seedlings grow poorly, many greenish spots. What to do?

[Cicero_wnb]

This is the first time I attempt to grow plants from seeds.

I've noticed about half of the seedlings aren't growing very well. More disturbingly, greenish spots have appeared on the soil. It makes me think some fungus has taken hold. I went back to the books that I've been reading and realized that after germination the temperature should be lowered, which I didn't do. Also, I failed to provide ventilation, something which is generally recommended. So have made some changes already to correct these errors.

My question is whether the symptoms I've described should lead me to throw away the affected plants, or should I wait in hopes for a better outcome now that I've made some basic changes and as long as the seedlings are still alive (which they are). I'd hate to "over-react" by dicarding plants that are still salvageable.

I'll appreciate any advice. Thanks!

[Phisherman]

It would be helpful to know what kind of seedlings you are growing, and where you are attempting to grow them. If you are growing seeds from a seed packet, follow the directions carefully. The condition "damping off" is probably the biggest concern for growing most seedlings. Air circulation and some brief morning sun generally helps for many seedlings.

[Salty Thumb]

[e-mail] (Cicero_wnb) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I don't think there are any fungi with chloroplasts. After shooting down several probes, but missing the two latest, Martian Defense Command has begun to their counterstrike efforts. The little green dots are actually embryonic Martian "Coluoid" battle drones. In couple of weeks they will grow to full size and begin slaughtering any earthlings they find. Or it could just be algae.

[Cicero_wnb]

You ask about which kinds of seedling. The answer is: all kinds. Vegetables, herbs, flowers. A little of everything. We've provided common conditions to all, without paying attention to packet instructions (except for seed depth). But they seem to require similar conditions, so even if we are off for this or that plant, if we are doing things "about right" the results should be generally good. As I said, we already discovered two glaring errors, both of which have been corrected (temperature has been lowered, air ventilation has been added).

We are growing the plants in our basement, with fluorescent lights. That part seems to be working alright.

The plants where the green stuff is most widespread are the ones that, generally speaking, show poorer growth. So it's not just that the green stuff is unsightly, but it does seem to correlate (negatively) with observed growth.

I've read about damping off. The only picture I've seen of this problem showed plants that had totally collapsed (and no accompanying green coloration, btw). Our plants may exhibit stunted growth, but they are still standing.

I should note, too, that the veggies, which we planted in slightly larger pots and less perlite in the potting mix, seem to be escaping this problem and look pretty good. This may or may not help.

If I have to throw away the plants with the "green infestation", that's alright. I won't be disheartened (I'm taking this as a learning experience). But I just don't want to over-react and destroy plants unless that's necessary.

The other bit of information I may add is I'm using fish emulsion as a nutrient. Just following the instructions in the bottle for that. It's pretty smelly stuff, but if plants like it, what the heck....

So, again, if anybody knows about greenish discolorations in seedlings, please help! Perhaps I should add that the green color is all in the soil, but especially on the perlite rocks, for some reason.

[B & J]

I like your Martian battle drones, but I don't think they have landed yet. More likely the green spots arose from the peat that is often incorporated into many potting soils. Moss often grows in pots where peat is part of the mixture, particularly if placed are in a warm, moist, low light area. I've had it grow in pots of plants I've started, but it doesn't seems to affect growth.

There has to be something else affecting growth. My suggestion is to provide more light and ventilation, and there certainly is no reason to throw out the salvageable plants. Most seedlings survive a lot of abuse. :)

John