But they are ugly... not brassica like at all!

[DoubleDogFarm]

I look at the compact brassicas offered by vendors and think, how do they do that?

Well you start with peat and perlite seed mix. 70\ 30 mix NO FERTILIZER Grown in open flats. With proper lighting.

After true leaves have formed. Pot up. Plant the seedling up to the true leaves. Cut off the cotyledon if you wish. At this stage use your favorite potting mix and fert. I like hydrolysate fish fertilizer and kelp.

Finally cool air and warm soil is the better combination

[Femme]

I wish my broccollis looked like that.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Femme,

That is what this forum is all about, well I like to think so anyway
helping each other out. Don't get discouraged. All of use had to work on the techniques. Everybody does it just a little differently.

Plant a seed and they will come.

[Femme]

Thanks for support! You encourage me

I'm giving brussels another try. This time I'll lower the lights. So how about taking them outside on a nice day?

[Ozark Lady]

No fertilizer! Hmmm, I have been adding fish emulsion very weakly to every single watering, of every single plant.

When we go to transplant our brassica vines, if we bury all that stem, up to real leaves, will it root along it, like nightshade plants do?

I even have vines, outside growing in cups, so it has to be the fertilizer, I mean, how can I improve on sunlight, and outside temps as far as cool and light?

[Femme]

Another load of brussel sprouts seedlings and same problem. they haven't died yet, but they are definately too tall. I've been holding them outside when it was warmer, and on the window on cold days.
I give up.

[TZ -OH6]

I wait until mid summer when the local nursery has all of their overgrown plants on super sale and then buy my brussels sprouts (Jade Cross E). I soak the pots in a bucket of half strength fertilizer over night and then tear the tight root ball in half vertically like a butterfly. I then plant that flat on the bottom of a fairly deep hole and maybe pinch a few lower leaves off. The plants root fine and are ready by the time snow hits. I dug the last one out of the snow to eat in early February. I tried to grow from seed last year at the proper time (Long Island Improved) and even though I got seedlings into the garden they didn't grow worth a carp.

[Tigerlilylynn]

ooo *takes notes* I'm nervous about my brussles and I like this back up scheme.

[garden5]

Hmmm...well, I've heard that they prefer cool temperatures, so maybe your set-up is too warm. Also, if there is an amount of humidify, they may get damping off (fungus). Try increasing the ventilation with your new seedlings.

[Decado]

My brussels sprouts got really leggy like that and it wasn't due to lack of light because I had a 400 watt metal halide light. I just uppotted up to the seed leaves when they started falling over and they were fine.

[DoubleDogFarm]

femme,

Your light fixture. Is it one light with two tubes or two single light fixtures.

A flourescent light needs to be 1 to 2 inches above the soil when starting. Then move it up as the plant grows. Hanging the light fixture from two chains, makes the adjustments very easy.