seedlings not growing

berigora · December 16, 2012

I sowed some tomato, eggplant and capsicum seeds at the end of September (spring in Australia). They came up OK but seem to have "stuck" at a couple of leaves each. They have been that way for the last six weeks! This isn't the first time this has happened and I am wondering what I have done wrong. Thanks.

Doug9345 · December 17, 2012

I've had that happen more than once. What I've determined for the cause of my plants to get to a size and stop:

Too crowded. I tend to plant too many in small cups and they never get bigger because their roots can get any bigger.

Not enough Light. Plants energy comes from sunlight. NO enough light and they don't have the energy to build more plant tissue.

I tend to be too stingy with fertilizer.

Not warm enough. Peppers are going to like growing in a 18 - 20 degree Celsius room.

Redbaron · December 17, 2012

Agree with Doug. If a plant has nutrients, warmth, space, sunlight, and water, then it should grow. But also there is the mystery "stuck" that happens for no known reason. (there is always a reason, but you may not be able to figure out what it is) I had some flowers do that last year.

The way I solved it was to transplant them in the garden even though they were still too small. Lost a couple, but most of them snapped out of it once they got into the garden bed. I learned a valuable lesson too. Once in the garden the small "stuck" plants generally caught up with the bigger ones in no time. In just a couple weeks you couldn't tell which was which. Some of those "stuck" plants ended up being the best in the end.

That taught me the main reason to plant a larger seedling in the garden is survival against some outside force. one grasshopper can completely destroy a small seedling in a single bite. A larger plant would be almost not effected at all. However, once the plant gets settled in, it isn't so much how big it was when you transplanted it, as simply the days since it was transplanted and the conditions it has in its final location.

Tania · December 17, 2012

Overwatering is one of the main reasons for stunted growth. Another one is a bad soil mix.

kilroyscarnival · December 17, 2012

Can you post pictures? I'm betting someone smarter and more experienced than I could tell a lot by looking.

It got warmer again here in Orlando, and I noticed my peppers are growing more now. Cool nights seemed to be the problem.

KarenO · December 17, 2012

too cool temps will markedly slow both tomato and pepper growth.

Tracydr · January 17, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarenO

too cool temps will markedly slow both tomato and pepper growth.

I brought my dwarf tomato inside because of our cold snap this last week. It's been in the dark but despite the dark it doubled in size. I can only attribute it to the warmer night weather, since our nights have been cool, 40 degrees, not enough to kill it but not warm enough to thrive.
I think I'm going to add row cover to all my early plantings from now on!

livinonfaith · December 17, 2012

I'll give another vote for low light. Are they indoors?

Happened to me last year with some tomatoes. As soon as I moved them to the brighter greenhouse, they started to take off again.

berigora · December 17, 2012

Thanks for your replies and suggestions. I don't think temperature or crowding is the problem; the seedlings have been pricked out into good quality potting mix and have been fed regularly. However, it is possible that I have been a bit too keen not to let them dry out.

I am wondering now if the seedlings are getting the light they need. They are currently in a situation where they receive dappled sunlight for most of the day. Perhaps that isn't enough?

I am going to plant them out as Redbaron suggests in the hope that they might eventually do what's expected of them. Fortunately we have a long growing season here. Thanks again for your help.

Cole_Robbie · December 18, 2012

the seedlings have been pricked out into good quality potting mix and have been fed regularly.

What did you feed them? Seedlings and potted plants in general are very easy to kill with chemical fertilizers. I would wonder if you have salt build-up and nutrient lock-out, which is why they live but don't grow.

Just some compost in the media should be enough to fertilize a seedling. If the leaves start to yellow, I give them a little Alaskan Fish fertilizer. Organic fertilizers are much easier to use and a lot more forgiving, especially with seedlings.

berigora · December 19, 2012

They went into a peat and coir based potting mix and were fed with seaweed extract ( I don't use chemical fertilisers). They got the same treatment as usual.

I have just planted them out as suggested by Redbaron and they have been lightly watered. Fingers crossed.

Redbaron · December 19, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by berigora

They went into a peat and coir based potting mix and were fed with seaweed extract ( I don't use chemical fertilisers). They got the same treatment as usual.

I have just planted them out as suggested by Redbaron and they have been lightly watered. Fingers crossed.

Keep us updated please! And pics would be cool if possible!

Tania · December 19, 2012

I have heard that coir is not the best growing media - I saw an article somewhere that compared different brands of coir with peat moss, and the conclusion was that coir-based mixes stunt the growth, in some cases significantly, compared to peat moss.

I will try to find a link to that article and post it here.

NickD · December 19, 2012

I had a similar experience recently. In the middle of October I started some dwarf tomato seeds in coir, and put them very close to my fluorescent lights, so lack of light wasn't an issue. The seedlings grew very slowly, only having two true leaves until recently. I tried lightly fertilizing, but it didn't make a difference. One possible issue is that we keep our house chilly (62F degrees on the thermostat, but probably upper 50s where the seedlings were being kept).

