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Over-watered seedlings?

twistandcrawl
twistandcrawlstarted grow question 3 years ago
I think my seedlings are over-watered, making them droopy and dark green. I moistened the soil prior to planting but haven’t watered since. Want to try and get the cotyledons to perk up a little. How can I do this?
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Leaves. Curl down
Leaves. Wilting
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Benzels
Benzelsanswered grow question 3 years ago
They are going to die off and drop off soon enough anyways so dont worry about em. You can see the soil is still quite damp, so its likely the roots are not getting as much oxygen as they need, So unless u want to start poking pin holes in the cup to allow more air in, all you can do is wait for the soil to dry out on its own over the next few days and the plant will start growing when the oxygen levels around the roots go back up. The more perlite I seem to add to my seedling mix the better they seem to do, im up to about 50% perlite and 50% fine potting soil these days. U can also sorta gently squeeze the cup sides lightly to break up the soil a bit and allow some air in, but do it gently so u get small cracks in the soil surface, air doesnt need much space and u dont want to damage the roots, so softly is enough. And yeah, its what i do for mine when I over water em and the soil compacts a bit like that. Thats why i use more perlite in the mix now for their first container.
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Organoman
Organomananswered grow question 3 years ago
Forget about the cotyledons, their only purpose is to protect the growing tip of the plant as it pushes up through the soil. They then peel back to expose the first true leaves to light and start the life cycle off. The cotyledons usually die within 2 weeks and this is normal. They are not required to make the plant grow or to be healthy. In other words, you have nothing to worry about, the cotyledons are doing exactly what they are supposed to do. However, by starting your seeds in such small cups and not even filled right up, you are already cramping the root system, which can stunt growth rather quickly. Black plastic pots about 4 inches across and 5 inches deep are almost ideal for seedlings and provide enough room for three weeks of development. These cups, onl;y half filled with soil are really only adequate for 4-5 days of growth. Good quality black plastic pots can be washed between cycles and will last for years if looked after properly. Hope this helps, Organoman.
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