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URGENT! Lot of seedlings crispy/dying

Applesauce

Applesauce

Member
Lots of seedlings here. I was away for 3 weeks and left these for my wife to take care of. Came back to this mess. There are 20+ here. All 3 weeks old. Showing same signs. Soil is LC's soiless. Added a bit too much lime to his or it didn't cook enough. pH of runoff was tested at 7.0. This was lowered but plants getting worse. They are seriously stunted and everything is becoming crispy. They were supposedly feed a few days ago with light fish emulsion. My delema is they aren't all dried out. I don't want to water as they might be over watered. Not sure if I need to flush or feed and get them back into the right pH zone. Even the tiny stunted new growth is getting crispy and a very weird dark yellow/piss colored lime green crispiness. Temps were too low on these also. Not enough humidity. Is this a BURN or UNDERFEEDING? How can I save as many as possible?


EDIT: Problem solved, I stated in this thread it was an issue with lockout. I thought it was that but I replicated the same problem. It turns out my wife was storing water in a plastic drum that was off gassing toxins. This was corrected over a year ago and was discarded. Thanks for the help.
 
I.M. Boggled

I.M. Boggled

Certified Bloomin' Idiot
Veteran
I would immediately transplant those.
If all you have available is your current mix I would flush the appropriate amount of transplant soil out real well before conducting that emergency transplant procedure.
Gently remove/swish around in h2o to wash away current problem soil while your at it.
Good Luck with your rescue.

IMB :)
 
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Applesauce

Applesauce

Member
The thing is I have younger seeings of the same type in the same mix and they are thriving. It is just this one batch. They were in temps way too cold off and on. New growth is necrotic on the tips (dark dark green tips on very new growth). So these MUST be burnt.
 
Stress_test

Stress_test

I'm always here when I'm not someplace else
Veteran
It's kinda tough to tell from the fuzzy pic if it is over watering or deficiency.

I agree about transplanting tho. I would flush em all w/ 3 times pot volume of ph'ed water. Then transplant em all into new soil and give em about 1/2 strength nutes and only about 1/2 as much as you would normally water. So that they aren't starving but aren't setting in saturated soil either.

Then give em a couple of days.
 
Applesauce

Applesauce

Member
Going to keep them in this mix. They aren't drenched and have dried out some. Going to give them a nice pH flush and give them some warm temps. They look bad but I believe I can bring them back.
 
bobman

bobman

Member
What light they under?
What are your temps?
How often you giving them water?

I have brought back seedling worse than this. You have green growth so until that is gone you can make it.
 
bobman

bobman

Member
I would probably take them out of those container and take a look at the roots. Then mix a fresh mix of soil and mist the soil lightly and replant. Then leave alone for a few days.
 
Applesauce

Applesauce

Member
They are under about 300 watts of 6500k. I have never had problems with seedlings like this. I checked the temps and it was as low as 58 at times. Usually around 65-70. Too low. They were obviously stunted as they are almost a month old and look a week old. This heavy "crispy" effect is new though from what my wife says. What is making me think this will be difficult is some of the new growth is getting that grey crispyness on their tips.
 
bobman

bobman

Member
I would take them out and take a look. I think you will find stunted roots. Make a new mix and mist it and replant. This could also be burn. either way a new mix will give them a fresh start and not the stress of a flush especially if they are suffocating in mud now.
 
Applesauce

Applesauce

Member
Just wanted to bump this incase someone has this same issue and searches the threads.
Cause of this was pH locking out phosphorus. Another contributor was over watered soil and temps that were too low, purpling was also present because of this. They were put into a basic peat/perlite/lime mix that was MISTED to dampness with pH 6.5 soil. Hours after transplant the remaining leaves perked up and are going to start recovering rapidly. Like probably 95% of the issues in this forum, pH was the biggest problem. Keep it in check!
 
Applesauce

Applesauce

Member
And like someone above commented, until you have absolutely zero green left there is a good chance you can recover most dying seedlings. These have been in the worst conditions possible soil wise, environment wise for weeks and although down to leaves the size of grains of rice, will survive. Good thing too... they were expensive genetics ;)
 
D

DigDuggreen

Member
I think your problem is in your first statement, no discrespect to your wife but theres no way I would leave mine to over see my plants. I think your on the right track with flushing and getting the temps right. I think what may have happened is that, the temps were to low locking out some nutrient uptake and to adjust for it your wife fed them fish emulsions, witch them complicated things even worse. I would flush with ph water and get the temps right. the light doesnt seem to intense for them but maybe back it off a bit. let the healing begin. you might try it on a few of them and if they get better you know your doing the right thing.
 
jm420

jm420

Active member
Veteran
I gotta agree with Dig Dug,My wife can keep roses alive for weeks,but leave her alone with my babies ,never:)
 
bobman

bobman

Member
I see this problem all the time in this section. It was a suffocating of the roots. Looks just like a ph problem. Your wife just kept the soil too wet. I add this not to argue but to save a new grower who sees this and starts chasing a ph issue when all they have to do is give them a good wet dry cycle and add enough perlite. Repotting and misting the soil is the fastest way for the plants to come back once this starts to happen.
 
N

northstate

Member
ICMag Donor
Yeah, soggy roots coupled with a cold spell for a week or so will most definately lock out P causing the dark necrotic burning that has no real pattern. You sound like the rescue will succeed and good luck with the revival.

bobman has some good points above,
Light earthworm castings and molasses tea should help. NS
 
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