I got tired of waiting for the seedlings, so several days ago (last Friday) I transplanted them into a primarily peat-based mixture (which contains a small amount of fertilizer), and made sure that they were being kept warmer. In this short amount of time, they've put on another set of leaves and seem to be growing quickly.

So, I'm not sure what caused this apparent increase in seedling vigor. It may have been the different mixture (which I find easier to keep evenly watered than the coir) or the raised temperature, but things are looking up!

Nick

kilroyscarnival · December 20, 2012

I started some of my seedlings in coir. I did top off with a soil/compost mix, but they did really jump when I transplanted them.

December 16, 2012	#1
berigora Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Dubbo, Australia Posts: 5	seedlings not growing I sowed some tomato, eggplant and capsicum seeds at the end of September (spring in Australia). They came up OK but seem to have "stuck" at a couple of leaves each. They have been that way for the last six weeks! This isn't the first time this has happened and I am wondering what I have done wrong. Thanks.

December 17, 2012	#2
Doug9345 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Durhamville,NY Posts: 2,706	I've had that happen more than once. What I've determined for the cause of my plants to get to a size and stop: Too crowded. I tend to plant too many in small cups and they never get bigger because their roots can get any bigger. Not enough Light. Plants energy comes from sunlight. NO enough light and they don't have the energy to build more plant tissue. I tend to be too stingy with fertilizer. Not warm enough. Peppers are going to like growing in a 18 - 20 degree Celsius room. Last edited by Doug9345; December 17, 2012 at 11:42 AM. Reason: I fingers refuse to type what I want they to type instead of what I tell them to type.

December 17, 2012	#3
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Agree with Doug. If a plant has nutrients, warmth, space, sunlight, and water, then it should grow. But also there is the mystery "stuck" that happens for no known reason. (there is always a reason, but you may not be able to figure out what it is) I had some flowers do that last year. The way I solved it was to transplant them in the garden even though they were still too small. Lost a couple, but most of them snapped out of it once they got into the garden bed. I learned a valuable lesson too. Once in the garden the small "stuck" plants generally caught up with the bigger ones in no time. In just a couple weeks you couldn't tell which was which. Some of those "stuck" plants ended up being the best in the end. That taught me the main reason to plant a larger seedling in the garden is survival against some outside force. one grasshopper can completely destroy a small seedling in a single bite. A larger plant would be almost not effected at all. However, once the plant gets settled in, it isn't so much how big it was when you transplanted it, as simply the days since it was transplanted and the conditions it has in its final location. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

December 17, 2012	#4
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	Overwatering is one of the main reasons for stunted growth. Another one is a bad soil mix. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

December 19, 2012	#13
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	I have heard that coir is not the best growing media - I saw an article somewhere that compared different brands of coir with peat moss, and the conclusion was that coir-based mixes stunt the growth, in some cases significantly, compared to peat moss. I will try to find a link to that article and post it here. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

December 17, 2012	#5
kilroyscarnival Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 614	Can you post pictures? I'm betting someone smarter and more experienced than I could tell a lot by looking. It got warmer again here in Orlando, and I noticed my peppers are growing more now. Cool nights seemed to be the problem.

December 17, 2012	#6
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,931	too cool temps will markedly slow both tomato and pepper growth.

December 17, 2012	#8
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	I'll give another vote for low light. Are they indoors? Happened to me last year with some tomatoes. As soon as I moved them to the brighter greenhouse, they started to take off again.

December 18, 2012	#10
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	the seedlings have been pricked out into good quality potting mix and have been fed regularly. What did you feed them? Seedlings and potted plants in general are very easy to kill with chemical fertilizers. I would wonder if you have salt build-up and nutrient lock-out, which is why they live but don't grow. Just some compost in the media should be enough to fertilize a seedling. If the leaves start to yellow, I give them a little Alaskan Fish fertilizer. Organic fertilizers are much easier to use and a lot more forgiving, especially with seedlings.

December 19, 2012	#14
NickD Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Western Oregon Posts: 11	I had a similar experience recently. In the middle of October I started some dwarf tomato seeds in coir, and put them very close to my fluorescent lights, so lack of light wasn't an issue. The seedlings grew very slowly, only having two true leaves until recently. I tried lightly fertilizing, but it didn't make a difference. One possible issue is that we keep our house chilly (62F degrees on the thermostat, but probably upper 50s where the seedlings were being kept). I got tired of waiting for the seedlings, so several days ago (last Friday) I transplanted them into a primarily peat-based mixture (which contains a small amount of fertilizer), and made sure that they were being kept warmer. In this short amount of time, they've put on another set of leaves and seem to be growing quickly. So, I'm not sure what caused this apparent increase in seedling vigor. It may have been the different mixture (which I find easier to keep evenly watered than the coir) or the raised temperature, but things are looking up! Nick

December 20, 2012	#15
kilroyscarnival Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 614	I started some of my seedlings in coir. I did top off with a soil/compost mix, but they did really jump when I transplanted them.