My Seedlings are "Stuck"

jjphoto 3/30/2010, 2:39 pm

My radishes, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, and turnips all came right up weeks ago, but now they're just kinda "stuck". They've barely changed at all since they popped up... what gives? Makes me think that there isn't enough nutrients in this mix or something.

happyfrog 3/30/2010, 2:51 pm

what zone are you? what are teh temps like?

that can affect your seedlings.

mine sprouted, but are slow growing now - i'm zone 5 we had warm temps then cold temps and heading back to warm temps. . .

i expect my plants to grow significantly in the next week as temps are going to be quite warm.

can yuo tell us more about yoru plants and zone?

also, how many compost sources did you use and did you use existing soil or other things to amend?

what are your watering practices?

this will help answer your question. Smile

jjphoto 3/30/2010, 5:35 pm

Zone 7b. It's 90 today, but this is the highest it's been.

3 compost sources - one cotton burr compost, one a wood compost, and the third being a garden compost comprised of all sorts of various sources. No existing soil went into the bed.

I water when the beds feel like they need it. Sometimes that's daily if the wind has been blowing 40-50 mph all day and they dry out, sometimes it's a day or two if it's been cold and cloudy and the beds are still moist.

I took a picture of radish seedlings on the 7th and here we are on the 30th and they look pretty much the same.

Jeff Buffington 3/30/2010, 8:35 pm

jjphoto wrote:Zone 7b. It's 90 today, but this is the highest it's been.

90? Really? We barely got into the 80's... and in a normal year, would've been into the upper 80's at least once or twice by now.

3 compost sources - one cotton burr compost, one a wood compost, and the third being a garden compost comprised of all sorts of various sources. No existing soil went into the bed.

Ya'll are so lucky... having multiple sources for compost... I went to 3 places (Home Depot, Lowes and even Wal-Mart!) and found not only the same type of fertalizer, but the exact same brand!

I water when the beds feel like they need it. Sometimes that's daily if the wind has been blowing 40-50 mph all day and they dry out, sometimes it's a day or two if it's been cold and cloudy and the beds are still moist.

I'm thinking it'll be a few days before I need to even think about watering.... (see my pics in the Coastal South forum... we're treading water ATM!)

I took a picture of radish seedlings on the 7th and here we are on the 30th and they look pretty much the same.

Radishes grow really fast... did you guys get hit with a few cold snaps in between?

SirTravers 3/30/2010, 8:43 pm

JJ my stuff was the same way while all that wind was blowing and the temps were going 50 degrees either direction. I'd go out to rewet the mix since the wind kept trying to dry everything out. All the little plants just stared back like they were sayin. "Nuh Uh!" About 3 days ago I noticed some slight progress and now things are looking better. We got that 90 degree heat bubble down here in Hobbs today too.
Just keep the mix damp, your green stuff dry, and let the temps slowly warm up the box. I'll keep you posted on my little garden's progress so we can compare notes.

jjphoto 3/30/2010, 10:40 pm

Travis that's good to hear that you're experiencing something similar. I was really expecting to be eating some radishes by now!

happyfrog 3/31/2010, 6:53 am

my carrots and stuff are slow right now - i just figured it was 'cause of cold/hot, cold then warm temps. . .

just keep on waterign and talking nice to the plants and hopefully soon you'll be eating your radishes! Smile

i know mel recommends at least 5 different composts to have a good blend of nutrients - perhaps that might be part of the slow growth?

keep postign on the progress - i'm sure many folks are goin g to be interested. esp since you're in a warmer zoen and all us cold folks (i'm zone 5) are all envious!

bettyann

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temp swing, wind, and water

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