Seedling stem browning/decaying?

[Moots]

Hey all, the stem of one of my seedlings is looking rough. Its about a week old, and a small spot of the stem is browning and collapsing? (It's becoming thinner than the rest of the stem.) The plant is still staying vertical fine, but I am worried that as new leaves grow in it will eventually topple.

Any ideas what could have caused this? I think my wife (a smoker, cigs) touched the plant without washing her hands, could that be an issue?

And will the plant recover? And how can I help?

Thanks in advance.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Lacking other info, my first guess is overwatering. It's not your wife, cig smokers don't have cooties.

 

[busty]

Lacking other info, my first guess is overwatering.

/agreed

When I first started I was using peat pellets in a humidity dome and i was misting them once a day. My clone's stems started browning and collapsing (rotting). Removing the dome and ceasing to mist lowered the humidity level that the ladies stayed alive long enough to root.

You're going to have to figure out what the right process is for you to keep your humidity at the right levels. High enough that the girls can survive without roots. Low enough that you're not having any rotting probs.

Best of luck!

It's not your wife, cig smokers don't have cooties.

Debatable

 

[Moots]

Thanks a ton guys. I am going to try lowering the humidity. I don't think its over watering, as I've noticed alot of new growers tend to do so, so the few times I thought I should water, I just waited assuming I was jumping the gun. Rest of the plant seems fairly healthy although the leaves are kinds of wavy. Maybe I'll post some pics later.

Another quick question, My seedling stretched out quite a bit before kicking out its first set of leaves, to lower and make the plant more sturdy, could I re-bury it covering up more of the stem in the soil?

Sorry for all the questions, you do a bunch of research and try to not make mistakes you read about, then in your first grow a whole set of things happens you didn't even think about.

 

[I.M. Boggled]

Every time that I've encountered damping off issues it was because I was keeping their feet/roots too wet for the medium.
I don't use a dome at all with seedlings as that to me is just begging for fungal/bacterial issues with baby seed sprouts.

Another quick question, My seedling stretched out quite a bit before kicking out its first set of leaves, to lower and make the plant more sturdy, could I re-bury it covering up more of the stem in the soil?

Yes you can, no problem, although I would wait a week or so so until your damping off issue plays itself out and isn't an issue anymore and then transplant.
Do you have an oscillating fan lightly breezing across those babies? ...as it tends to help to develop stronger stems as well as keeping the surface of medium slightly drier than it would be otherwise, perhaps helping to avoid rot issues preemptively.

Good Luck with your babies.

IMB

 

[pearlemae]

Tobacco mosaic shows up as mottling in the leaves first. Damping off is a fungal infection. you could try a copper sulfite spray like for tomatos,taht will help defeat damping off try to lower the RH also. Good Luck My 2 cts

 

[FreezerBoy]

I don't think its over watering, as I've noticed alot of new growers tend to do so, so the few times I thought I should water, I just waited assuming I was jumping the gun.

You're still withholding info. What kind of media, container, dome etc?

It may not be overwatered per se as much as a lack of O2. You can sprout seedlings or root clones in 100% saturated media as long as the water is properly aerated (DWC, bubblers etc)

Soil like mixtures are more similar to flood and drain. The flood forces out old air, the drain sucks in fresh air. Are you providing drainage?

Stretch is usually from low light conditions. Brand new baby sprouts look for the full strength of the sun in all it's blazing glory and laugh at our puny 1Ks. You can use floros or cfls but, get them down close. You're only concern here is heat proximity, none of the lamps we use put out "too much" light for sprouts.

Transplanting lower is a doable solution but, just so you know, will cause a stall in growth for a week or two as plant builds new roots at the surface.

 

[jjs]

Hi

Ive had this issue happen sometime ago , try staking them with tooth picks or skewers for support.

Also keep the light close as this will rectify any stretch issues.

 

[Moots]

Thanks for all of the replies guys. Info after a story here.

Last night some random crazy shit went down. During a pre superbowl party a friend had a little too much to drink and passed out on the floor in my bedroom, which is where my box is. My lady shortly after went in to change, tripped over him, busting one of the doors on the cab, and did some damage to lights (CFLS). The best part though, is after she got up really pissed, she threw him out, and yelled for me to come quickly, screaming "Our baby, Our baby, I hope HE didn't kill it!"

My pal now fears my lady was pregnant and is worried he hurt our soon to be child, who of course does not exist.

The actual baby, seems to be doing ok. Browning of the stem seems to have stopped spreading and does not seem as dark.

The new stem growth for the second set of leaves(Which exploded into existence while I was sleeping) is a very nice healthy green, and looks hearty which gives me hope.

Here's some info on the grow, specs are for a temporary Mcguyvered new box after that fiasco.

Growing medium- My pal's "homemade soil blend" To which to be honest looks alot like the potting soil I use for lavender. but since he was moving and giving me most of his supplies for free(Beans included) and said, "plant in this, fail-safe" I did him that favour. I should have remembered that while I love him, he's an idiot. It was holding onto alot of water when I test watered an empty pot prior to planting to see how it drained. Vermiculite and a good pot fixed the problem.

Container- Currently in a 6 inch pot. I use it for almost all of my house plants (Herbs, cacti, venus fly traps etc), will scale up later. They have a built in drainage spot at the base, they use some strips of fabric that connects both the water reserve below and the soil above so it can act as a bottom waterer if you are away from the house for too long. Had to remove the strips though, so that the soil didn't re-absorb extra water all day.

No dome.

Strain- Blue Mystic, Nirvana I believe.

Light- CFLs, since the cab breakage, just a 40 and a 23, until I properly mount lights in the new box. Lights are now as close to the plants as I can get them. They were higher earlier on, so may have caused the stretching as mentioned (Thanks)

Temp-21-25 Celsius, humidity doesn't go above 40. O2 levels, I dunno. No way to check it. However the box has very solid air flow.

I may post pictures later on, if I am not feeling self conscience as a newbie.

 

[FreezerBoy]

"Our baby, our baby..." lol

Thanks for additional info. I'm going to stick with over water/oxygen deprivation. I'd lose the wicks to allow proper drainage and see what happens.