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Eugene, OR

Hi all. I've been working on seed germination and lighting to keep myself busy over the winter. I've had great success germinating the seeds but I've been having trouble with the first true leaf shriveling up. I'm thinking it's either the seed starting mix, the light, or the very mild Miracle-gro fertilizer application. I only used about 3 teaspoons of miracle-gro per gallon of water and only applied it once after the first true leaves first began to grow.

The plants themselves look very healthy with no signs of disease and they are all very green. Is the light too close? Is it the darn miracle-gro? Bad seed starting mix?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Happy Holidays!

Brian

12/5/2003 8:21:31 PM

Western NY

nope, i believe it's the artifical light. i've noticed this myself before. if you put them outside just as they're breaking ground, i don't think you'll have a problem. of course, it's not advisble this time of year, but you know what i mean.

Andy

12/5/2003 8:59:13 PM

Greene County, Pa.

What kind of lights are you using? If you are using flouresents you should use Grow-Lux full spectrum plant bulbs, they sell these at home-depot. Of course you can go to a grow store and buy better bulbs then that. If your plant is too close to the light and its hot in your room it will dry out the edges of the leaf causing it to wrinkle. Place a small fan in the room blowing directly under the lights and on the plant. Im with Andy and believe it's the light.

12/6/2003 8:49:07 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Brian, I have the same damage on my test plants as well.
It started after I foliar sprayed them with a weak solution of fert & fish emulsion. I have taken a few pics and placed them in my diary. They are a little fuzzy but you can see the leaves are kind of necrotizing at the ends. Could be, it is too much Nitrogen. They are very close to the lights and I use the bulbs Buddy mentioned. I don't think it is a big long term problem to the plant. But they have been stunted to some degree. Certainly at least, I will hold off on using any foliar treatments until the plants are more mature.

12/6/2003 9:27:44 AM

Ga.

Kahuna,,I use a weakened solution of seaweed to foliar when plants are small..Never had a problem with burn..Good Luck..

12/6/2003 11:30:55 AM

Rexburg, Idaho (brianchristensenmd@gmail.com )

I've had the same problem the last three years. It was the most severe this last season. Causing severe damage to the frist three leaves. I believe it is the artificial light. Whether it is the wrong spectrum or the lights being too close I'm not sure. Next year the plants will be transplanted out just the first leave is forming before it has a chance to get burned.

12/6/2003 6:32:17 PM

Eugene, OR

Thanks for all the ideas guys. I'm using one grow light placed about 8 inches above the plants. I'm not sure on the wattage(Walmart special) but it keeps the plants nice and green and doesn't seem to put off a lot of heat. The lights are on 24 hrs, but I don't know if that would matter or not.

To isolate the problem, I think I'm going to do two more experiments to see what the problem is. I'll play with the lighting on the first try and then see if the miracle gro was the problem on the second try. I'll post again if/when I figure it out. Thanks!

Happy Holidays

Brian

12/6/2003 6:56:50 PM

ny

First mistake is plants need 6 hours of dark to recover from chemical reactions, photosynthesis, its more complex than that but just turn off the light. you need more lumens of light, i have three plants now and they look as if they were outside. all under hid lamps! Us a fert with some calcium in it to, miracle grow has bad effects used in small soil amount at to high a concentration. That stuff comes from some funky sources!

12/6/2003 9:03:23 PM

Eugene, OR

I will try leaving the light off at night and see if that helps. The plants look very green and healthy, and show no signs of wanting more light. I'm hoping it was just the miracle-gro but I'll have to play with it and see.

Thanks again!

12/6/2003 9:43:30 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Brian, Could this be the cause? Salt burn is a noninfectious disorder that affects muskmelons more than watermelons. Salt deposits that accumulate around leaf margins can have a toxic effect on gas exchange pores (hydathodes) located at leaf tips and edges. Salt accumulation often is associated with foliar applications of nutrient solutions and/or pesticides.

12/15/2003 4:53:23 PM

Syracuse, NY

i'm chiming in a little late here, but if you only have the lights on for a certain amount of time each day, not 24 hrs., the plants, i do believe, are more like outdoorsies
and begin to put-out rapid growth during the dark period.
whatever it takes to alleviate your problems is great, but
plants will get REALLY leggy if allowed to follow a some-on, some-off lighting program. i had foot-long plants to
mess with in 2002, for once they sprouted they were placed in a bedroom window, thereby governed by the sun....
no problem, just more fragile to put-out, (i just planted them a lot deeper, at a 45-degree angle)......
and in 2003, i could then put the lights as high or
as low as i wanted over the plants, which was really good at proving to myself what i just explained, but threw me off by producing the opposite effect---short, stocky and really green! (4-4' fluorescents, side X side, 2 'bulbs'
were Gro-Lites, the other 2 were full-spectrum ones, all 40 watts each, all from Home Depot)so it is a balance, and i can't wait to do more of these experiments very soon! 'pal2

1/2/2004 4:12:45 PM